But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 3:18
When reading about Roman history, I learned that during the Roman Inquisition, prisoners were often put into rooms with low ceilings as part of their punishment. Although they could roam around in their large rooms, they could never stand upright. Forced to keep their faces downturned, heads and shoulders hunched, no doubt they were a picture of sadness and shame.
This form of punishment was cruel and inhumane, yet consider how much worse it would be in the spiritual sense. The human spirit was meant to stand upright, to grow into the full measure of the stature of Christ. Imagine confining that spirit so it was never able to reach its potential! Indeed, anyone who does not know the Savior is currently in that condition, held down by the bonds of sin. Although it may not be visible, theirs is a situation of true sadness and shame.
When we are saved, we are freed from sin and can finally stand tall, confident in the power of our Redeemer to present us faultless before the judgment throne. The Bible tells us to “stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). Further instruction about standing as Christians is found in 1 Peter, which tells us we are standing in the true grace of God, and 2 Peter says it is not enough to just stand in grace; we must grow in grace. Not only are we told not to return to our former bondage, but we must use our freedom to “grow up” in the Gospel.
None of us can add one cubit to our physical height, but we can all follow the instruction in our focus verse to grow in grace. To do that, we must realize that grace does not grow in isolation. It must grow in the stream of life, among troubles, difficulties, and obstacles. Talent is developed in solitude, but character in the challenges of everyday life. As we meet life head on, God is able to make all grace abound toward us, that we may have all sufficiency in all things and abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). Then we can reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.