I was a junior in High School when my aging English teacher stood before my class and announced with no irony: “I feel sorry for you kids…I would never want to be your age again.” We sat speechless, thinking all the while: “ Are you kidding? Look at you, you’re old and grey and we’re young and vibrant with the world at our finger tips! We should be feeling sorry for you.””
Of course, she knew something that we would soon find out. Teenagers are clueless! Aside from the physical benefits (which are typically wasted on worthless pursuits) there really is no advantage to youth. Young people, as a rule, are immature, easily misguided and deluded to such an extent that when we are young, we perpetually set ourselves up for misery. This is precisely why our parents worry so much and pray and long for the day when we will finally grow up.
The Apostle Paul sounds an eerily familiar alarm:
“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!” (Galatians 4:19)
It was not sufficient for Paul that the Galatians “get saved” as if this initial moment and expression of faith marked the end of their journey. Rather, coming to Christ in faith and proclaiming Him as Lord and Savior in baptism was just the beginning. Nothing is settled at this point. There are many dangers and trials that must be endured and overcome if one is to enter the eternal Kingdom. Jesus Himself makes this clear to the churches in Revelation not once, but seven times. All the eternal blessings and glories are reserved for “him who overcomes.” (Rev. 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21)
But wait, aren’t we saved by grace alone through faith? Why must I do all this overcoming if I am to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Hasn’t Christ overcome everything for me? Indeed, we are saved by grace apart from anything we do. (Ephesians 2:8-9) God does this perfect work of justification by applying the death and resurrection of Christ to us. He takes our sins to the cross where they receive the full punishment they deserve and then credits us with His perfect record of righteousness. The moment we abandon all efforts to save ourselves and look upon our wonderful Savior in faith is the moment we are declared righteous, forgiven and granted eternal life. We add nothing to this work of Justification. We only receive it with open and empty hands by faith.
But now what of this faith? What kind of faith is this? According to the Scriptures, if it is a genuine saving faith that God has worked in our hearts, then it must grow and mature. The parable of the Sower in Luke 8 is helpful in understanding this matter. Seed fell in all kinds of soil…some good and some bad. What distinguished the good soil was not that the soil received the seed (the Gospel) or even that a plant sprung up with joy, but rather that a plant grew, persevered and ultimately produced fruit.
John describes it this way:
“Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4-5)
In other words, true believers in Christ grow up and overcome the world! We do not languish in sin and remain as whiny infants, but rather we conform more and more to the image of Christ (Eph. 4:14-15). We are increasingly grounded in Christ, firm and focused in the midst of opposition and deception. It is no coincidence that the first work of the Holy Spirit is the conviction of sin (John 16:8) and the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self control.” (Gal. 5:22-23) …All distinctive marks of maturity.
With all this in mind, let us firmly resolve to prove our faith by finally growing up. Let us pray that God would give us a holy discontent with our immaturity and a hatred for lingering sin. May God increase our faith and complete the work He has begun in us. Until next time when we begin to consider how we grow up in Christ…