← All studies

Study 08 of 25

Growing in Christ

Christ's victory over sin and evil frees believers to grow into His likeness, not to earn it.

Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.

Synopsis

Sequeira opens this chapter, on the newest of the 28 fundamental beliefs, by cataloguing eight biblical categories of sin, from deliberate transgression to the sinful nature inherited from Adam, showing that the objective gospel has already redeemed mankind from seven of them. Only the eighth — the sin of unbelief, rejecting Christ — remains unforgivable, since it rejects the very remedy God provided. He carefully distinguishes sin as a verb (acts) from sin as a noun (an inherited condition), showing both are dealt with in Christ. Because Jesus said, 'It is finished,' growth in Christ is not a project of self-improvement to become acceptable to God, but the outworking, by the Spirit, of a victory already won. True Christian growth is thus rooted in freedom from guilt and bondage, not driven by fear, and expresses itself in prayer, feeding on the Word, worship, fellowship, and loving service.

Key points

  • Scripture identifies roughly eight categories of sin; the objective gospel has already redeemed mankind from seven of them at the cross.
  • Sin functions in the New Testament both as a verb (acts of sin) and as a noun (an inherited sinful condition); Christ deals with both.
  • The only unforgivable sin is unbelief — deliberate, persistent, ultimate rejection of Christ's gift of salvation.
  • Growth in Christ flows from a finished victory ('It is finished'), not from anxious self-effort to become acceptable to God.

Key texts

  • John 8:34
  • Romans 5:19-20
  • Galatians 3:13

From the book

Chapter 8 · Belief 11 · Read this chapter

  • “Growing in Christ means to see reproduced in one’s life the character of Christ.” (ch. 8)
  • “To grow fully in Christ, mankind must be saved from this dual sin problem, sin as a verb as well as sin as a noun.” (ch. 8)
  • “Christ paid the full price for all sin committed by the human race against God's law.” (ch. 8)

Put it into practice

  • List one habit you've tried to fix through willpower alone and reconsider it in light of Christ's finished victory.
  • Study Romans 5:19-20 and journal how grace 'increasing all the more' changes your view of your own failures.
  • Spend time this week in prayer, Scripture, and worship as expressions of freedom already won, not duties to earn favor.
  • Encourage a struggling believer this week with the truth that Christ's victory, not their effort, is the basis of growth.
  1. Comprehension

    1. List some of the eight categories of sin Sequeira identifies from Scripture.

  2. Scripture

    2. Read Romans 5:19-20. What does this passage teach about how sin and grace relate?

  3. Doctrinal Clarity

    3. Why does Sequeira say the sin of unbelief belongs to 'a different category altogether'?

  4. Contrast

    4. Contrast sin as a 'verb' with sin as a 'noun' in the chapter's terms.

  5. Scripture

    5. How does John 8:34 describe the human condition apart from Christ?

  6. Comprehension

    6. What does 'It is finished' mean for the believer's approach to spiritual growth?

  7. Doctrinal Clarity

    7. Why does the chapter emphasize that believers 'bear no responsibility for what Adam did' yet 'inherit the consequences'?

  8. Application

    8. Personal: In what area of your life do you tend to treat spiritual growth as self-improvement rather than living out Christ's finished victory?