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Process of Spiritual Growth
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Romans 8:29-30  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Note that a process is moving from stage to stage. The goal of that process is to be conformed to the image of His Son! The firstborn, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God! Others are to be conformed to His image—they are to be God as well! When a baby is born, is it any less human than its parents? Certainly, it lacks the age, the experience, and the authority of its parents. It is less developed, its skills are not honed, and it lacks the knowledge the parents have. But is it any less human? No, it is not. The Greek word for "firstborn" is prototokos. The Greek prefix, proto, means "first; earliest; in front; beyond; ahead." In every case, it indicates others are following. The proto is out in front and others are following. (We use this same Greek prefix in an English word, "prototype," the model after which everything that follows it is based.) Jesus Christ is the prototokos, the firstborn (the root word in prototokos means "born"—thus, firstborn). He is in front of others who are going to be born. They will be conformed to the image of the One who was firstborn. We can tie to this Colossians 1:18, where Paul says Jesus was ". . . the firstborn [prototokos] from the dead [by a resurrection]. . . ." The others who follow will follow exactly the same pattern as the One who went first. The archegos (Hebrews 2:10) who passed through all the trials of life, died, and was resurrected as the firstborn of God, into the Family of God (Ephesians 3:15). Behind Him are many sons who will follow exactly the same pattern and be born, by means of a resurrection, into the exact same Family that He was born into. As Christ was transformed and renewed and glorified by the resurrection, so will His younger brethren! The thought in Hebrews 2:11-12, 17 shows that Jesus Christ, as a human being, fully shared in our human lot. Romans 8 is the reverse side of the coin—that even as Jesus shared our human lot, we will share his godly lot. Even as He was human, we are going to be God! It is a beautiful, clear, awesome picture! John W. Ritenbaugh We Shall Be God! (Part 1)

Romans 8:29-30  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Paul actually left one step out here; he could have added sanctified. Sanctification is the period between justification and glorification during which we become holy, when the growth takes place—between begettal and birth (even as it is with a child). Everything in regard to this issue exposes a process. We are to consider ourselves pilgrims heading toward the Kingdom of God, gradually being transformed into the image of God along the way. The qualities of character, whether human or godly, are not produced instantaneously but through the everyday gathering of information, weighing it, making the necessary choices, setting our wills, and watching to see the results. Even as Israel had to walk out of Egypt and across the wilderness to the Promised Land—or there never would have been a change in their situation—so must we live this process to grow to become like God and be in His Kingdom. The laws of God are written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10; Jeremiah 31:33) by life's experiences while we have a relationship with God. Like everything else in life, it is a process that has a beginning and end. Like every educational system, it moves from simple to complex. It moves from that which is clearly stated in the letter of the law to what is less apparent and depends upon a background of instruction, experience, and results. It depends on faith in and love for God and love for man that have grown in a person to aid him in properly understanding, applying, and practicing the spirit of the law. John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace and Law (Part 19)

Colossians 3:9-10  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) We are in the image of Him who created the new man! The Christian has had a radical, life-changing experience in which he has put off the old man and is putting on a new self. The apostle illustrates this through the mundane practice of changing clothes. One does not become undressed in the blink of an eye. The taking off of one's clothes is done one piece at a time. In the same manner, one does not become fully clothed all at once, but each piece of clothing is put on in an orderly manner. It is a process. We have all heard the expression, "Clothes make the man." People come to different conclusions about or have different impressions of the same person when they see him dressed in different clothing. Sociologists, wanting to see how much a person's appearance affected others, took a man, had him grow his beard a bit scraggly, and placed him on a street corner in dirty, raggedy clothes. His orders were to march across the street against the "don't walk" sign. Nobody followed him. They took the same man, cleaned him up, dressed him in a nice business suit, and put him on the same street corner. He did the same thing—walked across the street against the "don't walk" sign—and everybody on the corner followed him! Nothing changed inside the man; only what was on the outside of the man changed! In the Bible God uses clothing as a symbol of righteousness. Fine linen, clean and white, is symbolic of the righteousness of the saints (Revelation 19:8). Dirty, filthy clothing, on the other hand, symbolizes of unrighteousness of iniquity (Isaiah 64:6). Remember that clothing is put on one piece at a time as part of a process. But putting on clothing is just an illustration. What Paul wants us to understand is that, as Christians, what we are to put on are the elements of a new nature that exhibits itself in the person's conduct. It is vital to understand what is involved here because we will conform to somebody else. Clothing fashions illustrate this. Designers change the design of clothing somewhat, and they get people in the public eye to wear the new style. Then, because others want to conform to what is "in," they buy the clothing that celebrities are wearing. They are conforming to an image. Even as people have a tendency to copy what others wear, they also have a tendency to copy what other people are. Humans will conform to something. They will conform to an image! As Christians, what we conform to is exceedingly more important—it involves eternal life! What we are interested in are the elements of a new nature that are illustrated by pieces of clothing put on one piece at a time. What or who are we going to conform to? Man as created (shown in Genesis 1) was a perfect, physical specimen but still incomplete in terms of God's overall purpose. That purpose requires man to make choices, particularly about things regarding his nature and his conduct. The major difference between man and animals is that man is not a creature of instinct but of mind. Man can explore, observe, collect facts, analyze, deduce, and understand, and from this, he makes choices. It is from this process that character is formed for good or bad. The question is in what or whose image is he being formed? Is his image of character after the image of God or of this world? God requires each human being to answer this question. He does not give us the option of deciding what is right and wrong, but He compels us to make choices, and it is in the making of choices that our character is established. John W. Ritenbaugh We Shall Be God! (Part 1)

1 John 3:1-2  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) A progression takes place in our spiritual lives. It begins with the calling of God, and then moves to repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and growth in our relationship with God. Finally, we are clothed with God's glory through the resurrection from the dead. John W. Ritenbaugh You Must Be Born Again!

 

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