How do you know if you are really growing spiritually?

In this 2 Peter 1 Bible study, Vince Miller explains why Christian maturity is not measured simply by years in church, Bible knowledge, religious activity, or emotional experiences. According to Peter, real spiritual growth is revealed when the character of Christ is present and increasing in our lives.

Peter begins with an incredible promise: God's divine power has already given believers everything needed for life and godliness. But this grace does not produce passivity. Peter commands us to make every effort to develop virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

In this study, you will discover:

Why God's provision comes before our effort
How grace and spiritual discipline work together
The biblical signs of genuine Christian maturity
Why spiritual stagnation is connected to spiritual forgetfulness
How Scripture anchors believers in a deceptive world
Where Jesus meets us when we recognize how far we still have to grow

The goal is not sudden perfection. The goal is a clear direction in which the character of Jesus becomes increasingly visible and the truth of Scripture increasingly governs our lives.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1, ESV
Series: STAY ALERT: How to Grow in Truth in a Deceptive World

Join us each day in The Daily, where we study a few verses at a time, and return each week for The Weekly, where we explore the message of an entire chapter.

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Reflection and Small Group Discussion Questions::
1. Why does Peter begin with what God has already provided before commanding believers to "make every effort"?
2. What does it mean that God has given believers everything needed for "life and godliness"? What does this promise not mean?
3. How would you explain the difference between grace-fueled effort and attempting to earn God's acceptance?
4. Which quality in 2 Peter 1:5–7 is increasing most noticeably in your life right now?
5. Which of Peter's qualities is least evident in your life, and what circumstances tend to expose that weakness?
6. Why does Peter connect spiritual stagnation with forgetting that we have been cleansed from our former sins?
7. What does the statement "the fruit does not create the root; the fruit reveals that the root is alive" teach us about spiritual growth and assurance?
8. Why does Peter emphasize both his eyewitness experience and the reliability of the prophetic Word?
9. Which voices or sources are shaping your thinking more consistently than Scripture?
10. What is one specific act of obedience you will practice this week so that one of Peter's qualities begins to increase?