Much has been said and written regarding spiritual growth. But I would like to focus here on its first principle, which is often overlooked and at times exchanged for a more humanistic approach; an approach camouflaged with evangelical nomenclature and covered up with spiritual connotations.
The increase that is from God
Speaking of spiritual growth Paul writes: “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God” (Col. 2:18,19).
Here Paul speaks of a growth proceeding from an increase that is from God. Any other sort of growth—at times referred to as spiritual—will not lead to the fruits of righteousness. And I must say with grief in my heart that many evangelicals are being misled into believing in a trend that makes them more barren than a rock on the moon.
Paul could not be any clearer. Genuine spiritual growth depends solely of a healthy communication between a person and his Head, that is to say, Christ Himself (1 Cor. 11:3). If our spiritual joints and ligaments are damaged due to flirting with the world or some sinful practices, spiritual nourishment will not be ministered to us and growth will not occur.
An analogy
Paul makes a parallel between our human and spiritual bodies. Our legs, for example, don’t have a mouth of their own; their growth depends absolutely on the quality of their attachment to the head. If both legs are well connected to the same head they will grow at the same speed and acquire the same size. Of course, some people eat junk food and give themselves to very bad diets, resulting in the deficiency of their members. But happily this is not our case since Jesus, our Head, only feeds on the very best.
Sustenance from God’s Land
There is a Scripture found in the Book of Isaiah that says, in reference to Jesus:
Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good” (Isaiah 7:15).
A person could ask: “What does eating curds and honey have to do with discernment?” Curds and honey stand for the products of God’s land, as represented in the Promised Land (see Exodus 3:8), and Jesus was going to feed solely on such products.
When a person feeds always on the best he develops a fine taste and consequently can discern quickly when a nutrient is corrupt. Decades ago I met a man who could discern perfectly when a guitar was not in tune, and this, even if a single cord was a soupçon off. His accuracy was breathtaking. When I asked him what the secret was, he told me: “You can also develop the same ability. Buy a guitar tuner and make sure you always play on a perfectly tuned guitar, keep doing this for three years. After that period you will know if a guitar is perfectly tuned the moment you hear it.”
It is this sort of constancy that helps us to develop discernment. The person who vacillates constantly between what is holy and what is profane will be in difficulty when the time comes to detect corruption.
Job had understood the principle. Listen to what he says: “Is there iniquity in my tongue? Cannot my taste discern perverse things?” (Job 6:30). The point I want to make is that Jesus, our Head, feeds always on the best and therefore can discern between what is healthy and what is detrimental, so if we—as members—are well attached to Him, the best nourishment will be ministered to us and growth will ensue.
What do we feed on?
The key to spiritual growth is not found in mere academic accomplishments or religious activities. It resides in a healthy fellowship. Jesus could not have put it any clearer when he said:
As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (John 6:57).
With nourishment there is life, and where there is life there is growth. One thing is certain: Jesus is returning for a bride feeding on the best of the Land. “Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue; and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon” (Song of songs 4:11).
The relevant question is: What do we feed on? Today there are all sorts of food, some of them evangelically modified. There is no heavenly substance in it. Then there is what the world offers. It goes from what is useless to what is plain trash. But blessed is the man who holds fast to the head, whose growth is secure and whose sense of direction falters not.
Another Analogy
The first principle of spiritual growth is also exemplified in the Gospel of John where Jesus compares us to the branches of a vine.
I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5).
As we all understand, a branch can only grow when it is well attached to the vine. A rupture at this point would entail death. That is the reason why we should pay attention to the quality of our relationship with Jesus. It is indeed the very foundation of spiritual growth. Without it nothing lasting can take place. We are left with such substitutes as academic or social growth, increment in popularity or finance, or perhaps augmentation in autonomy and self-sufficiency. But all these increases will show themselves useless when the final curtain will be lifted up and reality settle in.
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