15 Bible Verses on Spiritual Growth
Janee Hughes • August 31, 2020
Do you want spiritual growth? You may have had a time where you wondered about how to have spiritual growth. Spiritual growth happens when your relationship with God grows deeper and stronger. Growth is something that happens gradually over time. When you are actively striving to grow in your relationship with God, growth is occurring.
We have included Bible verses on growth to inspire you spiritually. Read them and allow them into your heart. Let’s begin our journey through these Bible verses on spiritual growth:
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
Remember that God is the vine and we are the branches. How can a branch survive on its own? It cannot. The branch must stay connected to the vine, the main source, to remain nourished and bear fruit. Apart from God, you can do nothing, but if you remain in God in you will thrive, grow, and bear fruit. Growth comes from abiding in God.
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 NIV
Be rooted in God. Build yourself in God. You deepen your roots in God by building your relationship with Him. Let your relationship with God strengthen your faith and fill you with a thankfulness that overflows. Growth occurs by being rooted in God.
“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:7-9
A person can plant a seed, but it is God who makes it grow. A person can water a plant, but it is God who makes it grow. Whether a person plants a seed in someone’s life, or someone encourages that seed with water, only God can make things grow. Growth can come through the service of another person, but God is the ultimate source of spiritual growth. God orchestrates your life. Growth comes from only God.
“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 1 Peter 2:1-3
Exchange all impurity for pure things and growth will happen. When you crave pure things, it results in spiritual growth. “Crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” Growth comes from feeding yourself pure things.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
Having the goal of spiritual growth is a great goal to press hard into. To help with growth, you should forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead and “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called” you heavenward in Christ Jesus. Growth comes from running the race.
“Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:17-18
Do not be led away with the error of the wicked, but grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord our God and Savior. Growth comes from the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
God will complete the good works that He has begun through you. Be confident in Him. God can work all things out for good. Growth is letting God work through you.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6
Jesus said it and nothing can change it. Those who hunger and thirst for Him and His righteousness will be filled. Spiritual growth comes to those who hunger and thirst for Jesus and His righteousness. Growth is being hungry and thirsty for the righteousness of Christ.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
When you allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with His fruits, you are growing in your relationship with God and in the fruits of the Spirit. Ask God to fill you with His fruits. The fruits of the Spirit produce spiritual growth. Growth comes with the fruits of the Spirit.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
God’s Word is for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. So, the more you are in the Bible, the Word of God, you will see the spiritual growth that it brings to your life. Growth is found in God’s Word.
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” 2 Peter 1:5-9
Faith. Goodness. Knowledge. Self-control. Perseverance. Godliness. Mutual affection. Love. These are all good things. Having these qualities in increasing measure can make you effective
and productive
in your knowledge of the Lord. Let us not be blind or forget that we are cleansed from our past sins. Growth produces effective and productive knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:13-14
Be mature in distinguishing between good and bad. Be acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Train yourself to do good and avoid evil. Growth in your relationship with God helps you distinguish good from the bad.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:15-16
Growing together in the body of Christ brings growth. There is a purpose for each person in the body of Christ. From Christ, the whole body is “joined and held together by every supporting ligament” which grows and builds itself up in love. Grow in the body of Christ to have spiritual growth. Growth is growing with the body of Christ.
“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
Did you know that you benefit from the trials that you go through in life? Paul writes in this scripture to “consider it pure joy.” When your faith is tested it produces perseverance and patience, which results in spiritual maturity. Growth happens when you go through trials.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
When you know Jesus and invite Him into your life, He makes you a new creation. As the scripture reads, “The old has gone, the new is here!” Spiritual growth starts and continues with Jesus! Growth is forgetting your past and focusing on who you are in God and all He created you to be.
These Bible verses about spiritual growth are a reminder for you. To encourage growth in your relationship with God. To show that your life has a purpose. . If one of these scriptures spoke to you, comment below what Bible verse spoke the most to you and why. Let’s continue our journey to have spiritual growth this year and the all years to come!
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Encouragement to move past your shame and grow closer to God, your Heavenly Father.
You should do these 3 practical things when you feel distant from God.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20, ESV