Articles
Some Thoughts On Growth
With the exception of toadstools, bamboo and a few other things, growth is usually a gradual, mostly imperceptible process. We often are not conscious of the changes in our own children until someone who hasn’t seen them in a while says, “My how you’ve grown! You aren’t the same child I remember!”
So it is in the inner man. It takes time to “get it,” to process information, make the requisite changes and actually demonstrate a life guided by God’s revelation -- “led by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14). When by faith we fulfill God’s conditions of redemption via the blood of Christ, we are fully accepted by or in fellowship with Him regardless of our spiritual immaturity. The reality of being “born again” is that we begin our walk with God as infants, lacking in understanding and ability.
Maintaining our relationship with God does not hinge on hitting certain arbitrary milestones of growth; only sin can sever that relationship. But the larger truth is that failure to grow leaves us vulnerable to temptation, carnal thoughts and desires that Satan can masterfully manipulate in order to lead us into sin. Failure to grow inevitably results in sin, and sin separates us from God.
The danger of regression
More than once in the New Testament, Christians were rebuked for failing to grow. Paul lamented his inability to speak to the Corinthians on a spiritually mature level: “I ... could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not solid food" (I Cor. 3:1-2). What was the evidence of their immaturity? “For when there are envy, strife and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (3:3). They had regressed from being spiritually enlightened to acting like the rest of the dull, heathen society around them. As noted, their lack of growth led them into sin.
The Hebrew writer also chided his readers on similar grounds: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (Heb. 5:12). Their failure to grow left them vacillating in the face of persecution, and the author wanted to develop the concept of the high priesthood of Christ to bolster them but was afraid they could not follow his reasoning.
Growth of spiritual intellect
By spiritual intellect, I mean knowledge of God’s word. Regardless of his degrees, awards, salary or published works, the most astute scholar is but an ignoramus if he has not incorporated God’s revelation into his worldview. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (I Pet. 2:2).
There is no shortcut to this process. We must read, research, contemplate and assimilate the information that God has shared with us via His Holy Spirit. Prayer, attending Bible studies, reading articles, informal discussions and other vehicles of learning will help us in this process. And it should go without saying that with Christian parents, this should begin early and be a consistent staple of our children’s intellectual development.
Growth of holiness
Peter prefaced his above exhortation with, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking, as newborn babes” (I Pet. 2:1). Before becoming children of God, the ways of the world are deeply embedded within us. Sinful habits, futile thought processes and carnal inclinations that have been given free rein become so ingrained that they are hard to break -- not impossible but hard.
Such transition from worldly ways to godly responses will not happen automatically. It will be the result of repeated submission to the will of God, of learning the consequences of ignoring God and following sinful impulses, of wrestling with our wounded conscience and appreciating the peace that arises from obedience. Again, the Holy Spirit and His revelation is at work: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
Though growth is slow, we should be able to see changes in our lives. If year after year we respond to temptations, challenges and opportunities in the same old ineffective ways, then we have cause for concern. Is holiness growing in your life, gradually supplanting the ungodly, knee-jerk impulses that so create havoc and chaos?
Growth of service
The key, again, is instruction from God’s word: Inspired Scripture is given “that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Tim. 3:16-17). Our sense of inadequacy often causes us to avoid duty. But being well-informed, spiritually mature and others-oriented will help us find the boldness and eagerness we need to step into the gap and serve where needed.
“And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:15).
