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Spiritual Growth: "After-Birth Pains"
Within the last year, we have had many good studies on the matter of evangelism. Certainly, evangelism is inseparable from the gospel. The gospel is “good news,” and evangelism pertains to the teaching and preaching of that good news. When Paul wrote, “How then can they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10.14), he was referencing evangelism.
The gospel is the message about salvation from sin. It is about God’s offer of eternal life through his Son. In this message, God explains how sin came about and how enslaving (i.e., addicting) it is. Paul often used the phrase “servants of sin” (Romans 6.6,17,19-20). But, the good news is that there is an escape from this slavery. As Paul worded it, we can become “servants of righteousness” (Romans 6.18). This escape occurs in repentance, and this is why repentance is an essential part of the gospel message.
Repentance must be from a heart of “godly sorrow,” not a sorrow of the world (2 Corinthians 7.10-11). We experience “godly sorrow” when we understand that our sin is against God, not man (Acts 5.4). All these matters are explained in the gospel message. Failure to understand these matters can cost a soul to be lost eternally. The goal of the gospel message is more than just freedom from sin. Paul explained it in Romans 6.22: “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
The New Testament epistles were written to those who had been freed from their sins. They are a part of the gospel message too. Their purpose was to teach newborn Christians how to grow to spiritual maturity and become servants of righteousness, thereby inheriting eternal life.
All that pertains to the enteral life that God, in his grace, provided is contained in these epistles. Peter spoke of this in 2 Peter 1.3-4: “Seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. For by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
Notice that Peter mentioned “becoming partakers of the divine nature.” This suggests a process of learning and growth. It begins with the new birth that in mentioned in John 3.3-5. A new life must then be lived. We read of “newborn babes” in 1 Peter 2.2> As babies need to grow properly, so also do spiritual babes.
We read of the need to grow in grace and knowledge in 2 Peter 3.18. From Hebrews 5.12-14, we see the dangers of failure to grow. It is a failure to have our senses trained to discern good from evil. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their sense trained to discern good and evil.”
Spiritual growth moves toward becoming partakers of the divine nature. Our minds (“inward man”) undergo transformation as God’s truths are learned, even though our flesh (“outward man”) is perishing (Romans 12.2; 2 Corinthians 4.16). This transformation also involves repentance: “…In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4.22-24).
Because of God’s grace, we have this knowledge. That is why grace is said to “teach” (Titus 2.11-12). The gospel is a message of grace because eternal life is a gift from God (Romans 6.23). God placed this knowledge in his word. His will for man, his power to save, and his righteousness are therein (Romans 1.16-17). The newborn soul is purified as obedience to the word continues (1 Peter 1.22-23). This explains why the statement is made in Ephesians 2.8 that we are saved by grace through faith. God bestowed grace freely (Ephesians 1.6). It must not be received in vain (2 Corinthians 6.1).
The role of repentance in our transformation is further seen from the wording of Titus 2.12: “Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts…live soberly, righteously, and godly.” Then only proper response to grace is to do as grace directs. That is called obedience of faith (Romans 1.15; 16.26). In the gospel, God calls us out of sin (2 Thessalonians 2.14). This is why we speak of the “gospel call.” Responding to God’s grace is answering the gospel call.
Our response to God’s call is to fulfill God’s purpose in calling us out of sin. “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2.14). We are called upon to be holy (1 Peter 1.1), following Christ’s example (1 Peter 2.21), to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Thessalonians 6.12), thereby walking worthy of this calling (Ephesians 4.1). As the Hebrew writer put it, we must “become accustomed to the word of righteousness.” Remember Paul’s words: “In malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (1 Corinthians 14.20). Spiritual growth is painful because repentance is breaking the worst of addictions: The pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11.25).
