Growing by Grace

"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galatians 3:3

Dr. Jack MacGorman's commented on this verse in New Testament Greek class saying, "We Baptists are thoroughly evangelical at the point of salvation and thoroughly legalistic at the point of discipleship." In other words we believe salvation is by grace alone but spiritual growth is through human effort.

We must realize that we not only begin with the Spirit in salvation but that we must also continue with the Spirit if we are to attain our goal of Christian maturity. We cannot save ourselves and we cannot mature ourselves. It's all God's work. It's all grace from first to last. We should be committed to practice spiritual disciplines that the Holy Spirit can use to grow us. But we must guard against becoming devoted to the disciplines rather than Jesus and dependent on the disciplines rather than on the Spirit.

Father, I thank You for saving me by grace and I thank you for growing by the gracious work of Your Spirit in my life. Guard me from legalistic devotion to disciplines and guide me to a healthy practice of spiritual disciplines in dependence of the Holy Spirit.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark