Spiritual Growth: Maturing in Christ
Spiritual growth is a term that is used frequently in Christian circles. Such a common term can often mean something very different to each individual hearing it in any given audience. It is a mistake to assume that everyone has the same definition, and that this definition is Biblically sound. First, lets determine what it isn’t; it isn’t being nicer, avoiding the “big” sins, attending church regularly, it isn’t our emotional highs, or any other metric of this type. All these things can be good, but they cannot define proper Christian maturity. They can be fruit of maturity but should never be mistaken for the thing itself. So, lets establish a working definition based upon God’s Word and amplified by church history and the writings of great theologians spanning the length of Christendom. Spiritual growth is our growing in understanding of the richest meat of Scripture, its deepest doctrines, and our increasing practice of obedience to these doctrines. All of this is predicated upon our union with Christ as a regenerate believer, and the working of the Holy Spirit within us. The end of this process, the goal, is the transforming of our mind and character so that we increasingly resemble our Lord and King! This equips us for the work which He has commanded us in the Great Commission.
Paul speaks thus concerning maturity; that we are “coming to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13). Both “unity of faith” and “knowledge of the Son of God” show the central element in this process is God’s Law/Word. There is no way around this salient truth. The Great Commission, the very last set of instructions given by Christ before His ascension to enthronement, says this as plainly as it can be said. Teaching doctrine is the core mechanism of the discipler. Learning that doctrine is to be the focus of the one being discipled, both individuals and nations! Together, the discipler and the discipled strive mightily to grow in the ever-deepening understanding of God’s doctrines, and the ever-growing obedience of these same doctrines. 2 Timothy 3:16 highlights the key role of doctrine as the metric for the entire Christian life. The Word is profitable for doctrine and every aspect of instruction and the Christian walk. We should not treat doctrine like a buffet-style assortment of religious terms, cliches and maxims meant for our comfort, or as an optional reading plan apart from “the gospel”. It is negligence and sin to avoid doctrine in favor of some type of modular arrangement of verses that comfort us, or provide an evangelistic framework for witnessing. This leads to a shallow understanding of God’s Word, with shallow roots that are hard-pressed to survive the storms of life. We are also then at the mercy of the wolf, the ignorant and the false teacher. Hence we are then “swept to and fro by every wind of doctrine”.
The early church fathers like Augustine, and the Puritans of early American history, saw spiritual growth and maturity impossible apart from a rich, systematic and constant doctrinal instruction. To these men, maturity in Christ was no vague collection of Christian-like euphemisms, but the pouring of God’s Word into the Christian soul. The Holy Spirit then takes this doctrine and does His divine work in our heart and mind. So, doctrinal instruction and obedience are not mere background scenery to the maturing Christian, but are the very engine of growth for the Christian! By the way, “heart” in the tradition of Christian thought is not our emotions, nor our center of sincere expressions. For the Regenerate believer, made new in Christ and set free from slavery to sin, it is the joining of our MIND and our WILL, the very center of what we think and what we desire to do! I have seen many Christians, including myself, stumble over this concept in their daily walk. You hear things like “if you aren’t 100% sincere, don’t waste God’s time going through the motions”. While this is meant well, it is entirely wrong and destructive. It reinforces our subjugation to our emotions and mood, rather than our God-given understanding and our free will as those in Christ. Think for a moment, if you have a child and you give them every instruction needed for life, do you really then tell them “Now don’t you dare obey me unless you are 100% sincere”? That would be ludicrous! Yet this same ridiculous concept is often foisted upon believers. You don’t need to “feel led” to obey. The time to obey is as soon as the Word of God and The Spirit teach you Truth, or call it to your remembrance. If you are His, redeemed by His blood, you are set free unto obedience. You don’t need to wait for spiritual puppet strings to descend from heaven and take control, moving signs and wonders and filling your heart with sincere emotions. Learn the Doctrines of His Word and choose to obey what He has commanded! The feelings can come later, just obey what He commands and trust Him for the results.
It makes no difference if your I.Q. is 70 or 140, you are commanded to FILL UP your intellect with sound doctrine to the fullest capacity that God has given you, and then to submit to Christ in obedience, imploring the help of the Holy Spirit. This is the path to maturity in Christ. We are without excuse. If you struggle with any aspect of the spiritual disciplines required to study, there are a plethora of tools available online that will help fill in any gap or lack. There are also brothers and sisters at Vertical, who would be glad to assist you in any way. For most of us, the lack is typically one of misunderstanding and/or slackness in obedience. The Living God would not command us to reach our fullest levels of maturity in this life if it were not possible. It isn’t just for the select few gatekeepers, or some elite. It is the NORM God expects from His sons and daughters in this life. The late RC Sproul often said that every man and woman is a theologian whether they like it or not. The only difference being “are they a good, or a bad one”? We are to know God “with all our knowing”, know His ways and His heart. This is impossible outside the systematic and committed study of the deepest layers of His Word. I wasted far too many years in ignorance and lazy rebellion. God saw fit to show me mercy as He called me to repent and obey. As a result, I have grown more in SCRIPTURAL breadth and depth in four years than the previous 30 years combined! I stopped doing it my way and submitted to Him. If we commit to real spiritual growth, we must do it His way and we must strive! We must seek His face! That must primarily happen as we plunge into the depths of His Word, and know His perfect doctrines. Make the choice to obey without reservation. Be determined to stay the course and watch what the Holy Spirit will do with a mind and heart (remember the heart definition above) making the choice to pursue Biblical spiritual growth.
Vertical Church Gallipolis exists for this very purpose; to present believers fully matured. No man or woman is expected to go it alone in this process. The very nature of discipling itself demands that we enter into this, as fellow believers, in community, upholding one another as we pursue obedience in spiritual growth. This requires believers of all levels to submit to God and one another as is appropriate according to His Word. Augustine wrote that spiritual growth is the Holy Spirit using doctrinal instruction to move us from a set of “disordered loves”, into a set of loves properly ordered according to Christ. This leads us, as we are taught by God and one another, from error to truth, and from self-rule to submission to the Law/ Word of God. He called this the “Ordo Amoris”, the rightly ordered loves. God has designed spiritual growth through discipleship, to be a thing that binds men and nations together, and together in Christ. As a community of believers at Vertical Church Gallipolis, let us hold nothing back in our pursuit of spiritual maturity and obedience to His Commands. Sola Scriptura! Sola Christus!
Paul speaks thus concerning maturity; that we are “coming to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13). Both “unity of faith” and “knowledge of the Son of God” show the central element in this process is God’s Law/Word. There is no way around this salient truth. The Great Commission, the very last set of instructions given by Christ before His ascension to enthronement, says this as plainly as it can be said. Teaching doctrine is the core mechanism of the discipler. Learning that doctrine is to be the focus of the one being discipled, both individuals and nations! Together, the discipler and the discipled strive mightily to grow in the ever-deepening understanding of God’s doctrines, and the ever-growing obedience of these same doctrines. 2 Timothy 3:16 highlights the key role of doctrine as the metric for the entire Christian life. The Word is profitable for doctrine and every aspect of instruction and the Christian walk. We should not treat doctrine like a buffet-style assortment of religious terms, cliches and maxims meant for our comfort, or as an optional reading plan apart from “the gospel”. It is negligence and sin to avoid doctrine in favor of some type of modular arrangement of verses that comfort us, or provide an evangelistic framework for witnessing. This leads to a shallow understanding of God’s Word, with shallow roots that are hard-pressed to survive the storms of life. We are also then at the mercy of the wolf, the ignorant and the false teacher. Hence we are then “swept to and fro by every wind of doctrine”.
The early church fathers like Augustine, and the Puritans of early American history, saw spiritual growth and maturity impossible apart from a rich, systematic and constant doctrinal instruction. To these men, maturity in Christ was no vague collection of Christian-like euphemisms, but the pouring of God’s Word into the Christian soul. The Holy Spirit then takes this doctrine and does His divine work in our heart and mind. So, doctrinal instruction and obedience are not mere background scenery to the maturing Christian, but are the very engine of growth for the Christian! By the way, “heart” in the tradition of Christian thought is not our emotions, nor our center of sincere expressions. For the Regenerate believer, made new in Christ and set free from slavery to sin, it is the joining of our MIND and our WILL, the very center of what we think and what we desire to do! I have seen many Christians, including myself, stumble over this concept in their daily walk. You hear things like “if you aren’t 100% sincere, don’t waste God’s time going through the motions”. While this is meant well, it is entirely wrong and destructive. It reinforces our subjugation to our emotions and mood, rather than our God-given understanding and our free will as those in Christ. Think for a moment, if you have a child and you give them every instruction needed for life, do you really then tell them “Now don’t you dare obey me unless you are 100% sincere”? That would be ludicrous! Yet this same ridiculous concept is often foisted upon believers. You don’t need to “feel led” to obey. The time to obey is as soon as the Word of God and The Spirit teach you Truth, or call it to your remembrance. If you are His, redeemed by His blood, you are set free unto obedience. You don’t need to wait for spiritual puppet strings to descend from heaven and take control, moving signs and wonders and filling your heart with sincere emotions. Learn the Doctrines of His Word and choose to obey what He has commanded! The feelings can come later, just obey what He commands and trust Him for the results.
It makes no difference if your I.Q. is 70 or 140, you are commanded to FILL UP your intellect with sound doctrine to the fullest capacity that God has given you, and then to submit to Christ in obedience, imploring the help of the Holy Spirit. This is the path to maturity in Christ. We are without excuse. If you struggle with any aspect of the spiritual disciplines required to study, there are a plethora of tools available online that will help fill in any gap or lack. There are also brothers and sisters at Vertical, who would be glad to assist you in any way. For most of us, the lack is typically one of misunderstanding and/or slackness in obedience. The Living God would not command us to reach our fullest levels of maturity in this life if it were not possible. It isn’t just for the select few gatekeepers, or some elite. It is the NORM God expects from His sons and daughters in this life. The late RC Sproul often said that every man and woman is a theologian whether they like it or not. The only difference being “are they a good, or a bad one”? We are to know God “with all our knowing”, know His ways and His heart. This is impossible outside the systematic and committed study of the deepest layers of His Word. I wasted far too many years in ignorance and lazy rebellion. God saw fit to show me mercy as He called me to repent and obey. As a result, I have grown more in SCRIPTURAL breadth and depth in four years than the previous 30 years combined! I stopped doing it my way and submitted to Him. If we commit to real spiritual growth, we must do it His way and we must strive! We must seek His face! That must primarily happen as we plunge into the depths of His Word, and know His perfect doctrines. Make the choice to obey without reservation. Be determined to stay the course and watch what the Holy Spirit will do with a mind and heart (remember the heart definition above) making the choice to pursue Biblical spiritual growth.
Vertical Church Gallipolis exists for this very purpose; to present believers fully matured. No man or woman is expected to go it alone in this process. The very nature of discipling itself demands that we enter into this, as fellow believers, in community, upholding one another as we pursue obedience in spiritual growth. This requires believers of all levels to submit to God and one another as is appropriate according to His Word. Augustine wrote that spiritual growth is the Holy Spirit using doctrinal instruction to move us from a set of “disordered loves”, into a set of loves properly ordered according to Christ. This leads us, as we are taught by God and one another, from error to truth, and from self-rule to submission to the Law/ Word of God. He called this the “Ordo Amoris”, the rightly ordered loves. God has designed spiritual growth through discipleship, to be a thing that binds men and nations together, and together in Christ. As a community of believers at Vertical Church Gallipolis, let us hold nothing back in our pursuit of spiritual maturity and obedience to His Commands. Sola Scriptura! Sola Christus!
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