How to Grow Spiritually With a Spirit That Can't Grow

This title is somewhat tongue in cheek. I'm poking fun at both myself for feeling the need to say things like "there's no such thing as spiritual growth," and at those who might get upset reading it. This entry is to help fill the gap between an imperfect term and a perfect experience.

We've called it spiritual growth for so long that we've begun to believe that somehow, at the moment of conversion, we received the baby Holy Spirit, the 8lb/6oz Jesus, and that we were responsible to feed and care for the little tyke until He grew to make us Christlike...wow! What a sad commentary on the teaching of both Biblical truth and logic.

As I wrote earlier, it's clear from scripture that as believers, we do not receive an immature or inadequate version of the Spirit of God, but the full, mature, glorified Spirit of Christ Himself. The ever-looming question, the pink elephant in the room, is this: If that is in me, why I act, feel, live, like this.

That's a good question. Why do so many Christians go through life not asking it? That's another subject. We, however, are asking it, and I think I have a good answer.

You act like that because you think like that. I do the things, good, bad, and indifferent, that I do, only because I have manufactured those actions in the factory of my mind. I'm overweight because ingrained in my way of thinking is the idea that real men eat...a lot...fast. I'm not blaming anyone. Whom would I prosecute to make me eat less? I realize, however, that these actions of mine will not change without a change in my way of thinking.

And that's the whole thing. Change the way you think. I've done it in other areas of life, and I'm certain I'll do it in my current area of struggle, too, once I change my way of thinking in that area. The trick is, just knowing something is right or wrong often doesn't change our behavior. Just knowing there are consequences is not always a deterrent to poor choices.

I believe that lasting change in our lives will take place only as a result of repaired self-identity. You may know getting high, self-medicating, self-mutilation, overeating, gossiping or lying are wrong, but until you just can't see yourself doing those things, you'll do them again. You may not always behave as you believe you should, but you'll always behave like who you believe you are.

See yourself the way God sees you. Change the way you think about yourself. Change your self-identity. That's the process. I believe you have it all right now. You have everything God has to give, right now, right where you sit. It's all available to you right now. He's held nothing back from you. Your spirit is full-grown because it’s His Spirit in you. All that's necessary is for you to act on it. The trick is, you'll have a hard time acting on what your mind can't conceive.

For most of us, it takes time for our minds to conceive all that God re-created us to be. I realized at some point in my life that on some level I'd begun to see myself as nothing. It's taken a few years for me to change that thinking, and it may take a few more to complete the process. I do believe maturity is possible, though. Paul implied to the Ephesians that in not too much time, they could all reach the same level as Jesus. Yeah, look it up. 4:13...It's one of those "W…W...W...What the heck did that just say?" verses.

I'm so deeply different from the person I was five years ago when this journey of discovering who I am began, or at least restarted. I am so much more secure, confident, steady, and peaceful than I was. Yes, I've "grown," but it's crucial to know that God hasn't given me anything I didn't already have.

I've succeeded in lasting life-change largely because I realized I didn't have to ask for...and therefore earn...anything. It's all already there. Character qualities, spiritual fruit and gifts, miracle powers, are just clothes in my closet I can put on and wear. I just have to be able to see myself in them, so I need to change my self-identity.

Nothing wrong with being practical, here. Some of our issues are just habits that we need to replace with other habits. Don't just try to quit; replace that bad thing with something good. Experience is a great teacher. Once you see that you can do it, you have much more confidence to continue. Nevertheless, I believe this also comes down to identity. Seeing yourself as someone with the ability to improve is beginning to see yourself as God sees you. I think that's all walking in the Spirit is...walking around with the mindset that within your spirit is everything you need.

Most importantly, though, seeing yourself as someone who has everything you need means seeing Jesus in you. I have a suspicion that's why God designed it to work this way. He's really out for relationship with us. He works everything out so that we constantly need to focus our attention on Him and get to know Him more intimately.

That's also the best part for us. Coming to know Him in a genuine, palpable relationship is more satisfying than I had ever imagined it could be. Seeing Him as the God who gives everything, all of Himself to me has been like the removal of a veil not only to see myself more as He sees me, but also to see Him more as He is.

Therefore, the key to growing spiritually even though spiritual growth is impossible, is to realize that spiritual growth is impossible...then you'll really experience spiritual growth...that isn't actually spiritual growth at all.

What I mean to say is, we don't need our spirits to get bigger or stronger or better, we need to get our minds around the fact of Who it is Whose Spirit now lives within us. Then we're on our way.

References: Philippians 2,3,4, Galatians 5, Ephesians 1,4, Colossians 1, Romans 6,8, 1 Peter 2

You Have it All!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Eph 1:3

The truth is, God emptied heaven into you. Think about it...what is there that isn't in Jesus? Well, Jesus, the All in All, is in you. You have it all. The journey, I believe, is in learning to enjoy the blessings and use the tools He's given you as you come to know the One who is the Gift and the Giver.

Ever hear of the Blank Slate theory of human development? It basically stated that each person begins life with nothing...a blank slate. Then, through training, influence, environment, the personality is formed from scratch. Well, that theory turned out to be wrong; no surprise to anyone who's ever raised a child...we're definitely not born blank. God makes people unique from the beginning.

The Blank Slate theory turned out to be bad science, but I think somehow it stuck in the Christian mindset. I know growing up that I had the idea that when I became a Christian, God just wiped my slate clean. Well, that's not necessarily a bad picture of forgiveness, but it's a terrible picture of the life God gives to the believer.

I had this idea that any strength, any character, any spiritual wherewithal or godliness I might gain would have to be added to me, either through Bible study, tribulation, or, perhaps, a zap by the Holy Spirit once in a while. Well, those things have their place, but what a sad way to see myself! No wonder I found Christianity frustrating and miserable!

What the New Testament teaches is that we were not wiped clean, but reborn and re-created. That's much more than a blank slate. In fact, Paul said that at the moment we believed in Jesus, God gave us every spiritual blessing that exists in the realm of heaven. Then, Peter said that we had been given everything we need to live this life and to live like God in this world.

My favorite is in Romans 8. Paul basically said, and I paraphrase, "Hey, God gave you His only Son...what else is there? What else could you possibly need? And after a gift like that, what would God withhold from you? I think He's proved where His heart is."

I truly practice a new version of Christianity now...well, actually, I think it's nearer the original version. I never ask God to give me anything...never. I realize I have it all. I pray a lot more than I ever did before when it was always asking for stuff, but now I do a lot of thanking and praising and just talking to my Dad (God, that is). I actually listen now, and, yes, He talks a lot, too.

The truth is, God emptied heaven into you. Think about it...what is there that isn't in Jesus? Well, Jesus, the All in All, is in you. You have it all. The journey, I believe, is in learning to enjoy the blessings and use the tools He's given you as you come to know the One who is the Gift and the Giver.

References: Romans 6,8, Galatians 2, 2 Corinthians 5, Ephesians 1,4, 2 Peter 1

No Such Thing as Spiritual Growth

"He who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” 1 Corinthians 6:17

Spiritual growth is something we all feel like we experience, but it's not literally what's happening. What's happening is the renewing of the mind. I think maturity is just having our minds so set on what God says that we just can't listen to any other way of thinking. Mature believers just don't get tossed around as much. They don't have bigger spirits or better spirits or stronger spirits. They simply have their minds more consistently in harmony with the Spirit of God joined as one with their spirits within them.

How's that for a title that grabs you by the religion? No such thing as spiritual growth? I know, some of you are thinking..."I knew this guy was a heretic...now I have my proof!" Well, read on and you'll see I'm just saying what the New Testament says.

Actually, I'm straightening out a misnomer that I guess the discipleship movement gave birth to in the early twentieth century. The idea of spiritual growth comes from the encouragement the apostles gave early believers to grow to maturity in their faith. In a very general sense, it means to gain consistency, and experience in ministry.

The issue isn't that this process not called "spiritual growth" in the Bible, though it's not...correct me if I'm wrong. The issue is that the term creates a very substantial misunderstanding. You see, the New Testament teaches that our spirit and God's Spirit have become one Spirit within us. We are also taught that our inner man has been re-born and re-created in Christ.

Those three truths do not leave room for a growing, changing, improving spirit. Those ideas demand that we see our spirit as constant. After all, God's Spirit is constant. God doesn't get weak or tired; doesn't get hungry if we don't feed Him, and God's Spirit could never be immature. Therefore, God's Spirit cannot grow, and since we are one in spirit with Him, neither can ours.

These misunderstandings are what I call "doctrines of applied experience." We take something we have experienced and search the Bible for a verse that will explain it, and then decide that must be the truth of the matter.

Case in point: we feel less spiritual the days we don't read our Bible, so we assume that's because our spirit must be weak due to a lack of spiritual food. Makes sense, no? No. The truth is, we feel less spiritual the days we don't read our Bible simply because our minds are not set on the Spirit, but on the flesh, and Paul told the Romans they'd be walking dead if they did that.

We see a new believer change rapidly and we assume it's because his spirit is growing. However, God doesn't grow. We didn't get the eight pound six ounce Jesus when we were born again. We got the mature, risen, glorified King of Kings, like the one in Revelation, and if our spirits are one with Him, how can that spirit get any stronger or more mature?

More importantly, when we go through something tough, we come out on the other side feeling spiritually stronger, and we assume it's because our spirit actually grew because the trial gave it exercise. Makes sense, no? No. The fact is that God's Spirit within you became much more real to you because every day of that difficult situation forced you to set your mind on Him, to look to Him, to walk in intimate communication with Him; and when you do that, you feel the strength of God.

This brings us to why this is such an important point. When you're going through that trial, you need to know that every moment, no matter how you feel, no matter how weak you are---He is strong. If you never read your Bible, He's still the same. When you are weak, you are strong. The power, grace, love, joy, peace and wisdom you need already reside in the unchanging Spirit of God within you. When life is hard, you need to know that.

Additionally, you need to know that when you fail, when you fall, when you just get lazy or depressed...He doesn't. He doesn't change, so your spirit is always as strong as it ever was. You don't have to go through a restoration process or build yourself back up. You may need to re-train your mind to stop thinking stupid thoughts and start focusing on God, but your spirit is not affected one single bit...ever. God never changes. God never changes. God never changes.

Spiritual growth is something we all feel like we experience, but it's not literally what's happening. What's happening is the renewing of the mind. I think maturity is just having our minds so set on what God says that we just can't listen to any other way of thinking. Mature believers just don't get tossed around as much. They don't have bigger spirits or better spirits or stronger spirits. They simply have their minds more consistently in harmony with the Spirit of God joined as one with their spirits within them.

References: 1 Corinthians 6, John 1, 3, 2 Corinthians 3,5,12, Ephesians 1, 4, Romans 4,5,6,7,8,12 Galatians 2, 5, Hebrews 12, 1 John 4

Righteousness...a Reclaimed Relationship

Righteousness sounds so dry. As exciting as it is to read in Easton’s Bible Dictionary that I am “entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (Rom. 5:1-10),” it still sounds rather judicial. But it’s not. I believe righteousness is mostly about relationship.

Actually, at least by one sense of its definition, righteousness is relationship. To be righteous means to be "right" with God, or in perfect standing with Him…in other words, to have a perfect relationship with Him.

An incredible thought: to have the righteousness of Jesus means to have the same perfect relationship with God that Jesus has. Can anything compare to that relationship? Can there be any love more satisfying and sure than the love between God the Father and His Son, Jesus? Can there be any more intimate friendship, any more open communication, any greater acceptance, any more certain approval? This describes the believer’s relationship with God…Selah.

I believe this view of righteousness is a good look into the heart of God. He paid the price of the cross, not out of pity to rescue sinners, but out of love to gain children and friends. His desire wasn't to clean up someone's mess because He felt sorry for them; it was to reclaim the broken relationship with His most prized creation, the only one in His own image.

John said God is love. That means God is relationship, and often it seems that relationship is what His plan and His ways boil down to. Righteousness means we have the same judicial standing with God as Jesus; but more importantly, it means we have the same relationship.

Righteousness...a Question of Divine Competency

2 Corinthians 5:21--"For God made Him who had no sin to become sin on our behalf, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God."

I believe that when we doubt our own righteousness, we need to remember who it is who claims to have made us righteous, and by what agency He claims to have done it.

The greatest source of peace in my life is the constantly deepening understanding of the fact that my standing with God has nothing to do with my performance, my ability, my behavior, my feelings, or my character. My standing with God, my righteousness is simply a question of Divine Competency. Paul asks in Romans, if God is the one who justifies you, (makes you righteous), who can condemn you?"

Read More...

If God were to set out to manufacture a fast car...how fast would it be? If God were to build a building with the intent of making it strong...how strong would it be? Would God's car ever lose a race? Would His building be vulnerable to any force, natural or otherwise? Of course, anyone with any traditional idea of God, any cursory understanding of scripture would answer an emphatic "no."

Surely, no force could compete with the competency, creativity or resourcefulness of God. Certainly no span of time, force of destruction, or human design could hope to diminish by a single iota the quality or strength inherent in the work of God Himself. God's ability is infinite, and therefore incomparable and immutable. And yet, when it comes to Righteousness, our thinking is different.

In the cross, resurrection, and outpouring, God set out to re-create the spirit of man in true righteousness and holiness, says Paul in Corinthians and Ephesians, Colossians, Romans, and say other Biblical writers as well. Please don't be confused by the wording of the scripture at the top of the page, namely the words "might become." This is a past-tense statement for the person with faith in Christ. A grammar lesson may be warranted in a later entry.

In my estimation, however, any question about whether we are made righteous at the moment of salvation or are continually "righteousness-ized" throughout life stems from a much more basic and consequential question...the competency of God. Does God have the ability to make you righteous? You must ask yourself if you believe He does. You know you do not have that ability, don't you? If not, just live a little longer and the question will be settled for you...or try asking your wife or your parents or your teenage kids...they'll tell you.

If you doubt that you as a believer you are now righteous, made righteous by faith in Jesus alone, and kept righteous by the power of His righteous blood sprinkled on the eternal mercy seat in heaven for you, consider the previous question and the following one. Since God is certainly able to make and keep you righteous, perhaps you doubt that the cross of Jesus and the life-blood He shed are sufficient agents to accomplish this.

I know these are not things we consciously doubt. I almost feel like I'm insulting my readers by asking these questions, but they are question I ask myself often. I believe that when we doubt our own righteousness, we need to remember who it is who claims to have made us righteous, and by what agency He claims to have done it.

Our enemy is called a liar and an accuser for good reason. He has been disarmed, stripped of all his military might, and is left with one power alone, the power to lie. Therefore, he spends his efforts on lies and accusations, and the two are often one. He loves to make us question our own standing with God. After all, that's the most precious thing he lost.

The greatest source of peace in my life is the constantly deepening understanding of the fact that my standing with God has nothing to do with my performance, my ability, my behavior, my feelings, or my character. My standing with God, my righteousness is simply a question of Divine Competency. Paul asks in Romans, if God is the one who justifies you, (makes you righteous), who can condemn you?"