PUT OFF/PUT ON

It happened again. I was approached, after a Sunday morning service, by a middle aged man who wanted to be saved. Ordinarily this would excite me, but now it was frustrating me. I had previously spoken to this man about his salvation. We spent a couple hours going over what salvation is, how it is received, and what is to happen next. He went away confident of his salvation, or so I thought. Now he was back. This time I asked him, “Didn’t you get saved before?” He answered, “Yes! I got saved five times yesterday.” In my subsequent discussion with him he indicated he wanted to make sure he was truly saved.  I discovered that the reason he wanted to be saved again was because he did not "feel" saved.  His life was not living up to the expectations he had set for himself regarding how a believer should live.  Hence, he thought that if he truly got saved he would be living up to those expectations.

 As a pastor, I often encounter people who have been "saved" multiple times.  In each case, it appears they do not understand that salvation is not a feeling.  They have not yet understood the need to live a changed life.  They think their old way of living will just go away, and they will automatically have a better life and no more struggles with sinful habits.  The reality is they have not learned that the Christian life is a process of growth that occurs on a steady incline toward Christ-likeness, but also has its ups and downs, as they succeed more often in overcoming their sin.  It is akin to walking up a sand dune on Lake Michigan. You dig in with your feet, but because of the squishiness of the sand you don't make much progress. It is like taking two steps forward and one step backwards.

 Like most of us, this man thinks spiritual growth is something that just happens as you live out your life, but this is a false notion.  A brief reading of the Apostle Paul’s letters, reveal the nature of spiritual growth is more akin to the training of an athlete or soldier or the discipline of a farmer.  These metaphors make it clear that in spiritual growth there is need for patience, discipline, training, and hard work in developing one’s character and practice in the Christian life.  This man did not need to be saved again so far as I could tell.  What he needed was to learn the process of growth. 

 I am convinced, from my own experience, that most believers are not taught how to grow spiritually.  In fact, I believe if you ask the average believer how to grow spiritually their answer would look something like this, “Pray, read your Bible, attend church, be baptized, give your tithes and offerings, and get involved in the church.” These are good and right to do, but they will not be enough for spiritual growth.  These same people probably could not outline the process of spiritual growth as it is portrayed in Scripture, nor could they tell you what area of their lives they most need to grow in. They somehow have the idea that spiritual growth occurs through osmosis.

 Spiritual growth is more specific and intentional than that.  It deals with transforming a drug addict into a sober person who is self-controlled.  It deals with transforming a liar into a truth teller or an abusive man into a gentle man.  The kind of transformation the Bible talks about takes more than just reading about transformation in the Bible and attending church.  It takes the exercise of certain principles in daily life.

 John, (all names have been changed to protect their identity), a friend I met in a Bible study at our county jail, is an example of a changed man.  In a recent letter he said that he was a selfish, proud, egotistical man; however God had changed him.  Here is how that change became evident in his life.  He was given the opportunity to be an assistant pastor in the prison church.  After much prayer and review of 2 Timothy, chapters three and four, he turned it down. He did not want to lead the church in the wrong direction.  He really wanted the position and loves to speak the Word to others, but if he would have taken the position it would have been at the expense of another man who had been around longer and deserved the honor too.  How did John go from the selfish man he was to the generous, self-sacrificing man he is today?  That is what this book is all about.

 I think an explanation of the change John made is an essential part of spiritual growth. Therefore, I am astounded to see the shelves of our Christian bookstores lined with dozens of books on spiritual growth, yet have not seen one that plainly discusses Paul’s teaching on the subject of the “put off and put on” process as found in Ephesians 4:17-32. Serious believers want to grow spiritually, but do not even know that there is a distinct process laid out in Scripture.  They do not have to invent the wheel all over again.  The process is there for the using and growing.

 I intend this book to be a discoverer's guide to growing spiritually.  It is an interactive guide that will call you to examine your life in order to determine what areas of your life you most need to grow in.  Then it will show you from Scripture how to grow in that area to be more like Christ.