The New Birth is Not the End

Yesterday I highlighted some quotes by Warren Wiersbe on knowledge. 

The foundation of knowledge, for a Christian, is the never-changing truth of the reality and existence of the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that the Son was born of a virgin, died and rose again to new life, bringing us into new life as well. 

It is upon that foundation that we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18a).

Here are Wiersbe’s insights on that growth:

“The Christian life must never stand still; if it does, it will go backward. A house left to itself falls apart…The foundation for our Christian life is our ‘most holy faith’ (Jude 20), which is the same as the faith which was once delivered unto the saints’ (Jude 3). There is a sense, of course, in which our faith in Jesus Christ is the basis for our growth, but even that faith depends on what God has revealed to us in His Word. Subjective faith depends on objective revelation of truth.”

“What should be the attitude of the growing Christian…? Jude instructed his readers to exercise discernment and to act on the basis of that discernment.”

“Where there is life, there must be growth. The new birth is not the end; it is the beginning. God gives His children all that they need to live godly lives, but His children must apply themselves and be diligent to use the ‘means of grace’ He has provided. Spiritual growth is not automatic. It requires cooperation with God and the application of spiritual diligence and discipline.”

“Peter listed seven characteristics of the godly life, but we must not think of them as seven beads on a string or even seven stages of development. The word translated add really means ‘to supply generously.’ In other words, we develop one quality as we exercise another quality. These graces relate to each other the way the branch relates to the trunk and the twigs to the branch. Like the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Gal. 5:22-23), these qualities grow out of life and out of a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not enough for the Christian to ‘let go and let God,’ as though spiritual growth were God’s work alone. Literally, Peter wrote, ‘Make every effort to bring alongside.’ The Father and the child must work together.” 

“Because we have the divine nature, we can grow spiritually and develop…Christian character. It is through the power of God and the precious promises of God that this growth takes place. The divine ‘genetic structure’ is already there: God wants us to be ‘conformed’ to the image of His Son’ (Rom 8:29). The life within will reproduce that image if we but diligently cooperate with God and use the means He has lavishly given us.”

“And the amazing thing is this: as the image of Christ is reproduced in us, the process does not destroy our own personalities. We still remain uniquely ourselves! 

One of the dangers in the church today is imitation. People have a tendency to become like their pastor, or like a church leader, of perhaps like some ‘famous Christian.’ As they do this, they destroy their own uniqueness while failing to become like Jesus Christ. They lose both ways! Just as each child in a family resembles his parents and yet is different, so each child in God’s family comes more and more to resemble Jesus Christ and yet is different. Parents don’t duplicate themselves, they reproduce themselves; and wise parents permit their children to be themselves. (emphasis in underline mine).

“Some of the most effective Christians I have known are people without dramatic talents and special abilities, or even exciting personalities; yet God has used them in a marvelous way. Why? Because they are becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. They have…character…These beautiful qualities of character do exist ‘within us’ because we possess the divine nature. We must cultivate them so that they increase and produce fruit in and through our lives.

(emphasis in underline mine. Note the word “in,” meaning the fruit that is our character development, not our outward ministry or Christian-speak). 

“…the growing Christian walks with confidence because he knows he is secure in Christ. It is not our profession of faith…it is our progression in the faith that gives us that assurance.”

(underline emphasis mine). 

“Faith leads to growth and growth leads to practical results in life and service.”

“How can we as believers maintain our steadfastness and avoid being among the ‘unstable souls’ who are easily beguiled and led astray? By growing spiritually. ‘But be constantly growing’ is the literal translation (2 Peter 3). We should not grow ‘in spurts,’ but in a constant experience of development.”

“Nobody automatically drifts into spiritual growth and stability, but anybody can drift out of…growth.”