Once Benjamin Franklin said, "Without...continual growth such words as improvement or achievement means nothing."
Question becomes: how does a man grow up?
According to the Scriptures man grows up as his faith in the (grace and) knowledge of the Lord grows. (2Th 1:3; Col 2:19; 1:10; Eph 4:14,16)
For this reason the Apostle Peter says straightforwardly: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18 And he exhorted fellow siblings in the Lord to grow by eating (craving) the word of the Lord (pure spiritual milk) (namely the Bible).
To grow up the slave nation Israel out of slavery onto his greatness the Lord revealed himself to his children so that they might come to the knowledge of him as the Lord (Jehovah) God stated through Moses:
'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. [And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.' ” Exodus 6:6-8
The Lord revealed himself to them so he could dwell among them and make them holy. Exodus 29:46; 31:13
When Jesus came he expressed the same purpose saying in effect, "on that day you will know that I am in the Father, the Father in me, you are in me and I am in you." So all three (God the Father who sent Jesus, Jesus the Son, and you, his child/brother/friend) are in one, so God would be "all in all." (JOHN 14-17; 1 Co 15)
So growth comes through (the growth in the faith in the) knowledge of Christ maturing in and to the full knowledge of the full measure of His greatness.) Col 4:13; Eph 1:28
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