Spiritual Growth

 •  11 min. read  •  grade level: 8
 
"Wherefore laying aside all malice... as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Such is the exhortation in 1 Pet. 2:1, 21Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1 Peter 2:1‑2). But before there can be any true growth, we must be brought into relationship with God as His children, and thus know Him as our Father. Without this, even though awakened through grace, we are sure to be found struggling in legal bondage.
How deeply precious—a poor sinner reconciled to God, standing in grace, His own child by faith, looking up into the face of God and crying, "Father"! It is the first lisping, so to speak, of a true child of God. All distance and estrangement gone-brought right home to God, to know Him as Father, and to enjoy forever the Father's love and care. This blessed truth came from the lips of Jesus immediately after His resurrection. "Go," said He to Mary Magdalene, "to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God" (John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)). Well may the beloved disciple John, who leaned upon the bosom of his Master, and knew what was dear to His heart, exclaim, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:11Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)).
And now, before we proceed further, let me ask the reader of these lines in all love, Are you a child of God? Do you know what it is to be at peace with God? Do you know Him as your Father? Many, through self-occupation or defective teaching, shrink from what they consider self-confidence, and do not like to be too sure. This is nothing less than Satan's device to rob God of His glory, and the believer of the knowledge of his proper portion and relationship. The enemy whispers that to be in doubt and uncertainty is true humility, whereas it is simply the pride of our fallen natural heart. It is true humility to thankfully take God at His word, and joyfully confess the relationship and place of privilege into which His grace introduces all His own.
In the very epistle from which we quote the verses at the head of this paper, the Apostle addresses the people of God as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father," etc. (1 Pet. 1:22Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2).) And again, "If ye call on the Father," etc. (1 Pet. 1:1717And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: (1 Peter 1:17).) So that Paul, John, and Peter alike bring before us the blessed truth, that God is the Father of Christians, and that He would have His children know and enjoy their relationship.
Now, as every earthly father desires that his children should grow from babyhood to manhood, so also is it the desire of God the Father that His children should grow spiritually. But if a child is to grow healthy and strong, he needs three things-good food, light, and air. And if a Christian would grow in soul, he requires the same; that is, he needs to feed upon the Word of God, to depend upon the Spirit of truth to give him light and understanding, and to keep himself separate from the world, whose evil atmosphere when imbibed always checks growth.
Nothing but the Word is true food to the soul. Why is it that many make but little progress in divine things? Because only too often they are feeding on all kinds of light literature, instead of delighting in the Scriptures. Oh, that there may be an increased desire in all who read these lines to drink in more of the pure mental milk of the Word, that they may grow thereby! There is nothing so sweet, nothing so satisfying; and the spiritual appetite increases instead of diminishes as we feed thereon. Our capacity grows. We find out too our ignorance, and desire to know more of the One who is revealed in the precious pages of truth.
But in reading the Word, it is all-important that we should be found accompanying it with prayer, that the Spirit of truth may unfold its hidden treasures to our souls. He alone can teach us aright, and lead us to a deeper acquaintance with the mind of God.
And nothing is a greater hindrance to spiritual growth than tampering with the world. We are surrounded with it on all hands, and it has a very evil atmosphere. Satan is ever watchful to present his gilded baits in the most insidious ways. But "truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:33That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)). Blessed be His name, we can never again be children of wrath when once we have become children of God; but it is very easy to fall into a cold, carnal condition. And with carnality, delight in the sincere milk of the Word departs, and the Spirit is grieved. A more miserable condition one can scarcely conceive than that of a carnal Christian. He is spoiled for this world, for an accusing conscience will not let him enjoy the pleasures of sin. He cannot indulge in its follies and vanities, though he may endeavor to put a good face on matters in the presence of man; but God, who knows the heart, knows all the misery that lies beneath. Of such how truly can it be said, "The heart knoweth its own bitterness." If the eye of a poor carnal wanderer from God should light upon this paper, may the tender love of an ever-gracious Father draw his poor heart back to Himself in true repentance, deep self-loathing, and confession of his sins. Surely then he shall know and enjoy again the light of God's countenance, and the joy of a Father's love.
Now verse 12 is written to all Christians. The sins of all God's children are forgiven for Christ's name's sake. Next they are divided twice into three classes—fathers, young men, and little children (or babes). The fathers denote those who have grown up to full spiritual manhood; the young men, those who have made good progress in divine things, but are not yet full grown; the babes, those who have been recently brought to a knowledge of the truth.
The fathers have known Him that is from the beginning; that is, they know Christ from the beginning of His manifestation; their souls are grounded in the knowledge of that blessed One in the fullness and glory of His Person and work as unfolded in the Word of God. The same is repeated in verse 14, as this knowledge embraces the whole truth about Christ, and Christ is all.
The young men have overcome the wicked one. This is very blessed in a world overcome by the wicked one. It shows the mighty power of grace in the soul, separating the children of God from that which is of the enemy. But in the second address it is added, "Because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." Weak and feeble at first, they have increased in strength, through reliance upon God and having His Word abiding in them. This is the one great source of strength. It is the Word of God that fortifies the soul against the attacks of the enemy. You may rely upon it, we shall be weak and powerless against his subtleties and attacks without it. But the Spirit of God adds a solemn warning to those who have only progressed so far as to be called young men, and who have not yet come to full growth, saying, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." We have not space in this paper to go into all the details of those verses, which form a subject in themselves; but it must suffice to put our readers on their guard. They are not out of danger yet. The world, and the things that are in it, are very ensnaring. The fathers are looked at as matured with such a knowledge of Christ, that they have learned the vanity of man's world. Blessed indeed for the soul when it is so. But, alas! how many who have run well for a time, and have progressed to a certain point, have been inveigled away from occupation with Christ through the lust of the flesh or of the eye, or through the pride of life, of which the world is formed. Take care!
And last, little children, or babes. They know not much of the Word of God, or the character of the world; but they know the Father. And in the freshness of the first love of Christ, and newborn sense of the Father's love, they so enjoy their newly found treasures, that instinctively they would shrink from that which is opposed. But in the second writing, the Apostle warns them that it is the last time, and puts them on their guard against the opposers of Christ.
Furthermore, in the families of men, we often meet with children who are suffering from various maladies. For instance, there are some who suffer from deafness; and in Heb. 5:1111Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. (Hebrews 5:11) the Apostle styles those whom he is addressing as dull of hearing, referring to the moral condition of their souls. Speaking of Christ, he says, "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing," etc.
How many are found in this state at the present day! Always feeding upon the elementary truths of Christianity, without going on. He compares them to babes who have need of milk, and not of strong meat. They lack the spiritual capacity to grasp the fuller unfoldings of the truth; for "strong meat belongeth," he continues, "to them that are of full age" (or grown men), who by reason of habit have their senses exercised, so that they are enabled to distinguish good from evil—that which is of God, and that which is of Satan. May God in His grace keep us from dullness of hearing, and our ears open to the whole truth, so that it may sink into our hearts, and form our lives.
Again, there are other children who are short-sighted; and in 2 Pet. 1:5-95And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (2 Peter 1:5‑9) we read: "And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge," etc. "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." Now, nothing is easier than for a Christian to lack diligence, and fail to add the qualities here enumerated, which alone could make him a fruitful branch for God. And the consequence is short-sightedness, not total blindness; but they "cannot see afar off." The spiritually minded Christian is apt to wonder that some believers see so little. Here is the secret. A bad moral state clouds the spiritual vision. We are not to think for a moment that it means that one whose eyes have been opened to see beauty in Christ can ever have them closed again. No, it indicates a bad state of soul, through the lack of obedience to the exhortation; a condemning conscience in consequence, and hence seeing nothing clear. So dark indeed do some get, that one raises the question whether they ever really had their eyes opened; but "The Lord knoweth them that are His" (2 Tim. 2:1919Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2 Timothy 2:19)).
And again, we often meet with lame children. And sad to say, lameness of walk and conduct is a very prevalent malady among the children of God. In Heb. 12:1313And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:13) we read, "And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed." Lameness is manifest to all, and the world soon detects a lame Christian. It takes many forms—crooked words, crooked walk, crooked ways. How sad to find the name of Christ reproached through the lame walk of those who profess it! May we all be found taking earnest heed to the exhortations of Christ and His apostles, that we may walk evenly for His glory through this world.
John said, "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:66He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1 John 2:6).
May every beloved child of God, who knows these things, be preserved from deafness, blindness, and lameness, and "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Col. 1:9, 109For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Colossians 1:9‑10).