Fellowship Bible Church 

Let’s assume you just got saved. You learned that Christ died for your sins, and He was buried and rose again the third day. You accepted by faith the good news about Christ's all-sufficient substitutionary atonement for all your sins. Now you're saved. Let’s also assume you’ve never opened a Bible in your life. What’s next?

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There are 3 essential ingredients to spiritual growth:

 

1) “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

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2) “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

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3) “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

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Study. Pray. Meditate.

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You need to completely renew your mind (Rom. 12:2) to change your thinking to mirror God's way of thinking.

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We'd suggest that spiritual growth begins with a clear understanding of the all-sufficiency of Christ's payment for all your sins.

 

After that, your growth continues when you come to understand your identification with Christ and His victory over sin.

 

In that moment of faith, His death became your death (Romans 6:8). His burial became your burial (Romans 6:4), and His resurrection became your resurrection (Colossians 3:1). His glory has become your glory (2 Thessalonians 2:14). You are now victorious over sin and death as much as Christ Himself is victorious. You are now one with Christ (Ephesians 5:30). You are in Christ. These are key doctrines as only Paul can teach in the foundational book of Romans.

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This is also why we often say that new believers need to understand who they are in Christ, that they reckon as true what God tells them in His Word about what He made them in His Son, and then you simply align your earthly walk with your new heavenly identity.

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How does one do that? You study.

 

I’m reminded of something Pastor J.C. O’Hair used to say: “You’re not ready to study the book of Romans unless you’ve read it 100 times.” Study Romans first. Read it again and again and again in a King James Version until you practically have it memorized. If you don’t understand a verse or two, don’t worry about it. Just keep reading and rereading.

 

After you’ve read Romans at least a dozen times, try this:

 

• Read Empowered by His Grace.

  • This book provides a thorough look at the gospel and your identification with Christ - who you are in Christ.​

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• Read A Guide Through Scripture or The Big Picture.

  • Both of these offer high-level overviews of the entire Bible.​

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We would also recommend visiting our podcast page and checking out Joel's "epic list of links." There is a world of grace teachers and phenomenal churches out there! Avail yourself of those resources! We also offer tons of free grace articles, books, & charts!

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Spend time every day studying Paul’s epistles from Romans to Philemon. Study, pray, and meditate upon what you read.

 

Nothing compares to you spending one-on-one time with God in His Word and studying for yourself what God says.

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When you read a passage, ask yourself, "How would I explain that?"

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