How do Christians mature? We have two basic options: activity or passivity. Some believe their spiritual development rests all on their own shoulders. They treat the Christian life like it’s a rulebook to follow. Or they admire a famous servant of God and seek to copy everything he or she did.
Others dispense with the issue, believing that growth will take care of itself. Over time, children discover that their old clothes no longer fit and they need a new wardrobe. Likewise, these Christians maintain that given enough time, they’ll make measurable progress.
But God doesn’t restrict us to a single means; He uses both. Our growth in Christ depends on God’s grace and our efforts.
Here’s what Paul recommends.
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:12-13 (NASB)
The apostle urges us to “work out” the salvation we’ve received. This is serious business. Since our sins cost Jesus His life, we can’t afford to treat the work of God in our souls in a light-hearted manner.
Spiritual growth is serious but not burdensome. Learning how to apply and express the life-changing power of Jesus Christ takes commitment, but it doesn’t depend on us alone. Paul reminds us that God is the One accomplishing this effect within us.
The book of Hebrews repeats this twofold principle.
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3And this we will do, if God permits.” – Hebrews 6:1-3 (NASB)
At first glance, it would seem that this passage neglects the grace of God. Verse 1 tells us to “press on to maturity” and verse 3 asserts “this we will do.” It’s easy to get the impression that God holds Christians responsible for their spiritual development.
But the Greek verb in verse 1 reveals the other side of the coin. The word is phero which means to bring, bear, or carry. It’s a simple verb that we learned in the first weeks of the Greek class I took in Bible school. Back then, I concocted an image to help me memorize what it meant. To me, the word phero sounds like the title of Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. I figured that since people visited Pharaoh to curry his favor, they would bring him gifts. So I pictured travelers bearing gifts to the king of Egypt. Bring, carry–it worked for me!
But this verb is also in the passive voice. Rather than bringing or carrying something, we ourselves are brought or carried to maturity.
Who’s carrying us?
Jesus is!
If maturity is a destination, Christ is the One taking us there. Along the journey, He will engage with us, talking to us and listening to us. That’s what prayer is–a spiritual conversation. It’s what discipleship looks like.
God wants us to deepen the knowledge we have of His Son. This doesn’t refer to collecting facts and figures. Rather, God intends for us to submit to the training Jesus offers so that we can grow confident in Him as we handle life’s challenges.
Is our spiritual growth up to us? Yes. Does it depend on the grace of God? Absolutely. It’s not either-or; it’s both-and. The Lord energizes us to practice the disciplines that foster maturing in Christ. Prayer, Bible study, fellowship, service–the list goes on, but what all these have in common is cooperation. The Spirit works in us and we work in the Spirit. This is how Christians grow.
Recent Comments