Process

We are at the midpoint of the passage we’re looking at in our spiritual checkup and today I want to go back through the verses we’ve looked at and highlight some expressions which go together to show us that Paul sees process as part of spiritual maturity.

We’re in Philippians 3 and in verse 8 he mentions some spiritual exercise in which he engaged “in order that I may gain Christ.” In verse 9 he writes of the source of his righteousness and then in verse 10 explains his reason for looking to that source with the words “that I may know him...” In verse 11 he goes on to add “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection.” Then in verse 12 he writes “not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect...” Similar thoughts will show up in the rest of the passage as well.

What catches my attention with these seemingly random expressions is that Paul is in process. He’s not what he should be. He’s not what he will be. But he’s certainly not what he was. He’s growing spiritually. He’s making progress. He’s advancing in spiritual maturity. The fact that Paul makes a point of telling his readers that he has not reached spiritual perfection should encourage us. If the person who wrote the bulk of the New Testament did not achieve a state of spiritual maturity, it should surprise no one that the rest of us are still struggling along.

But Paul’s words should also challenge us. If this man needed to grow in his relationship with God, it shouldn’t surprise us that we need to be growing as well. Age and circumstances don’t matter. God is calling us to Himself and He wants us to grow.

There are many passages in the New Testament that command us to grow. We human beings have the unique privilege of participating in our spiritual growth. From my office window, I can see trees growing outside. They don’t participate consciously in their growth. And physically, we don’t participate a whole lot in our growth. We can control some factors by the food we eat, but for the most part, growth just happens.

But when it comes to spiritual growth, we connect with God. We participate actively in the process and we can help or hinder it. Paul has encouraged us to do what God wants us to do - to stimulate our own growth by cooperating with Him. Think of it more in terms of a relationship not so much in terms of organic growth. You have a relationship with someone close could be a spouse or a child or parent. You know that you can contribute to the growth of that relationship and you can detract from it. Lack of affection hinders a relationship. Loving care and service strengthen it. We’ve all seen relationships killed through neglect. We have to put some energy in to see the benefit come out.

If this passage tells us anything, it tells us that Paul longed to get closer to God. He wanted to be more like Jesus, even if it meant giving up everything that had mattered to him before. His attitude challenges me as I look at my own rate of spiritual growth. Perhaps it does you, too.

Check up question 5: Am I able to identify progress in the spiritual growth process of my life?

Ron Hughes
© November 2008