Faith and Maturity
Wow, I apologize for the long hiatus. Let's get back to it!
Candy and I were priviledged to be under the teaching of a wise Sunday School teacher on Easter morning. As part of our lesson we read a passage out of 2 Peter 1:5-9. Within the context of the lesson, the verse was meant to illustrate that our growth in our Christian life is a process. That process will result in fruitful success if certain qualities are developed within us. Peter indicates that these qualities are successive and are built upon each other. To paraphrase, faith is the foundation of the Christian life; upon faith we are to develop moral excellence, then knowledge, then self-control, then perseverence, then godliness, then brotherly kindness, and then finally love.
As I pondered the application of this passage, it dawned on me that faith, albeit foundational and essential, is only the beginning of a successful and fulfilling Christian life. Looking back at our time under Word of Faith teaching I remembered the constant emphasis on faith. It seemed that the sole purpose of the Christian life was to have enough faith so as to be comfortable and never have any problems. Faith was the subject of every sermon, every Bible study, every application. It always seemed unfulfilling and shallow, but at the time I could never give a concise explanation as to why. After studying this passage, though, I found my answer.
Pastors, churches, and Christians who focus so much of their Biblical study and teaching on faith are depriving themselves of a well-rounded Christian life. Faith is both the genesis and the sustenance of our journey towards sanctification, but Christians who seek to solely develop their faith end up neglecting other important qualities that should also accompany sanctification. At best the result is Christian immaturity; at worst the result is disillusionment with Christianity and withdrawal from corporate fellowship.
2 Peter 1:5-9 teaches us that there is a lot more to being a fruitful and victorious Christian besides faith. To be fruitful and useful to God takes more than just my "receiving" it or "claiming" that I am so; it requires diligence on my part to also grow in moral excellence, knowledge, perseverence, and love.
Now comes the hard part...my actually doing it.
Couldn't agree more my friend! Faith is huge, but only the beginning. When we focus only on faith, we so miss out on the "doing" of the Word. There was a quote in the last book I read that has stuck with me over the last few weeks: "Pray like it depends on God, and work like it depends on you." We're judged by our fruit, not just on our faith. Thanks for your thoughts... keep them coming!
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