These spiritual growth Bible verses show us God’s concern that we grow in knowing and understanding Him better!
What Does the Bible Say About Spiritual Growth?
Does the Bible instruct us to pursue spiritual growth?
Yes, the moment we are born again in Christ, we begin to grow spiritually. We are instructed to desire spiritual milk as babes, but to also grow strong enough for spiritual meat.
When we are born anew of the Holy Spirit, we begin a Christian journey of growing in faith, love, character, and our relationship with God
The Bible has specific verses that stress the importance of growing, as well as, examples of heroes of our faith who grew spiritually throughout their lifetime.
In this post, I will focus on specific Bible verses that show spiritual growth is important to pursue.
Spiritual Growth Verses
1. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17)
2. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation (1 Peter 2:2-3).
3. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. (Col 2:6-7 NASB).
4. We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ (Eph 4:15 ESV).
5. Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man (1 Sam 2:26 ESV).
6. Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52).
7. Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance (Prov 1:5 ESV).
8. Train yourself for godliness (1 Tim 4:7).
Verses That Emphasize Desire for Spiritual Growth
The process of growth in our walk with God all begins with genuine desire.
It’s like setting a goal for any direction in life, and wanting it is the crucial first step.
We must start with desire a closer walk with God and keep our desire fresh. Meditating on these Scriptures helps to stir up our desire and keep it fresh in our day-to-day Christian journey.
9. The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5 ESV).
10. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV):
11. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Mat 5:6).
12.”You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1 NIV).
Growing Spiritually is Growing in the Knowledge of God
In Jeremiah 9:24, the Lord tells Jeremiah, “Let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me.”
The Lord tells Jeremiah in the previous verse that even though we can know lots of things about lots of things, the most important thing is to know and understand Him!
So even though financial provision is important, physical strength is important, and knowledge about life is important, the knowledge of God should be most important!
13. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18 ESV).
14. So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10 ESV)
15. To the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children (Eph 4:13 -16 NASB).
Verses That Emphasize the Need for Scripture for Growing Spiritually
In our journey toward spiritual growth, it becomes clear that the Bible holds a unique and irreplaceable role. The Scriptures consistently emphasize that true spiritual growth is intricately tied to the Word of God.
Attempting to pursue spiritual understanding in any other way is akin to the actions of a thief or a robber.
The Bible serves as our guide, offering wisdom, insight, teaching, and spiritual nourishment.
Any deviation from its truths will lead us astray.
The Bible stands as an indispensable source, guiding us on the path to spiritual maturity in our walk with God.
16. His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us (2 Peter 1:3 NASB).
17. They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Acts 17:11).
18. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col 3:16).
19. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15).
20. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress (1 Tim 4:11-15 ESV).
Scriptures That Emphasize Growing in Love, Faith, & Character
The next few verses show us specifically how we are supposed to grow.
They highlight the importance of developing love, faith, and character in our lives. As we grow in godly virtues, we are transformed into the image of Christ.
21. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you ( 1 Thes 3:12).
22. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing (2 Thes 1:3).
23. You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48 AMP).
24. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV).
25. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29).
Scriptural Growth Analogies
Jesus often talked about spiritual growth using examples & analogies.
For example, our lives are a bit like plants. Plants grow from seeds to maturity and are able to bear fruit.
As we grow, the Word of God sprouts and flourishes inside us until we mature and bear good fruit.
Here are a few verses with plant analogies:
26. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience (Luke 8:15 ESV).
27. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green” (Ps 92:12-14 ESV).
28. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor (1 Cor 3:2-8).
We Grow Spiritually Through Troubles
There are also Bible verses that emphasize that spiritual growth can come through facing and overcoming trials and troubles.
These verses convey the idea that trusting God in difficult circumstances can lead to spiritual growth.
The growth process shapes us into more mature and resilient believers. The process strengthens our faith and matures our character.
29. My fellow believers . . . For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking (James 1:2 TPT).
30.”Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NIV).
31. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 (NIV).
Spiritual Growth Verses that Emphasize Christian Maturity
These spiritual growth verses underscore the point that we are not to remain in the same condition as when we started out in our Christian journey.
We are to go forward in pursuing Christian maturity. We are to grow in our connection with God and develop our thinking and character as true followers of Christ
32. Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature (1 Cor 14:20).
33. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways (1 Cor 13:10-12).
34. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God (Heb 6:1).
35. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Heb 5:12-14).
36. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age (1 Cor 2:6 NIV)
As We Abide in Christ He Will Work In Us
Sometimes it can feel like a winter season where nothing is happening in our spiritual walk.
However, these times can mean the most growth for our inward person.
It’s nice to know God oversees our growth, and like the rose, under the snow, we will blossom again.
These next verses show that as we depend on Him, God enables our growth and will complete what He started in us.
37. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil 2:13).
38. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
39. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18).
40. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).
In conclusion, there are many Bible verses on spiritual growth.
I hope this selection has helped convey the importance of pursuing growth and the fact that God is encouraging you forward in your faith journey with Him. Praise be to God!
Abundant Blessings for your journey!
Also Read: 7 Things That Hinder Spiritual Growth
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Teachings so blessing may our loving God continue to lift the ministry up Amen