A Picture of Growing in Christ, Part 2 - A Posture of Reception
February 10, 2022 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
Last week I said a healthy, growing follower of Jesus Christ is, first and foremost, committed to the ordinary means of grace. Everything else a healthy follower of Christ may be or do flows out from being a recipient of God’s grace through these means. Before we unpack what a healthy follower of Christ does, let me focus on that word “recipient.” What does it mean to be a recipient of God’s grace? What is the posture of a recipient of God’s grace? How should we approach the ordinary means of grace on Sunday mornings?
First, humility is essential to be a recipient of God’s grace. James 4:6 says, “God gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” God gives his grace to those who recognize their desperate dependence on his grace. This involves an honest assessment of one’s sinfulness. No one can be holy enough to earn God’s grace (cf. Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16). This also involves an honest assessment of one’s gifts, abilities, social status, etc. (cf. Rom. 12:3). “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7; cf. James 1:17). To receive God’s grace, we must come with a posture of humility, recognizing we are empty-handed beggars.
Second, longing is essential to be a recipient of God’s grace. Responding to the wonder of new birth by the power of the gospel, Peter writes, “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation (1 Pet. 2:1-2). (Side note: the lack of humility, or pride, is the root of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander; all of these spring out of thinking too highly of oneself.) Using the comparison of a newborn infant, Peter gives us a picture of longing. An infant is utterly dependent on milk for nourishment and will cry out if he goes too long without that nourishment. We are to have that same longing: utterly dependent on God’s word as our nourishment, crying out for such nourishment when we go too long without it. Such longing demonstrates an understanding that what God offers is our only food (cf. Matt. 4:4). To receive God’s grace, we ought to come with a longing for his nourishment.
Third, diligent effort is essential to be a recipient of God’s grace. Admittedly, this is tricky to speak about. The first principle above says we can do nothing to earn God’s grace. Now I am saying diligent effort is needed to receive God’s grace. How does this work? Let me draw attention to three Scripture passages that commend diligent effort.
First, as his own personal testimony, Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is in me” (1 Cor. 15:10). In this verse, Paul affirms the first principle, humility. But he also commends diligent effort, “I worked harder than any of them.” He acknowledges that it was the grace of God that produced this diligent effort in him. But, without the diligent effort God’s grace would be “in vain” toward Paul. Diligent effort to receive more of God’s grace is a necessary fruit of God’s grace working in one’s life.
Second, Paul calls the Philippian church to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). As followers of Christ, we are responsible to make diligent effort to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. At the same time, we humbly acknowledge that that diligent effort is the fruit of God’s work in us.
Third, Peter celebrates that God’s “divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,” and then commands, “make every effort to supplement your faith…” (2 Pet. 1:3, 5). God grants us all things pertaining to godliness, including the diligent effort needed to supplement our faith with growth in grace. The command to “make every effort,” is a command to let God’s gracious gift to be effectual in our lives.
Apply these three passages to your activity on Sunday mornings. Do you work harder than others to be a recipient of God’s grace through the ordinary means? Do you work out your salvation with fear and trembling as you come to weekly worship? Do you make every effort to supplement your faith with God’s grace as you worship? How often do we let distractions and convenience and selfishness undercut God’s means of grace for us by not making every effort?
To be a healthy, growing follower of Jesus Christ, we need to be committed to the ordinary means of grace. That commitment involves the posture of reception of God’s grace: humility, longing, and diligent effort.
