Not Works, But Growth by L. A. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Apr 27, 1905

Not Works, But Growth

By L. A. S.

THE Christian life is a growth. It is growth “in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3: 18.

There is an instructive analogy between physical and spiritual growth. Both take place independently of the human will. We can not by taking thought add a cubit to our stature, neither can we by any exercise of the physical or mental powers grow in the Christian life. Physical growth takes place under certain conditions which are supplied by the power and wisdom of the Creator, and in like manner, and from the same source, are supplied the conditions of spiritual growth. There is a physical sun, the light of which promotes physical growth; and there is a spiritual sun, the “Sun of righteousness,” whose light is necessary to spiritual growth. That sun is Jesus, and the Christian life is a life of “looking unto Jesus,” and of beholding “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

This is only to say, in other words, that the Christian life is not a result of works, but that the work is God’s work, wrought out in us by his own power, and that our part is simply to believe on Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. It is to say that no man has power to make himself any better than he is; that he can not, of himself, perform the lesser, any more than the greater, works of righteousness; and that the greater works, and highest requirements of the law, are no less attainable by the humblest Christian than any others, since it is all the work of God, who is both omnipotent and omniscient.

It is useless to set before ourselves a lot of things which we “must do” in order to be Christians, and to meet the requirements of the divine law. The Christian life is not lived in that way, and the idea that it is, which so readily comes to us, is at the foundation of one of the most common and also most dangerous mental conditions into which the seeker for salvation can fall,—a condition which leads one to say, or think within his heart, “It is impossible to do those things; nobody lives up to such requirements, and there is no use in my trying to do so.” Having arrived at this conclusion, the individual goes on, it may be for months and years, in a consciously backslidden, hypocritical state.

It is indeed useless to contemplate the requirements of the law, and attempt to nerve ourselves up to the task of scaling the heights of Christian perfection; that only brings discouragement and disaster. But there is the greatest use in opening the heart to God by faith, so that he can perform the works of the law in us. In the Christian life results are left with God. If the acorn should say to itself, “I must manage somehow to grow into a great oak,” or if the mustard seed should ponder upon the task of growing into the “greatest of all trees,” or if the apple seed should set out to accomplish the task of growing into a large tree filled with fruit, well might these little seeds become discouraged with the prospect. They could not do it at all, and yet they do do it; not of themselves, but by submission to their Creator, whose power works out in them the marvelous results of growth. It is no exertion to grow, and the seed takes no thought of results. And no more is Christian growth an exertion, nor should one take any thought for results in living the Christian life. He need not stop at any time and take the measure of the excellence to which he has attained. He should not be conscious of any excellence of his own, but only of the excellence of Christ.

The results will come; the requirements of the divine law will be met. God himself will attend to that. The Christian need only concern himself to know that he has Christ within, and that he loves to do the will of God. “I want to serve self, but I must not;” or, “I don’t want to do this that God requires, but I must,” is not the language of Christianity. It should be to us a cause of rejoicing, not of discouragement, that the standard of the law is exceedingly high, for it is God who does the works; and when that standard is met in our lives, we shall be exceedingly better than we are. L. A. S.