Means of Growth
Pastor Dave Monreal, Lead Pastor
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
2 Peter 3:18 ESV
The Bible tells believers that we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But sometimes we misunderstand or are confused as to HOW we are to do this. There are two equally opposite ideas that are both wrong. A bumper sticker I saw once said, “Let go and let God.” This attitude sees spiritual growth as a passive affair where we sit back and do nothing, and God will step in and do it for us. On the flip side is the other often quoted comment which is also not biblical, “God helps those who help themselves.” This view says that it is up to us to get things done including spiritual growth. Although this is not the intention, this idea really tells us that we don’t need God. We are on our own while God passively sits by watching us. So, what is the truth biblically?
It seems like a paradox, but the Bible teaches us to have active dependence upon God then to step out in faith. It is true that salvation is by grace alone through Christ alone by means of faith alone. Salvation is the work of God, yet we do have a responsibility to act upon the grace that God gives us to respond to the truth that God reveals to us. God opens our eyes, and we see. God unclogs our ears, and we hear. God unclouds our minds, and we comprehend. God enlivens us, and we respond in repentant faith. The work is 100% God but that does not mean that we are passive in our response. We exercise saving faith being enabled to do so by God’s enlivening Spirit.
This brings us to the discussion of spiritual growth. Jerry Bridges in his excellent book, The Discipline of Grace, says, “God’s work does not make our effort unnecessary, but rather it makes it effective.” This one little quote cleared up a lot of my confusion regarding spiritual growth. There are things that God tells us to do such as read the Bible, pray, fellowship, worship, witness, and give. But how do these disciplines enable us to grow and how is this our effort? Grace is not incompatible with effort. We do exert effort in pursuing God and in practicing spiritual disciplines. However, we do so relying on God’s strength that he provides through the Person of the Holy Spirit.
Listen to this fascinating balance between our effort and God’s strength in the life of the Apostle Paul. In Colossians 1 Paul discusses his preaching and suffering for the sake of the gospel. God had entrusted him with the gospel, and it was Paul’s desire to make it fully known. So, is God doing it or is it the Apostle Paul doing it? The surprising answer is both! He concludes chapter 1 by declaring, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” Paul says that he is wearied from the agonizing work of the Gospel. But the energy that he is expending is not his own but that he struggles with the power of God that is powerfully working in him.
What does this mean for you and me? First, it means that we must recognize our weakness and inability to do the things of God on our own including our own spiritual growth. Second, it means that we must actively cry out to God for the strength he provides through the person of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Third, we are actively dependent upon the grace and strength he provides. His power is not an impersonal energy but the Person of the Holy Spirit. Finally, we need to step out in faith and get to work. We need to read out Bible, pray, fellowship, worship, witness, and give. It means that God has given us what we need to grow in our faith and be productive for his kingdom. We must avail ourselves to these means of growth and actively apply them in our lives using His energy.
