There are many avenues people choose to foster personal spiritual growth, ranging from small group Bible studies to long hours of private prayer. Both of these things, of course, are incredibly valuable, and you really should be doing them. But do these things alone provide genuine growth?
No.
If those are the only means by which you seek to grow in your understanding of Christ, there’s something important missing. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,” Paul instructed the church in Philippi. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:4-7).[1]
Focus on Self ≠ Self-improvement
Popular Western culture, particularly after the early part of the twentieth century, encouraged us to head to the self-help section of the bookstore, where we hoped to find the keys to unlock our true potential. Toward the end of the century motivational speakers were packing halls (charging large sums of money), promising to help us grow beyond our present limitations. A lot of it was geared toward professional development, helping people mature as sales representatives or in corporate boardrooms.
But here in America it started to merge with Christianity, making it appear as if God’s deepest desire for you in this world is to become wealthy, powerful, and attractive. The problem with that, of course, is that the focus is entirely on self, which was the issue that led to a fallen world in the first place.
There is a bitof that that has drifted into our own congregations. No, we aren’t focused on material prosperity—at least not to the degree that some of our fellow Christians are—but we are still focused on self, as if the sum of our Christian experience is self-improvement.
Again, don’t get me wrong: you really do want to study your Bible and pray more. It is not possible to grow as a Christian without those things. But unless your walk with Christ is along the path of service to others, your focus is still primarily you.
Service: The Only Way
Paul encourages us to empty self in service for others, and 19 centuries later Ellen White found herself agreeing:
“The only way to grow in grace is to be disinterestedly doing the very work which Christ has enjoined upon us—to engage, to the extent of our ability, in helping and blessing those who need the help we can give them. Strength comes by exercise; activity is the very condition of life. Those who endeavor to maintain Christian life by passively accepting the blessings that come through the means of grace, and doing nothing for Christ, are simply trying to live by eating without working. And in the spiritual as in the natural world, this always results in degeneration and decay.”[2]
Notice what she didn’t say. She didn’t say that service for others is one of the ways to grow in grace; she’s quite emphatic that it’s the only way.
If our Christian experience is anchored in the idea of self-improvement, the focus continues to be on self, and let’s be honest: you’re a horrible judge of what it means to be Christlike. The prophet was crystal clear when he pointed out that even our best efforts are tainted by sin. “We have all become like one who is unclean,” Isaiah tells us, “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa. 64:6).
It’s about others. It’s the only way to grow in grace. Trust me: you’re not just reaching your neighbors, you’re opening the door for God to reach you.
The Sanctification Paradox
If you were to create a checklist of things you’d need to do to become entirely sanctified, your list would be wrong. Why? You can’t see yourself the way that God does. And to make things more complicated, a paradox is at play in becoming more Christlike: the closer you get to Him, the worse you’re going to seem in your own eyes.
Years ago I was involved in a project to renovate a church basement that was sorely in need of some updates. The first thing we tackled was the horrible lighting, and once the new lights were installed, I eagerly flipped the switch so I could see the basement in all its newly lit glory. I was appalled by what I saw: under brighter lighting, the basement actually looked worse.
And so it is with the human heart: the closer you get to the light of Christ, the worse you’re going to seem to yourself. You will never arrive at a point where you will say, “I’m just like Jesus.” (Even though I’ve met a few poor deluded souls who seem to think they’ve arrived.)
It’s About Others
Our primary problem is ego: it was the issue that started all of the problems in Eden, and it continues to stand in the way of an accurate perception of Christ. Every thought we have is tainted by self. So what does God do? He gives us a perfectly selfless assignment: “Focus on other people,” He tells us.
When you take that imperative seriously, your spiritual life begins to transform radically. Ellen White describes it powerfully:
“If you will go to work as Christ designs that His disciples shall, and win souls for Him, you will feel the need of a deeper experience and a greater knowledge in divine things, and will hunger and thirst after righteousness. You will plead with God, and your faith will be strengthened, and your soul will drink deeper drafts at the well of salvation. Encountering opposition and trials will drive you to the Bible and prayer. You will grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and will develop a rich experience.”[3]
Jesus really is all about you. Even though you will not find it stated explicitly in Scripture, I believe the old suggestion that if you had been the only sinner on the planet, Christ would have died for you. You really matter to God; not just as a nameless entity that is eventually absorbed into the great mind of the universe, as suggested in some Eastern philosophies, but as you. God values individuals.
But at the same time, it’s not about you at all. And in order to put you in a place where the Spirit can actually do something with your prideful heart, God instructs you to push self to one side so that you can focus on others. He asks for your ego to step out of the way. Our faith is not primarily about being doctrinally correct and winning arguments (although correct doctrine is absolutely essential!). It’s not even about how much you can struggle against your worst impulses. (Although struggle you must!)
It’s about others. It’s the only way to grow in grace. Trust me: you’re not just reaching your neighbors, you’re opening the door for God to reach you.
“Whoever finds his life will lose it,” Jesus taught, “and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39).
[1] All Scripture quotes are taken from the English Standard Version.
[2] Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1892), pp. 80, 81.
[3] Ibid., p. 80.
