Growing Up

When was the last time you asked a friend or counselee how his or her mortification and vivification are going? In your own life, in what ways are you growing up through the mortification or the killing of your own sin (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5) and the vivification or growing in grace unto Christ-likeness (1 Peter 2:1–2; 3:18)? In other words, how does the saving grace of God reveal itself when it is in one’s heart, causing you to “grow up in every way into . . . Christ” (Ephesians 4:15)? Whether young or old, what has the Lord provided that we might grow up or be further transformed into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18)?

 In his book Holiness, J. C. Ryle wrote:

When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this—that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual-mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness in his own heart. He manifests more of it in his life. How does this longing of God’s children become a greater reality in life?

Growing Up Involves Learning to Walk

In his book Christ Formed In You, Brian Hedges wrote: “Genuine spiritual growth is not measured in how well we talk, but in how faithfully we walk with Jesus.” In response to the wonderful truths of the gospel that Paul wrote about in Ephesians 1–3, he then uses the word “walk” five times in Ephesians 4–6 in describing how to vivify our faith (Ephesians 4:1–2, 17; 5:1–2, 8, 15). In Ephesians 4:17–24, Paul writes that they “must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds . . . (but instead) put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

From Paul’s use of the word “walk,” we learn that growing up (vivification) is an ongoing, intentional imitation. At the age of 4, my youngest daughter began taking violin lessons. Had she been handed an expensive violin and music composed by Bach, could she have possibly in that moment succeeded in playing it to perfection? Instead, she was given a piece of foam that imitated a violin. She had to learn to how to handle it before she could be trusted with a real violin. Once entrusted with an actual violin, she then began to imitate everything her instructor did during lessons. In between lessons, she would then practice those things daily as well as listen to a recording of the song she would try to imitate in her playing. By imitation of one simple song after another over the course of two years, she has now learned to play the violin at a basic level—and it sounds great!

As musicians learn to read music and imitate the songs they want to master, how much more important is it for us as Christians to look to Christ and seek to imitate Him? As implied in Hebrews 12:1–2, we look to Jesus both for the mortification of sin and for vivification in life: “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”

In Christ, we have infinite grace for which to grow. In Christ, we have the perfect example of what we are to imitate.

Growing Up Involves Walking Like Christ

What does it look like to be an imitator of God? It looks just like Christ, to whom we were predestined to be conformed (Romans 8:29)! Thus, Brian Hedges wrote: “The goal of spiritual transformation is conformity to the character of Christ. . . . He wants to make us more and more like Jesus in his spotless holiness, humble service, radiant joy, and self-giving love.” Hedges goes on to write that such transformation takes place by the means of God’s Word:

We are transformed as our minds are informed. Since this is true, it is vital to saturate our minds with the truth of the gospel. Jesus said as much, when he prayed to his Father, ‘Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth’ (John 17:17). Only when the truth is renewing our minds, will we be transformed.

Growing Up Involves Walking by the Power of the Spirit

Just as a child cannot grow apart from blood flowing through the body, neither can we walk in a manner worthy of our calling apart from the enabling work of the Holy Spirit. Second Corinthians 3:18 says: “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.” Richard Lovelace rightly concluded: “Spiritual life is produced by the presence and empowering of the Holy Spirit, not simply by the comprehension of doctrinal propositions or strategies of renewal.”

If the Holy Spirit is the agent of our vivification or walking in grace, then what is our responsibility in regards to the Holy Spirit? In Galatians 5:16, Paul gives us the answer: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” It is in walking by the Spirit that a heart of anger becomes a tender heart, and showing kindness and forgiveness defines the believer instead of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice (Ephesians 4:30–32). It is the Spirit who vivifies love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23). Thus Paul concludes in Galatians 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

Growing Up Involves Walking by the Grace of God

I once had a counselee tell me that he was “just living.” There was no joy in his walk with Christ, in fact he was not really walking at all. He felt as if he had been knocked down through sin and suffering and no longer even had the desire to get back up in his despair. What was he needing? He needed a fresh encounter with the grace of God. He needed to be reminded of the truth and blessed hope of Titus 2:11–14: “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, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Christ has appeared as the chief manifestation of God’s grace, and by His grace has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thus Brian Hedges concludes:

This is hope-giving, liberating, and energizing. Reflecting on the interplay between God’s grace and my responsibility encourages me not to sit back in passivity. I have a role to play. But it also keeps me from despair, for my spiritual growth isn’t ultimately dependent on my unaided efforts. God is committed to my growth in grace and is working in my heart. . . . If the pace of your growth in Christ is slower than you would like, don’t be too discouraged. Let your sense of need drive you to his feet. Seeing your need to grow up is the first step to actually doing so.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).