Where does God fit in our growth?

God’s goal and our goal should be the same – the desire to grow into Christlikeness. We do this by living a God-honoring life, keeping a consistent God-consciousness each day. Sometimes, we may even refer to this as walking in the Spirit. Day after day we strive to respond to the circumstances around us while seeking to grow in our faith and walk with the Lord. In this process, where does God fit in our growth?

Where does God fit in our growth?

A person’s journey with Christ includes work by both God and the Christ-follower. The Scriptures make that clear. Consider the following passages:

• “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10).
• “…as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love (2 Pet. 1:3-7).
• “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with” (1 Cor. 15:10).
• “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).

What can we learn from these passages regarding God’s work in the timing and extent of the believer’s salvation and sanctification?

God is at work in us, but we are responsible for our growth.

In the individual Christ-follower, any desire to become more like Christ comes from God because “God works in you” (Phil. 2:13; cf. Phil. 1:6) and “You are His workmanship” (Eph. 2:10). The term here refers to God’s energy working in the heart of the Christian to produce both a desire to become like Christ and a subsequent action.

However, God does not move our hands and feet for us. Paul challenges the Philippians to “work out your salvation.” Peter writes, “For this very reason (God’s work in you), give all diligence to add” (2 Pet. 1:5). Paul describes his labor (1 Cor. 15:10) and describes being created unto good works (Rom. 8:28-29).

Therefore, although God is at work in the believer producing a desire and hope of growth in Jesus Christ, the Christian must necessarily also play a part. God is at work (Phil. 2:13), and man is at work (Phil. 2:12). Man works as a result of God’s work.

How do we go forward when we are frustrated with God or His plan?

In each instance, the goal is to trust and obey. The world’s wisest man upon realizing that he could not make heads or tails of what was happening in life wrote, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14). Solomon had tried everything to make sense out of life and to figure out why God did some things now and some things at other times and vice versa. In the end, he boiled it down to two issues: trust/respect/fear God and obey.

As we pondered earlier, why has God not brought about repentance and change in the life of someone who desperately needs to change? Why did God not spare us from the previous five years, only now allowing us to grow and change in this specific way?

These questions have no specific answer. They are locked in the secret counsel of God. We could ask these questions and hundreds more just like them. But in every instance, we would fall back on the same answer: Trust and obey God.

What do trust and obedience look like?

Regarding trust, read back over the passages listed above. God is at work. Just as He was at work in our lives even before we knew what it was going to look like, God is equally at work in the lives of others around us. God is faithful (1 Cor. 10:13). He always acts consistent with His own character (James 1:17). The timing may be different than what we wish for or the look of how God is working or the sense of consequences along the way, but in reality, God is at work (Eccl. 3:1-13). He graciously and sovereignly works His plan, even when we may kick and scream at it.

Regarding obedience, we must pour our energy into worship, contemplation of the glories of the gospel, seeking to know God better, and doing whatever God wants us to do as we learn the Scriptures. With a limited capacity to see the big picture of everything God is doing, we must not allow that limitation to keep us from doing what the Bible has clearly told us to do. Love God and act consistently with that. Love our neighbor and act consistently with that. Keep focused on what we know from God’s Word rather than what we do not know regarding another person’s heart and life.

What about contentment?

Contentment will grow as we learn to trust God more with what we do not know, do not understand, and cannot see. In the process, we recognize that we also have responsibilities to take advantage of the opportunities to honor God and live for Christ in our present situation. As we trust more and obey frequently, we will find that our contentment level also increases.

Questions for Reflection

Where do you tend to miss what God has called you to be and do because you are focused on what God has done or is doing that is different than what you desire?

Are there areas where you place more emphasis on your role in sanctification such that you miss God’s gracious working on and in you and others?

Are there areas where you place more emphasis on God’s role in your sanctification such that you minimize your own personal stewardship, responsibility, and opportunities?

Are you humbly submitting to God and His plan while also seeking to be faithful to what He has called you to do in that plan?