70 Bible Verses about Growth

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown (mature) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error. By speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in all things to him. For he, Christ, is the head.

Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as fleshly men, as babes (infants) in Christ. I fed you milk and not solid food. You were not able to receive it. You are not able now!

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, and reason like a child. When I became an adult I did away with childish things.

Brothers, do not be like children in understanding. When it comes to evil be innocent children but in your thinking be mature adults.

At this time you should be teachers. But you need someone to teach you again from the beginning the elementary truths from the Word of God. You need milk, not solid food. Everyone who drinks milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to mature people. It belongs to those who by reason of use have their senses trained to know the difference between good and evil.

Like newborn infants, long for the spiritual milk that is without deception to help you grow to salvation.

The seeds that fell among the thorns are people who hear the word and go their own way. They are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and do not produce fruit. The good ground represents the honest and good-hearted people. They hear the word, hold fast to it and produce forth fruit with patience.

He that was sown among thorns hears the word. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. He that was sown upon the good ground hears the word, and understands it. He bears fruit, producing sometimes a hundredfold, sometimes sixty, and sometimes thirty.

but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things enter in and choke the word. So it becomes unfruitful. Those who represent that sown upon the good soil hear the word and accept it. They bear fruit, thirty fold, and sixty fold, and a hundred fold.

The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness.

We are glad, when we are weak, and you are strong. We also pray that you be readjusted.

We preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one to God as a mature individual in union with Christ.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

We did not boast beyond our assignment in other men's labors. Having hope that, as your faith grows, we shall be made great among you according to our territory for further abundance. Let us preach the good news to the parts beyond you. Let us not boast in someone else's territory in concerning things ready for our hand.

Our friends, we should thank God at all times for you. It is right for us to do so, because your faith is growing so much and the love each of you has for the other abounds toward each other.

Grow in the unmerited favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit (mental disposition) of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Have the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the holy ones,

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man. May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith to the end that you will be rooted and grounded in love. May you be able to comprehend with all the holy ones the breadth and length and height and depth.read more.
And may you know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. May you be filled with all the fullness of God.

Walk worthily of God, fully pleasing him. Bear fruit in every good work, and increase in the knowledge (Greek: epignosis: full discernment, recognition) of God.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. This is through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue (excellence).

Indeed, you do it toward all the brothers in all Macedonia: but we encourage you to increase more and more.

I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment.

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.

Add brotherly kindness to your godliness. And to your brotherly kindness add love. For if these things are yours and abound in you they will keep you from being inactive or unfruitful regarding the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

not holding fast to the head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, grows with the growth from God.

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God caused the growth. Neither he that plants and neither he that waters is anything; but God gives the increase.

I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Put away all badness and all deception, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil talk.

for if you live according to flesh, you are about to die. If by the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness with deep reverence for God.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have impaled the flesh with its passions and lusts.

You put away your former way (course) (behavior) (conversation) of life, the old self that was corrupt with the lusts of deceit. You are renewed in the spirit (vital principles) (attitude) of your mind (understanding). Put on the new man, that in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Make your members that are upon the earth dead with regard to fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (greed), which is idolatry. Because of such things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. You once walked in these when you lived in them.read more.
Now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you got rid of the old self with its evil practices. You put on the new self that is being renewed to a true knowledge (full discernment) according to the image of the one who created him.

Therefore leaving the elementary truths of the doctrine of Christ let us move on to maturity. Let us not lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. We should not repeat the basic teachings about baptisms, and of the laying on of hands (setting apart for holy tasks), and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

We have many things to say about him and it is hard to explain it to you, for you are dull of hearing (slow to learn). At this time you should be teachers. But you need someone to teach you again from the beginning the elementary truths from the Word of God. You need milk, not solid food. Everyone who drinks milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.read more.
But solid food belongs to mature people. It belongs to those who by reason of use have their senses trained to know the difference between good and evil.

I request (urge) (implore) you brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.

My beloved, you have always obeyed, not just in my presence, but now much more in my absence. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect. But I press on, that I may obtain that for which Christ Jesus also obtained.

Yes, for this very reason you do your part with all diligence. Supply virtue to your faith. Add knowledge to your virtue. Include self-control with your knowledge. Supply patience to your self-control. Your patience should be helped by godliness. Add brotherly kindness to your godliness. And to your brotherly kindness add love.read more.
For if these things are yours and abound in you they will keep you from being inactive or unfruitful regarding the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers. This is for the perfecting (equipping) (preparing) of the holy ones, for the work of ministering, for the building up of the body of Christ:

Pursue love, yet zealously desire spiritual gifts, especially prophesy (proclaiming God's Word). For the person who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to men, but to God. No man understands him. He speaks secrets by the spirit. But the person who prophesies (proclaims God's Word openly) speaks to men to build up, encourage and comfort.read more.
The person who speaks in an unknown tongue enlightens himself; but he who declares God's Word enlightens the entire congregation! I would like it that you all speak with tongues, but I prefer that you prophesy. The person who announces (teaches) (preaches) God's Word is greater than the person who speaks with tongues. The person who speaks with tongues should have an interpreter so the congregation may receive understanding and knowledge.

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown (mature) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error. By speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in all things to him. For he, Christ, is the head.read more.
The entire body is properly framed and fitted together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in due measure of each individual part. It makes the body increase by building itself in love.

The child Samuel grew both in stature and in goodness with Jehovah and also with men.

Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

The child grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the deserts till the time came to show himself to Israel.

Saul increased in power and confounded the Jews living in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.

It came to you even as it did. Everywhere in the entire world it bears fruit and it increases in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace (loving-kindness) of God in truth.

In another illustration Jesus said: The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man sowed in his field. Mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. Yet when it grows it becomes as large as a tree. In fact the birds of heaven lodge in the branches. He offered another illustration: The kingdom of heaven is similar to leaven. A woman hid leaven in three measures of meal until it was all leavened.

He said: What illustration should we use to picture the kingdom of God? What story will make it clear? It is like a grain of mustard seed. When it is planted in the earth it is smaller than all the seeds on the earth. But when it is planted it grows and becomes taller than all the plants. It grows out great branches so that the birds of heaven are able to take rest in its shade.

Jesus continued: To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? What is it like? It is like this. A man plants a mustard seed in his field. The plant grows and becomes a tree. The birds make their nests in its branches. Again Jesus asked: With what should I compare the Kingdom of God?read more.
It is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour. Soon the whole batch of dough rises.

He added: The kingdom of God is like this. A man plants seed in the earth. He sleeps and gets up night and day until the plants grow though he has no idea how. The earth gives fruit by itself. First comes the leaf, then the head, then full grain.read more.
When the grain is ready he immediately sends men to cut it, because the time for cutting has come.

Many who heard the word believed. There were about five thousand men.

Those who gladly received his word were baptized. About three thousand persons were added the same day.

More believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.

The word of God increased. The number of the disciples greatly multiplied in Jerusalem. Even a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.

The congregations throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria, were built up. They walked in deep respect for Jehovah and were comforted by the Holy Spirit and continued to grow.

The hand (Spirit) of God was with them. A great number believed, and turned to the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas entered the synagogue of the Jews at Iconium. There they spoke to a great crowd of Jews and Greeks who became believers.

The congregations were made stronger in the faith and grew in numbers every day.