Thursday, October 23, 2014

The Doctrine Of Holiness And Growth In Grace


Grow in grace, and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3: 18

            Yes, the opening Scripture is short, and yet this subject not omitted as we continue to study the various books in our Bible.  It is a subject that many Christians speak of and yet have not much understanding of it.  And, this is, holiness, and as we study the various books written by the apostles, and others, that make up the canon of our Bible, I feel we must begin at this point to inquire about holiness.  This will help us to continue to understand what the Bible writers were attempting to do as they wrote and taught the Gospel.  All the Bible writers speak as did Peter that we are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so it is important that we turn our attention to the subject before we move on to the other epistles and letters.  For some Christians in this inquiry may not seem worth attention, but, I'm afraid that this kind of Christian falls under the category of a Sunday Christian, having a Sunday religion, who comes once a week and then lays aside what has been taught to him or her.  Such a man as this, cannot be expected to care about growth in grace and as Paul said in his first letter: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2: 14).  Are you earnest about your soul, and do you hunger and thirst after spiritual things?  Those questions ought to drive home to you a searching power and then to ask ourselves, is it true that we can make progress in our religion, can we grow in our religion?  These questions are always useful, especially at certain times making us think and look within ourselves.  Think about this: our time on this earth is quickly flying by, life is ebbing away, the hour is drawing nearer when our Christianity will be tested, and we will come to know whether our Christianity was built on the rock, or on the sand.  Mentioned many times in these blogs that we are to examine ourselves and to take account of our souls and these two questions will aid us in our examination: we get on in our spiritual things?  Do we grow?
            These questions are of special importance in our present day.  Why?  There are crude and strange opinions being purported, those strange opinions that are presented to men's minds on some points of doctrine, and even in regards to the growth of grace as being whether or not it is an essential part of true holiness.  For some they totally denied this.  What the strange and crude opinions are doing is to an indurate the minds of those hearing the crude and strange doctrines and they will not listen to any other point that is given to them from Scripture and all they do is explain it away and pare it down to nothing.  Many, many, Christians have a misunderstanding of growing and grace and holiness.  These questions are consequently, neglected.  It is important to know that it is useful to look square into the face of this subject of Christian growth.  There is a reality of religious growth and such a thing as growth in grace.  There are marks of religious growth, and there are marks by which growth in grace may be known.  There is a means of religious growth and those means must be used for anyone who desires to grow in grace.  Before I move forward we must understand we never put the means ahead of the agent and our agent, our foundation, is Jesus Christ.  This subject that we are entering into is not a mere matter of speculation and non-controversy.  This is a most important practical subject, if there is any such in religion.  The subject is intimately and inseparably connected with the whole question of sanctification.  The leading mark, that which we can know to be true about anyone is that the saints in Jesus Christ continued to grow.  In this growth is in the virtual health and prosperity, for the spiritual happiness and comfort of every person who has the true heart for Jesus Christ and holy Christianity they are intimately connected with this subject of spiritual growth.
            Let's establish this in the first place: there is such a thing as growth in grace.  No Christian can ever deny this proposition as being strange and a melancholy thing, we also must remember that man is fallen and also his will is fallen.  There will be disagreements about doctrines and often they are nothing more than disagreements about nonessentials, or over the meaning of words.  So that when we speak of growth in grace I may mean one thing while others may deny it to mean quite another thing to let me clear the way to explain what I mean.  When I speak of growth in grace I do not mean that a believer's interest in Christ can grow.  I further do not mean that he can grow in safety, acceptance with God or security.  I do not mean that he can ever be more justified, more pardon, more forgiven, more at peace with God, then he is at the first moment that he comes to believe.  We must and I do, hold firm that the justification of any Christian is finished, perfect, and a complete work.  Even the weakest saint, though you may not know and feel it, is completely justified as the strongest of any Christian.  Furthermore, I hold firmly that our election in Jesus Christ, our calling, and standing in Christ, a admits of no degrees, no increase or diminution.  Do not mistake this, that our growth in grace means that we grow in justification.  If you do you're off the mark, and your utterly mistaken.  The matter of justification before God for every believer is complete in Jesus Christ: "and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2: 10).  Nothing can be added to our justification from the moment we believe, and nothing is ever taken away from our justification.  Praise God for this for all this is due to Him, and the death of our Savior Jesus Christ upon the cross that paid for sin, even our sins.

For as the Earth brings forth its bud,
            as the garden causes the things
that are sown in it to spring forth,
            so the Lord God will cause righteousness
and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
                                    Isaiah 61: 11

May your righteousness be seen by all

Richard L. Crumb

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