Paul writes to the church that we are to seek to grow in our Christian faith so that we might reach “fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)
He goes on to state the purpose of such growth, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Eph. 4:14-15)
The Bible is clear: it is God’s desire that we grow or mature in our faith. The late theologian and author, J.I. Packer points out that God uses the trials and adversities of life to cause our growth. We should not think it harsh of God that in desiring our growth He allows us to suffer in trials.
As the writer of Hebrews puts it, “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
If you are not disciplined — and everyone undergoes discipline — then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.” (Heb. 12:7-10)
Packer makes this observation: “Earthly parents enjoy their babies, but are, to say the least, sorry if their growing children want to be babies again, and they hesitate to let them return to babyish ways. It is exactly so with our heavenly Father. He wants us to grow in Christ, not to stay babes in Christ.” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 225)
The coming of Jesus Christ into this world is the result of God extending his grace to undeserving sinners. And as Packer points out so well, “the work of grace aims at an ever deeper knowledge of God, and an ever closer fellowship with Him. Grace is God drawing us sinners closer and closer to Himself. And how does God in grace achieve this purpose? Not by shielding us from assault by the world, the flesh and the devil, nor by protecting us from burdensome and frustrating circumstances, nor yet by shielding us from troubles created by our own temperament and psychology; but rather by exposing us to all these things, so as to overwhelm us with a sense of our own inadequacy, and to drive us to cling to Him more closely.
“This is the ultimate reason, from our standpoint, why God fills our lives with troubles and perplexities of one sort and another – it is to ensure that we shall learn to hold Him fast.” (Knowing God, p. 227)
May God help us grow up in Christ in the days ahead.
Rev. Randy Crane is the pastor at Waldensian Presbyterian Church in Monett. He may be reached at cranes5@hotmail.com.
