25 Bible Verses About Growth

Ever look back on your life and realize how far you’ve come?

You once were a child, only starting to grasp who God is. You grew up and learned something new. You persevered through trial after trial, to successfully be where you are now. Maybe you’re not even in the place you desire to be, yet. But if you reflect on your past, you can see your transformation and how much you’ve grown – physically and spiritually.

I thank God every day for the many opportunities that have encouraged me to grow and for the trials that have challenged me to change and to think and act differently. Here are 25 Bible verses about growth to encourage and challenge you to grow in the Lord.

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Bible Verses About Growth

The Bible talks in depth about the various ways that we as humans, as children of God, grow and flourish. The Bible teaches us how we should live as we grow up and what we should teach our children as they grow up.

The Bible also talks about growing and changing as we read God’s Word. Because we are transformed by the Word of God, we grow spiritually in our walk with Christ and grow in our understanding of His Word through spiritual maturity.

Bible Verses About Growing Up

When we are children, we are taught the things that we ought to know. Growing up is an opportunity to learn more about God, who He is, who we are through Him, and His plans for us. These scripture verses teach us about growing up in the ways of the Lord and how important it is to teach the Word of God to our youth.

1. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 – But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2. Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.
3. Proverbs 22:15 – Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
4. Ephesians 6:1-4 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
5. Colossians 3:20 – Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
6. Jeremiah 1:5-8 – Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Before we were even born, we were set apart for great things. God knows us and has great plans for us long before we are even born. He sets our path to walk on as we grow up, preparing us for what is to come.

7. Luke 2:40 – And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Even Christ was a child once, and as He grew up, He became stronger with the wisdom of God.

Bible Verses About Growth and Change

As we grow older and learn new things, it’s natural to change. When we read God’s Word, we are supposed to allow it to transform us. These scriptures about growing show us how the Word is supposed to change us.

8. Romans 12:2 – And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
9. 2 Corinthians 3:18 – But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
10. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
11. Ephesians 4:22-24 – that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
12. Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.
13. Daniel 2:20-22 – Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
14. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

There is a season for everything, and with each season God brings is a revelation of His time to come.

Bible Verses About Growing Spiritually

Another way we grow is by growing spiritually in Christ. This means that we dive deeper into the Word of God, cast our fleshly nature aside, and work to produce the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. These Bible verses about spiritual growth can teach you what it means to grow in the Lord.

15. 2 Peter 3:17-18 – Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
16. Colossians 1:9-12 – For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
17. 1 Peter 2:1-3 – Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

You cannot grow spiritually when you allow your flesh to take part in worldly desires and evils, such as malice, guile (or deceit), hypocrisy, envy, and evil speakings such as slander and curses.

You cannot grow spiritually when you allow your flesh to take part in worldly desires.

18. Hebrews 6:1-2 – Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
19. Colossians 2:6-10 – As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

We must move past the basic teachings of the Bible and dig deeper into our understanding of the Word if we are to grow in Christ and not waiver to worldly deceit.

20. 2 Peter 1:5-9 – And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Faith without works is dead. These works are virtue (or excellence), knowledge of the Word of God, temperance (or self-control), patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are the fruits of the Spirit, and possessing these qualities reveals your strength in the Lord. 

Growing spiritually means that we dive deeper into the Word of God, cast our fleshly nature aside, and work to produce the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

Bible Verses About Growth and Maturity

Of course with growth comes maturity. Maturity is not about age, but rather your understanding of scripture. You can be young and spiritually mature, or old but lacking maturity. Here are a few scriptures about growth and spiritual maturity.

21. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 – And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it , neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
22. Ephesians 4:13-16 – …till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

You cannot understand the ways of the Holy Spirit if you are giving way to your flesh and not maturing in the Word of God. You will easily be swayed by false doctrine, desires of your flesh, and the temptations of this world if you lack spiritual maturity.

23. 1 Corinthians 14:20 – Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
24. Hebrews 5:12-14 – For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

If you have not matured spiritually, then you do not bare the skills of righteousness that God needs you to have in order to be an example to others. In fact, if you try to lead others while you yourself are spiritually immature, then you will not be able to lead others to Christ effectively.

25. 1 Timothy 4:11-12 – These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

As I said earlier, you can be young and spiritually mature, and old but lacking maturity. Just because someone is older, does not make them wiser in the Word of God. Be discerning of what others teach, compare it to what the Bible teaches us, and look at the fruits of that teacher.

Continue to Grow in the Lord

Albert Einstein once said that “Once you stop learning, you start dying”. I believe this to be true when it comes to our spiritual development. We are never too old, too young, or too wise to learn something new. If we believe that we’ve learned all that we can from the Bible and we stop studying scripture, then our spirit starts dying.

Our spiritual health can decline if we do not continue to grow in the Lord. We must actively pursue Christ, pray to Him, and study His Word fervently, so that we can mature, grow knowledgeable and wise in our understanding of Him, and lead others to know Him as Saviour, too. 

Praise God for opportunities to grow and be challenged in our walk with God, so that we may be great instruments for the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth. I hope this encourages you to seek to grow in your walk with the Lord.

Enjoy this FREE Reflection Worksheet printable! Use it to assess how well you are already doing in being intentional about your spiritual growth. And then plan for changes that will help you grow even more in your walk with the Father!

Click the image to download and print.

About the Author – Amanda Davis

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