Pastor's Corner - Means of Spiritual Growth

Dear Friends,

A few weeks ago, we began our look at the book Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges. I discussed Bridges' emphasis on the necessity of spiritual growth. Now we will take the time to look at the means of spiritual growth.

Perhaps the best way for us to understand spiritual growth in the Christian life is that God uses means to help us grow. What do we mean by "means"? Quite simply, God uses things like prayer, Bible study, worship and the sacraments to help us grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. These are the common elements that God has afforded to His people to help them while here on earth; these are the instruments of transformation (also called the means of grace). 

To understand the means of spiritual growth, Bridges states that we are disciplined by grace. It seems a little odd to put those two words together, doesn't it? Why does this seem strange to us? When we think of discipline, we think of effort and work. When we thing of grace, we think of free and unearned. Therefore to put these two words together seems paradoxical.

The most helpful paradigm to understand this paradox is described by Bridges when he writes, "When it comes to sanctification, living the Christian life, the same grace that saves us also disciplines us." In other words we are saved (justification) by grace but we are also to grow in the Christian life (sanctification) by this same grace. The Apostle Paul, in Titus 2:11-12, helps us understand the discipline of grace, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age."

Paul uses very intentional words to describe the nature of disciple. Self-control: that is self restraint. We are to have self-control, control over ourselves, in order to do good as well as the power to deny what is sinful. Upright: that is righteous conduct. We are to demonstrate just and right actions towards people, loving them as our neighbor.Godliness: that is having regard for God’s glory and God’s will in every aspect of life and doing all for his glory. So the word that we must not be afraid of in the Christian life is the word discipline. The grace of God gives us the power, by the Spirit, to live godly lives.  Bridges states, “This means that all our responses to God’s dealings with us and all our practice of the spiritual disciplines must be based on the knowledge that God is dealing with us in grace."

As we read the New Testament, we can have little doubt that all of the imperatives about spiritual growth assume that we are responsible for our spiritual growth. At the same time, we do not possess the power to make ourselves grow.  We must depend upon the Holy Spirit. Bridges writes, "It is our duty to grow, but only the Holy Spirit can enable us to grow." At this point, Bridges introduces a very helpful principle to help us grow in our walk with Christ - dependent responsibility. This is a difficult principle to learn and to apply, but it is the teaching of the Bible. Growing in Christ is our responsibility, but it must be pursued by our dependance upon the Holy Spirit. As we grow spiritually, the Holy Spirit helps us grow. 

There are two final components to spiritual growth that Bridges encourages us to consider. The first is spiritual fellowship. He states, "If you and I are going to grow spiritually, we cannot play 'Lone Ranger.' We must incorporate spiritual fellowship into our Christian lives." God created us for community and fellowship with Himself and with one another. Praying with fellow believers, small group Bible study, sharing in each others burdens, admonishment, are all means that God uses to help us grow in the Christian life. This is why corporate worship must be the life-blood of our spiritual lives each week as we gather together for the worship and praise of Almighty God.

One final encouragement from Bridges: the Gospel is the ultimate instrument of spiritual growth that the Holy Spirit uses. How? Bridges points us to 2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Beholding the glory of the Lord through the Gospel has a transforming effect on us. Bridges writes, "It is the glory of Christ revealed in the Gospel, the good news that Jesus died in our place as our representative to free us not only from the penalty of sin but also from its dominion. A clear understanding and appropriation of the Gospel, which gives freedom from sin's guilt and sin's grip, is, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, a chief means of spiritual growth."

Next time we will look at the marks of spiritual growth.

by His grace and to His praise,

Wilson