The Christian Walk

How do you gain maturity in your walk of faith?

The answer is complex.

(1) The essential agent is God. God, the Holy Spirit, is at work in believers sanctifying them so that they are able to produce the fruit of the Spirit. God gives them a new nature, one whose emotions, intellect, and will are inclined towards joyful obedience to God.

(2) As a result of the new nature, Christians co-operate with the Holy Spirit in the work of sanctification. Only the Holy Spirit can sanctify believers; yet, they still have their part to play. Believers co-operate in various ways.

(i) We co-operate, by studying the Word of God. So, for instance, one of my favourite verses in the Pastoral Letters counsels the Christian: ‘Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything’ (2 Timothy 2.7, NASB). The Lord Jesus Christ will give understanding, through the Holy Spirit, to every believer who considers what Scripture (in this case written by Paul’s hand) says.

(ii) We also co-operate by doing good works. Our doing good works is inextricably connected with the hearing the Word. ‘All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped to do every good work’ (2 Timothy 3.16-17). Notice two things about this passage:

First, Christians respond to the new life they have been given by allowing Scripture to shape and define them. This is a period of preparation.

Next, they do good works.

The passage from Second Timothy suggests that there is a definite sequence to the formation of a person who has been regenerated. There are two parts to the sequence.

In part one, the believer is taught by Scripture, rebuked by Scripture, corrected by Scripture, and trained in righteousness by Scripture. The activities—teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training—denote a season of cultivation of the new life that God has planted.

Part two, now that the believer has been cultivated, he or she is equipped to do the good work that all Christians were made to do. God regenerates believers, basically, so that they can do good works and, thus, give glory to God, who created them. In fact, the Bible teaches that good works is a fairly accurate indicator of whether or not a person is genuinely regenerated (Matthew 3.8, 10; 7.16-20; 12.33; 21.43, James 2.20).

This does not mean that good works save; they do not. Only the grace of God saves (Ephesians 2.8-9). We play no part in the gracious act of salvation. But, once we are saved, we have a purpose that was prepared for us long ago: to do good works. (Ephesians 2.10).

Also, it would be misleading to say these parts (preparation and doing) are clearly perceived as separate and distinct to our conscious mind. New believers may desire to do good works, but it is crucial they know from the counsel of Scripture why they are doing those good works. So many Christian do good works expecting a pat on the back. This shows a wrong motivation. The correct motivation is to glorify God. Our satisfaction comes from doing his will.