By Kristen Lim
This article is a continuation of the “Growing Pains” series, a look at various issues that new / young Christians encounter. Previous articles:
The microwave oven is one of the greatest inventions to date (slight hyperbole there). But in all seriousness, isn’t it a wonderful concept to have last night’s cold leftovers hot and ready to consume in a matter of minutes? Not to mention, people have creatively come up with ways to hack the microwave’s power, like mug cakes and quick scrambled eggs.
Why doesn’t the Christian life work like a microwave? Why can’t God make me perfect and without sin RIGHT NOW? Without even realizing it, we may have been accustomed to what I like to call “microwave-mentality:” expecting immediate results with little to no effort, and in this case in regards to spiritual maturity. We’ve lost a sense of patience, and there is a mounting panic and discomfort in waiting. In our need for speed, we want to expedite every part of our lives including sanctification, but we will soon find out that God’s plan for our growth is a gradual, life-long process.
What is biblical sanctification? Let’s look at Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi:
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;” (Ph. 2:12 emphasis added)
Paul does not say for you to work “for” your salvation; that would be salvation by works! Let’s pause and remember Scripture is clear that salvation is by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9). So what does it mean to work “out” your salvation? Paul is affirming the truth that God calls His people to holy living out of submission to our good Master and in accordance to our new identity as children of God. Our redeemed status is not conditional to whether you had a great day honoring God, or failed (again) to make time to read the Bible. Nothing can separate true Christians from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35-39). Rest in that truth. Marinate in the extravagant grace of God. We will spend the rest of our lives discovering the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ (Eph. 3:19), and to truly comprehend that to know Christ is eternal life (John 17:3).
There is no room for dabbling in sin and cheapening the glorious grace of God to be just a free pass to “sin and repent.” Read Romans 6, my friend. Working out your salvation involves hard work of putting off the old self and putting on the new self (Eph. 4:22-24). But rest assured that it’s not in your hands to change your heart…
“For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Ph. 2:13 emphasis added)
God is the One who grows us! He gets the glory and praise for transforming us into the image of Christ. There is no room for boasting in ourselves or even in another person for causing us to grow (1 Cor. 3:6-7). You may wonder, how can God be the one doing all the work in me when it feels like I’m the one striving and laboring? We must remember that God is the giver of life and breath, and apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Your desire to even want to grow in faith is a product of God placing that desire in your heart! He gives us various “means of grace,” such as reading the Bible, prayer, fellowship, memorizing Scripture, sermons, etc. to accomplish this steady progression of maturity. Just because you don’t conquer a particular sin by memorizing a verse doesn’t mean that God has failed. He is growing you in other ways, perhaps patience and perseverance. In the mean time, God desires for you to continue to fight sin in humble obedience, trusting in His sovereign and perfect timing.
If you are a Christian longing for a pure heart, but still find yourself struggling in the fight against sin, you are in good company. Paul honestly admits the raging war in his soul against his old, sinful way of life versus God’s way (Rom. 7:14-25). Also, find encouragement that much of Paul’s letters are filled with exhortations to struggling Christians who needed instruction to fight hard against remaining sin. If Christians back then needed to war against sin, then I do too.
Maybe you experienced a drastic change in your life when God saved you. Praise the Lord for His abounding mercies! You have the rest of your life to keep on growing in the knowledge of God and becoming more like Christ. Know that God will be faithful to complete the work He has started in you.
Maybe you feel spiritually dry and stagnant in growth, and wonder why it doesn’t feel like God is working in you anymore. But God is still working in your heart. Though it may seem slow and the fruit may not be evident right away, be patient and persevere. Know that God will be faithful to complete the work He has started in you.
It is worth mentioning that many farming analogies are used to describe the Christian life. Psalm 1 describes the one who delights in God to be a “tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season…” Matthew 7:20 reveals that you will know the type of tree it is (Christian or non-Christian) by the fruit it bears. And in Galatians 5:22-23 we find the “fruit” of the Spirit. The growth of a tree may at times seem imperceptible, but it is still growing and will flourish with fruit in its season.
A microwave is useful for many things, but not a good object on which to build an understanding of sanctification. Hopefully it’s clear that waiting on the Lord for spiritual growth is not an idle task. Rather it is a fierce dependence on God that clings to His unchanging promises, and disciplines the self to walk in obedience, knowing full well that God is the one who changes hearts.