SPIRITUAL GROWTH by Elder S. N. Haskell

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 16, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 49.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH.

By Elder S. N. Haskell

BY ELDER S. N. HASKELL.

SPIRITUAL growth is essential to spiritual life. There would be as much impropriety in expecting the meals of one day to supply our physical wants for a week to come, as to rest satisfied because of blessings received in the past. The Scriptures abound in illustrations and direct testimony on this subject. Some people are always babes. They stop growing, young, and are always weak. Their minds are narrow in spiritual things, and they never expand to grasp new truths as revealed in the word of God. Eternity will not be long enough for the mind to grasp all the fresh revelations there will be in God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

Individuals who do not grow become carnal. Personal preferences are manifest. To the Corinthians the apostle wrote: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" 1 Cor. 3:1-4. It will be noticed that in the first verse Paul makes "carnal" and "babes" equivalent terms. This was after the Corinthians had had an opportunity to gain an experience in divine things. It was five years before this that the apostle went to Corinth, where he continued a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Acts 18:1, 11. They were not able even then to bear strong meat.

There is great danger of our sinning away the Spirit of God when we cease to grow. The apostle exhorts the Hebrews to leave "the principles of the doctrine of Christ," and "go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." He then adds, as a reason, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Heb. 6:1-6.

The apostle Peter bears the following decided testimony: "Beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness; but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:17, 18. We should grow spiritually and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. To every person who has given his heart to God, there is imparted a new heart; and he receives from God and our Lord Jesus Christ "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened." Eph. 1:17, 18. Fresh beauties will be seen in the matchless love of our Saviour. There will be new revelations of his character. The word of God will become more precious

than ever before. There will be new attractions in Christ and in his word. For his word represents himself.

"How shall we grow?" is an important question; but it is definitely answered in the following words: "Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter 2:1-3. The careful study of the word of God, if continued in, will always impart spiritual life, quicken the conscience, elevate and refine the intellect, and ennoble the character. A critical reading of the Bible will impart strength to our spiritual natures, as wholesome food does to the physical system. It is Christ, "that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life" (1 John 1:1), that becomes food to our spiritual nature; for "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day; for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." John 6:53-57.

There is but one way that we can eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, that is, by prayerfully reading and meditating upon God’s words. They then become a part of the character, assimilated into our very nature. Thus we become Christ’s, partake of his nature, live as he lived, walk as he walked. If the word of God is only carelessly read, and passed by without meditation, it fails to impart its life-giving principles to the soul, for the word itself is power. "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, both to the Jew and to the Greek." We cannot explain the nature of this power; but it is something that works changes in the person. Neither should we rest with simply studying the word; but we should expect promises that God has made to be fulfilled to us, because we have accepted Christ, and he has accepted us. Said the Saviour, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you." John 14:16-18.

This "Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Verse 26. It would then take the place of the personal presence of the Saviour, and quicken the memory to call up and retain words which the Saviour had spoken. But that Spirit will not call up words which the Saviour has spoken if we have neglected to read them and carefully meditate upon them. It is that which we have once read and which has entered into our hearts that the Spirit of God will bring to our remembrance. The value of that Spirit cannot be overestimated. No language can exaggerate its preciousness. To the Christian it is everything. It as really protects him from the power of Satan as the personal presence of Christ protected his disciples when he was with them. It creates a pure, heavenly atmosphere around them, that they may breathe and be inspired with the heavenly. Oh, the loss we sustain because we cease to grow daily! We fail to grow because we neglect the study of God’s word, and prayer, to open our understanding to comprehend it. We let the cares of this world shut from our view the glory of Christ and priceless blessings.