The Progress of Grace, Part 3
September 26, 2024 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
One of the books I read during sabbatical was Select Letters of John Newton. Newton is the author of the well-loved hymn, Amazing Grace, and ministered as a pastor in England during the late 18th century. These brief letters are packed with deep, practical, pastoral, and biblical wisdom. Three of his letters address the topic of the “progressive work of grace.” Newton explains how grace works in the life of an individual, from the first introduction of grace to the continual growth in grace as a mature follower of Christ. The last two weeks we looked at the first two letters, where Newton considered the initial work of grace in a new believer’s life and how grace works in a growing Christian’s life. Let’s consider the third letter where Newton addresses the ongoing work of grace in a mature Christian’s life.
Newton has said that a new Christian is marked by desire and a growing Christian is marked by conflict. Grace works through these circumstances to deepen one’s distrust of self and one’s faith in Christ. According to Newton, the third state of grace, in the life of a mature Christian, is marked by contemplation. “His great business is to behold the glory of God in Christ; and by beholding, he is changed into the same image, and brings forth in an eminent and uniform manner the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. His contemplations are not barren speculations, but have a real influence, and enable him to exemplify the Christian character to more advantage, and with more consistence, than can in the present state of things be expected either from the new Christian or growing Christian” (p. 15-16).
This work of grace in contemplating the glory of God in Christ, according to Newton, produces three notable character qualities.
- Humility. Newton writes, “A measure of this grace is to be expected in every true Christian: but it can only appear in proportion to the knowledge they have of Christ and of their own hearts… The new Christian and the growing Christian know that they ought to be humbled; but the mature Christian is truly so… The apprehension of infinite Majesty combined with infinite love, makes him shrink into the dust. From the exercise of this grace he derives two others…submission to the will of God, and … tenderness of spirit towards his fellow Christians” (p. 16). If pride is the great sin, as C.S. Lewis taught in Mere Christianity, humility is the great virtue. And, as Newton says, we only grow in humility in proportion to knowing Christ as sufficient and knowing ourselves as empty. This is a lifetime commitment.
- Spirituality. In our current church environment, “spirituality” may be discredited as shallow emotionalism or mysticism. Newton uses the word, however, in contrast with loving the things of the world. He explains, “A spiritual taste, and a disposition to account all things mean and vain, in comparison of the knowledge and love of God in Christ, are essential to a true Christian” (p. 17). “Even the mature Christian is not perfect in this respect; but he is more sensible of the evil of such attachments [to the world], more humbled for them, more watchful against them, and more delivered from them. He still feels a fetter, but he longs to be free. His allowed desires are brought to a point; and he sees nothing worth a serious thought but communion with God and progress in holiness” (p. 17). In other words, the mature Christian considers everything of this world as loss in comparison with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:8).
- The union of heart to the glory and will of God. This relates to one’s ambitions and goals. “[The mature Christian’s] chief desire is, that God may be glorified in him” (p. 18). Grace works in one’s life over a lifetime to fulfill the desire of John the Baptist, “He [namely, Christ] must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). Newton paints a beautiful picture of what we are aiming for in this endeavor: “That God in Christ is glorious over all, and blessed for ever, is the very joy of his soul; and his heart can frame no higher wish, than that the sovereign, wise, holy will of God may be accomplished in him, and all his creatures. Upon this grand principle his prayers, schemes, and actions, are formed” (p. 19).
May we see in our prayers, schemes, and actions a growing dedication to the glory of God in all areas of our lives. As we long to know and make known the astonishing grace of God at Oak Hills, may God be pleased to strengthen his people in and by his grace.
