Who is responsible for my spiritual growth? How do I grow spiritually?
3-Jun-09 (updated 19-Aug-09)
You are responsible for your spiritual growth! Have you ever grown in any other area by not personally applying yourself? Once someone becomes a Christian, God intends for them to grow (Jn 15.8, 16). Therefore, He has equipped us with everything we need to do so (2 Pet 1.3). If you had a child that never grew or developed physically, you would certainly be concerned! Your spiritual development is not the responsibility of your parents, church, spiritual leaders, friends, etc. All these are important & they should help & guide you, but it is primarily your personal responsibility to grow spiritually.
It is necessary to note that if you haven’t obeyed the Gospel & don't have a saving relationship with Christ, then that is the mandatory first step (click here). The Bible explains that up until that point, we are all spiritually dead (Eph 2.1-5, Col 2.13). The last time I checked, dead things don’t grow, so spiritual birth is a must (Jn 3.5-7, 1 Pet 1.3). Then, the Holy Spirit of God will help us understand spiritual things (1 Cor 2.14, Jn 14.16-17, 26, 16.13, Lk 24.44-45).
The fact is, if we as Christians don’t grow up, we will be pulled down (Mt 13.20-21, 22, 1 Cor 10.12, 1 Tim 6.9, 1 Pet 5.8), & never develop into what our perfect Father holds out for us (Php 3.12-13, 1 Tim 6.18-19).
So how do you do it? Be intentional! It ain’t gonna happen on its own. If it did, we might become prideful & trust in ourselves (2 Cor 12.7), we wouldn’t learn the things God wants us to along the way & we would get complacent & take it for granted. It can be tough enough to overcome those things even after diligent effort at growth! In fact, it’s important not to be condemning or critical of others on their spiritual walk as we are all at different levels, come from different places, have different circumstances & have different struggles, but we all have the same goal!
If we are going to grow, we must understand what that goal is, so we can work toward it. That lofty goal is to be like Christ (Rom 8.29, Php 2.5, 3.14, 1 Jn 2.5-6). Ultimately, Jesus sought to always please God (Mt 26.39, Jn 14.31, Php 2.8) & God was pleased with Him (Mt 3.16-17, 17.1-2, 5), so this is our example. Always pleasing God, whether easy or hard, is a matter of obedience to God which is our ultimate expression of love for Him (Jn 14.23-24).
We must then grow in our knowledge of God to understand what pleases Him & what does not (Eph 5.8-11, Col 1.10, Pr 9.10). Jesus fully knew the infinite Father (Jn 8.55, 17.25-26), but our finite minds do not. It is true that we have a relationship with God the Father & know Him at the point of our salvation (Jn 17.3), but not fully, so we must seek to grow in our knowledge of Him in order to know how to please Him (2 Pet 3.17-18).
So how do you grow in the knowledge of God? I’m so glad you asked! While we can learn certain things about God from everything He’s created (general revelation), such as His eternal power & divine nature (Rom 1.20), we can only learn the truth about who God is & what He expects of us (special revelation) from His Word (Rom 10.17, 1 Thes 2.13, 2 Pet 1.20-21) & His Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity (Ps 143.10, Jn 16.13).
This whole idea of spiritual growth is a matter of what the Bible calls sanctification. Sanctification is God’s will for all Christians (1 Thes 4.3) & starting at the point of salvation, it is a lifelong process to become more holy, Christ-like & useful to God. Christ prayed for us to be sanctified & that by God’s Word (Jn 17.17-19). You can see in verse 18 that it is necessary for our purpose & mission to affect the world for Him. We are sanctified by the Word of God because it helps us identify the areas of our lives that are less holy & shows us how to improve which glorifies God & benefits us (Jas 1.22-25). No Christian can attain Christ’s perfection on earth (Php 3.12-14), but He is our aim (2 Cor 13.11) & God will make us so when we enter heaven (1 Cor 13.10-12, Jd 1.24). It is Christ who completely makes up every shortcoming of ours upon entry into heaven (Php 1.6, 3.20-21, Heb 7.25, 12.2 – this is a matter of justification & glorification). It is important to differentiate that Christians don’t work for their salvation (Rom 4.2-3, Gal 3.3, Eph 2.8-10), they do God’s work with joy & thanks because God has already given them salvation (Php 2.12-13)!
It is necessary to note that if you haven’t obeyed the Gospel & don't have a saving relationship with Christ, then that is the mandatory first step (click here). The Bible explains that up until that point, we are all spiritually dead (Eph 2.1-5, Col 2.13). The last time I checked, dead things don’t grow, so spiritual birth is a must (Jn 3.5-7, 1 Pet 1.3). Then, the Holy Spirit of God will help us understand spiritual things (1 Cor 2.14, Jn 14.16-17, 26, 16.13, Lk 24.44-45).
The fact is, if we as Christians don’t grow up, we will be pulled down (Mt 13.20-21, 22, 1 Cor 10.12, 1 Tim 6.9, 1 Pet 5.8), & never develop into what our perfect Father holds out for us (Php 3.12-13, 1 Tim 6.18-19).
So how do you do it? Be intentional! It ain’t gonna happen on its own. If it did, we might become prideful & trust in ourselves (2 Cor 12.7), we wouldn’t learn the things God wants us to along the way & we would get complacent & take it for granted. It can be tough enough to overcome those things even after diligent effort at growth! In fact, it’s important not to be condemning or critical of others on their spiritual walk as we are all at different levels, come from different places, have different circumstances & have different struggles, but we all have the same goal!
If we are going to grow, we must understand what that goal is, so we can work toward it. That lofty goal is to be like Christ (Rom 8.29, Php 2.5, 3.14, 1 Jn 2.5-6). Ultimately, Jesus sought to always please God (Mt 26.39, Jn 14.31, Php 2.8) & God was pleased with Him (Mt 3.16-17, 17.1-2, 5), so this is our example. Always pleasing God, whether easy or hard, is a matter of obedience to God which is our ultimate expression of love for Him (Jn 14.23-24).
We must then grow in our knowledge of God to understand what pleases Him & what does not (Eph 5.8-11, Col 1.10, Pr 9.10). Jesus fully knew the infinite Father (Jn 8.55, 17.25-26), but our finite minds do not. It is true that we have a relationship with God the Father & know Him at the point of our salvation (Jn 17.3), but not fully, so we must seek to grow in our knowledge of Him in order to know how to please Him (2 Pet 3.17-18).
So how do you grow in the knowledge of God? I’m so glad you asked! While we can learn certain things about God from everything He’s created (general revelation), such as His eternal power & divine nature (Rom 1.20), we can only learn the truth about who God is & what He expects of us (special revelation) from His Word (Rom 10.17, 1 Thes 2.13, 2 Pet 1.20-21) & His Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity (Ps 143.10, Jn 16.13).
This whole idea of spiritual growth is a matter of what the Bible calls sanctification. Sanctification is God’s will for all Christians (1 Thes 4.3) & starting at the point of salvation, it is a lifelong process to become more holy, Christ-like & useful to God. Christ prayed for us to be sanctified & that by God’s Word (Jn 17.17-19). You can see in verse 18 that it is necessary for our purpose & mission to affect the world for Him. We are sanctified by the Word of God because it helps us identify the areas of our lives that are less holy & shows us how to improve which glorifies God & benefits us (Jas 1.22-25). No Christian can attain Christ’s perfection on earth (Php 3.12-14), but He is our aim (2 Cor 13.11) & God will make us so when we enter heaven (1 Cor 13.10-12, Jd 1.24). It is Christ who completely makes up every shortcoming of ours upon entry into heaven (Php 1.6, 3.20-21, Heb 7.25, 12.2 – this is a matter of justification & glorification). It is important to differentiate that Christians don’t work for their salvation (Rom 4.2-3, Gal 3.3, Eph 2.8-10), they do God’s work with joy & thanks because God has already given them salvation (Php 2.12-13)!
As we see from 2 Pet 1.3-15 & 1 Thes 4.1-12, we certainly have work to do. It will take persistent & continual effort on our behalf & won’t be easy. However, God promises to sanctify us & has armed us with what’s needed, His Word & His Spirit. A word of warning: attempting to grow spiritually won’t always be easy. The 2 enemies of the Christian, his sin nature (Jer 17.9, Mt 15.18-19) & Satan (Eph 6.10-18, 2 Pet 5.8), regularly work against any growth like friction & usually show up as discouragement, doubt & temptation in both physical & emotional forms that may or may not be obvious spiritual hurdles. But God is faithful (Rom 8.31-35, 1 Cor 10.13, 1 Jn 3.19-20)! The spiritual output of a Christian flows from a relationship with a personal God who is both worthy & intriguing. We must regularly come to the Bible, God’s Living Word, to be reminded of who He is, what He expects & what He will do.
2 Pet 1.3-15
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. |
1 Thes 4.1-12
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. |
It would be detrimental & counterproductive to discuss spiritual growth & neglect mention of sin. If Satan & our sin nature are our enemies, then the sins we commit are the deadly wounds they inflict. As mentioned in other studies, Christians are still capable of sinning (Rom 7.15), but have the power not to (Rom 6.18). Our sin disrupts our relationship with God the Father (Isa 59.2). God stands ready to forgive us in an instant if we are truly contrite & broken hearted over our sin against Him (2 Cor 7.10, 1 Jn 1.9-10). Therefore, why not repent & be restored regularly & readily? Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven (Ps 32.1-11, Jas 4.8)! In addition to His Word & His Spirit, God has equipped the believer with the local church where he can find Christian fellowship, encouragement & accountability among other things that can also contribute to spiritual growth & avoidance of sin (see page on What is Church?).
This idea of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell in every Christian believer is no small thing. This is God coming to live in us! Eph 4.30 speaks of this in the context of helping believers expunge sin from their lives. He, the Holy Spirit, also teaches us & gives us direction (Jn 14.16-17, 26, 1 Jn 4.4). How awesome! Why not ditch the automatic & troublesome life of spiritual complacency (Pr 1.32) & dig into the Bible, working with the Holy Spirit who is standing by (2 Tim 1.7, 1 Pet 1.1-2) ready to guide you in the sanctification journey?
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thes 5.23
Here is a progression of ideas from Scripture we can use to help us in our life of spiritual growth:
The goal of every Christian is Christ-likeness (Rom 8.29, Php 2.5, 3.14, 1 Jn 2.5-6)
- Jesus always sought to please God the Father (Mt 26.39, Jn 5.30, 14.31, Php 2.8)
- God confirmed He is pleased with Christ (Mt 3.16-17, 17.1-2, 5)
- We are to please the LORD (Gal 6.8-9, Eph 5.8-11, Col 1.10)
We know what pleases the God because of our relationship with Him (Heb 11.5-6, Gen 5.21-24, 6.9, Gal 5.16-17)
- Jesus left the example of relating to God through much prayer (Mt 14.23, Mk 1.35, Lk 5.16 & many more)
- We can pray to ask for faith (Mk 9.24, Lk 17.5)
- Jesus wants us to ask for spiritual fruit (Jn 15.7-8)
- We are to listen to Jesus’ (Mt 17.5, Jn 10.14-16)
- As we listen to God in His Word, it will transform us (Jn 17.17-19, Rom 12.2)
Spiritual fruit will in essence look like love (Jn 14.23-24, Mk 12.28-31)
- We are to work with the Holy Spirit in this growth process (Gal 5.13, 25, 1 Pet 1.1-2)
- Growth will take effort & action on our part (Jn 14.12, Mt 7.7-8, Php 2.12-13, 2 Pt 1.3-9)
- It is a matter of obedience (Jn 14.21, 23-24)
- We won’t always feel like obeying God (Mt 21.28-31)
- Obedience doesn't always make sense (Lk 5.4-6)
- Obedience is sometimes painful (Lk 22.42, 14.25-33)
- Obedience is often times joyful (Jn 15.9-12, Jas 1.22, 25)
- Obedience is always our duty (Lk 17.1-10, Jas 4.17)
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Php 3.12-14
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. – 1 Cor 3.10-15