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
There is this small plant growing in a plastic container in office. It has been there even before I joined YMM. The seed had sprouted into a seedling. But despite the watering and care, the seedling has remained bent over on its side, laying on the soil from the first time I laid eyes on it. Has the seed grown into a seedling? Yes. Is the seedling still growing? I’m no botanist, but I highly doubt it!
Have we grown as a Christian? Are we growing as a Christian? These are two vital but fundamentally different questions we, as Methodists, need to answer. The word translated as ‘grow’ in 2 Peter 3:18, really means “to keep growing” in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. To Wesley, the journey of salvation does not end the moment an individual receives Christ or in our context, says the sinner’s prayer. He regards repentance as only “the porch of religion.”46 Harper writes, “the Wesleyan dynamic of grace… recognizes genuine change, while at the same time acknowledging the need for continued growth.”47
因此，各位蒙爱的人啊，你们既然预先知道了这些，就应该警惕，免得被那些恶人的迷惑引入歧途，从自己坚固的地步坠落。你们却要在我们主、救主耶稣基督的恩典和知识中不断长进。愿荣耀归给他，从现在直到永远之日。阿们。 《彼得后书》3：17-18
北宣教会办公室塑料容器里养着一棵小小的植物，在我加入之前就已在那里。种子虽然已经萌芽成苗，但是，尽管有浇水和护理，从我第一次看到它时，幼苗仍然弯曲侧躺在土壤一侧。种子长成了苗吗？是。幼苗是否还在成长？我不是植物学家，但我高度怀疑!
作为基督徒，我们成长了吗？我们正在成长吗？这些是卫理公会会友需要回答的两个重要但根本不同的问题。在《彼得后书》3:18中将这个词翻译为“不断长进”，实际上意味着“在我们的主的恩典和知识上不断成长”。对于约翰. 卫斯理来说，救恩的旅程并没有在个人接受基督为救主的那一刻或者是某种背景下的认罪祷告而结束。他认为忏悔只是进入“宗教的门廊”。哈珀写道：“卫斯理的动态恩典......认出真实的改变，同时承认需要持续成长。”
反思
你可以引用什么样的实例来证明你已经成长为基督徒？你今天还在成长吗？
Reflection
What are some instances that you can cite to show that you have grown as a Christian? Are you still growing as a Christian today?