Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians. We’ve been studying Galatians 2:20 for the past three messages, but today I want to take you on a journey through the life of the Apostle Paul himself to discover the #1 sign you’re actually growing spiritually.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT
“Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
Galatians 5:4 TPT
“If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!”
Romans 6:14 ERV
“Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.”
1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Galatians 2:20 TPT
“My old identity has been crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union with him! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God, who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, dispensing his life into mine!”
1 Corinthians 15:9 NLT
“For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.”
Ephesians 3:8 NLT
“Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.”
1 Timothy 1:15 KJV
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
Setting the Stage:
Here’s the #1 sign you’re actually growing spiritually: You become less judgmental, not more judgmental. The Apostle Paul wrote Galatians 2:20 early in his ministry, but as he grew closer to God, his perspective on himself completely changed. The closer he got to God, the less he thought of himself, and the more grace he had toward others.
True spiritual maturity is measured not by how much you know about God, but by how humble you become and how much grace you extend to others. Paul’s spiritual journey shows us that genuine growth in Christ always leads to greater humility and more grace toward others.
When you truly encounter God’s grace, you don’t become more religious; you become more gracious. You don’t think more highly of yourself; you think less of yourself and more of God’s goodness. The progression of Paul’s writings gives us a roadmap for spiritual maturity, and it reveals the one unmistakable sign that you’re actually growing in Christ.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Early Growth Often Comes with Spiritual Pride (Paul in Galatians).
When Paul wrote Galatians 2:20, declaring “My old identity has been crucified with Christ,” he was still relatively early in his ministry journey. This was during his second missionary journey, and while the revelation was true, Paul still had a lot of growing to do.
1 John 1:8 NLT
“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”
How this applies to you:
— When you first get saved or experience a fresh revelation like Galatians 2:20, you often take such a radical approach that you think you’re completely changed and your life is now totally about Jesus. You declare things like “I’m dead to self!” and “Christ lives in me!” with unwavering conviction. And the revelation is real. But you haven’t lived long enough to discover how much dying you still need to do.
— This radical transformation mindset usually lasts until you mess up, fall into sin, or face a situation that reveals how much of your old nature is still alive. It is then that you realize that being “crucified with Christ” is a process, not a one-time event. You discover that dying to self is a daily choice, not a spiritual accomplishment you achieved when you got saved.
— New believers and those experiencing fresh spiritual breakthroughs often become the most judgmental people in the church. They’re like Paul on the cross with Jesus. They know they’re dead to self, but they’re too immature in Christ to realize how much growing (which means dying) they still need to do.
— If you find yourself being critical of other believers, looking down on people who don’t have your level of revelation, or feeling spiritually superior, you’re in the “Galatians 2:20 stage.” You are still a baby in Christ. The revelation is real, but your humility hasn’t caught up with your knowledge yet. You think you’ve figured out the Christian life when you’re just getting started.
— This stage is dangerous because spiritual pride disguises itself as spiritual maturity. You think you’re growing, but pride is actually stunting your growth and limiting your ability to extend grace to others. You become critical of Christians who are struggling with things you think you’ve overcome.
— In most cases, this early spiritual pride is cured over time. Life has a way of humbling us and showing us just how much we still need God’s grace in every area of our lives.
2. True Maturity Brings Humility Amongst Your Peers (Paul in 1 Corinthians).
By the time Paul wrote 1 Corinthians during his third missionary journey, his perspective had shifted. He declared: “For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle.”
Notice what happened here: Paul still acknowledged that he was an apostle—he didn’t deny his calling or his position. But he took the lowest seat among all the apostles. The last seat in the pulpit.
How this applies to you:
— As you mature in Christ, you stop comparing yourself to other believers and start comparing yourself to other leaders in your area of calling. Paul didn’t compare himself to new converts anymore; he compared himself to other apostles and realized he was the least qualified among them.
— Spiritual maturity means you acknowledge your position and calling while maintaining genuine humility about your qualifications. You don’t fake humility by denying what God has called you to do, but you don’t take credit for what God has done through you either.
— Paul’s growth shows that true dying to self doesn’t mean you think less of your calling; it means you think less of yourself within your calling. He was still confident in his apostolic ministry, but he was humble about his place among the other apostles.
— If you’re in leadership (whether in your family, your workplace, or your church), spiritual maturity means you serve others and use your authority to lift people up, not to prove how important you are. In most cases, as you grow in Christ, you consider yourself the least qualified person for your position because you have finally grown to the point where you can be honest with yourself.
— You also stop needing to be right all the time. Instead of arguing over everything, proving your points, or winning debates with your peers, you become more interested in loving people and helping them encounter God’s grace.
— Your testimony changes from “Look what I’ve accomplished” to “Look what God has done despite my weaknesses.” You give credit where credit is due. You point to God and His grace, not your abilities.
— You become comfortable with people seeing your flaws and failures because you know that God’s strength is made perfect in your weakness. You don’t have to maintain a perfect image because you know you’re not perfect. You’re just called and empowered by grace. This is all part of living #TheGraceLife.
3. True Spiritual Maturity Births A Compassion for All Believers (Paul in Ephesians).
After being imprisoned and shipwrecked, Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.”
Here’s the progression: Paul went from being on the cross with Jesus, to the least in the pulpit (least of the apostles), to being the least in the congregation (least of all God’s people). It’s like Paul left the pulpit completely and sat in the back pew of the sanctuary, acknowledging that he was the least deserving among all believers, not just leaders, but every single person in the church.
How this applies to you:
— When you truly mature in grace, you stop looking down on any believer. Paul’s humility expanded from just comparing himself to other leaders to comparing himself to every person who calls Jesus Lord. He didn’t consider himself better than the newest convert or the most struggling believer.
— You develop deep compassion for struggling believers because you remember your own struggles. Instead of judging people who are caught in sin, addicted to destructive behaviors, or making poor choices, you see yourself in them. You realize that apart from God’s grace, you could be in their exact situation.
— Your prayers change. Instead of praying, “God, help them get their act together,” you start praying, “God, show them the same grace You’ve shown me. Help them experience the same love that transformed my heart.” You intercede from a place of compassion and understanding, not judgment or superiority.
— Here is a big one: your heart becomes a safe place for broken people. Those who are struggling, hurting, or far from God feel comfortable around you because they sense your acceptance and grace, not your judgment and criticism. They know you see yourself as just another sinner saved by grace.
— You grow to the point where you can genuinely celebrate other people’s victories without feeling threatened by their success. When someone else gets blessed, promoted, or experiences a breakthrough, you genuinely rejoice with them because you know God’s grace is big enough for everyone. You don’t compete with other believers; you cheer them on.
4. Ultimate Maturity Produces Grace for Everyone (Paul in 1 Timothy).
Right before his death, Paul wrote: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
This is the final progression: Paul went from the least in the pulpit, to the least in the congregation, to now standing outside the church with all the sinners, and calling himself the Chief of them all. At the height of his walk with Christ, Paul didn’t see himself as better than anyone, not even those outside the church. He identified with every sinner and considered himself the worst of them all.
How this applies to you:
— When you reach spiritual maturity, you extend grace to everyone, including those who aren’t believers yet. He didn’t see a distinction between “us righteous people” and “them sinful people.” He saw himself as the biggest sinner who had been saved by grace.
— Instead of seeing yourself as righteous and others as sinners, you see yourself as the chief of sinners who has experienced incredible grace, and you want every other sinner to experience that same grace.
— You become genuinely humble, not falsely humble. This isn’t about putting yourself down or having low self-esteem. This is about having an accurate assessment of who you are apart from God’s grace and being amazed by His goodness toward you.
— Your evangelism is motivated by love, not superiority. You don’t witness to people because you think you’re better than them. You share the Gospel because you remember how lost you were and how much you needed a Savior. You approach sinners as the chief of sinners who found grace.
— You have a massive tolerance for other people’s flaws and failures because you’re fully aware of your own. How can you look down on anyone when you know you’re the chief of sinners saved only by God’s grace? Every person’s sin reminds you of your own need for grace.
— Your life becomes a walking demonstration of God’s grace to everyone you meet. People around you (believers and unbelievers alike) experience acceptance, love, and hope because that’s what you’ve received from God, and it naturally flows through you to others.
The Grace Life Test:
Here’s how you can measure your spiritual growth: Are you becoming more judgmental or less judgmental? More critical or more compassionate? More religious or more gracious?
If you’re growing in grace, you should be:
- More patient with people’s weaknesses
- More understanding of people’s struggles
- More forgiving of people’s mistakes
- More hopeful about people’s potential
- More generous with people’s failures
- More accepting of people’s differences
Remember: The closer you get to God, the less you think of yourself, and the more grace you have toward others.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for Paul’s example of true spiritual growth!
I declare that as I grow in grace, I become more humble, not more proud.
The closer I get to You, the less I think of myself and the more grace I have toward others.
I refuse to allow spiritual pride to disguise itself as spiritual maturity in my life.
I choose to extend the same grace to others that You have extended to me.
I am patient with struggling believers because I remember my own struggles.
I have compassion for sinners because I know I am the chief of sinners saved by grace.
My spiritual growth is measured by my humility and my love for others, not by my knowledge or my accomplishments.
As I mature in Christ, I become a safe person for broken people and a demonstration of Your grace to everyone I meet.
I am living #TheGraceLife, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
