How Do You Grow in Grace?

There is a big debate brewing of the wider Christian blogosphere on the matter of sanctification, or how we are made increasingly holy in Christ. Historically, this debate is not unexpected, as we just through a two decade debate on the matter of justification, or how we are made right with God in Christ. Typically, as in the Christian life, the former follows the latter.

But with every debate, there is an opportunity to refine one's comprehension of biblical truth and grasp the beauty and the power of the Gospel with greater depth, love, and reverence.

First, let's define a couple of terms:

When someone receives and rests upon Christ alone for their salvation, it is because they have first been effectually called. Effectual calling, according to Westminster Shorter Catechism 31, "is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel."

So the Christian life begins with Christ calling us to saving faith, and giving us such saving faith, by His Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:8-9). As with the disciples, He looks upon and calls us before we follow Him (Mark 1). We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

WSC 32 then tells us that "They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them." Here then our three of the primary facets of the Christian life:

Justification, which is "an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone" (WSC 33).

Adoption, which is "an act of God’s free grace,a whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges, of the sons of God" (WSC 34).

Sanctification, which is "the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness" (WSC 35).

The WSC then tells us that the benefits that accompany or flow from these acts/works of God's grace are an "assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end" (36). Don't you love how simply and logically the WSC outlines these basic Biblical truths?

So when Christ calls us and unites us to Himself by grace through faith, we are justified, adopted, and begin the process of being sanctified. All of these are acts/works of "God's free grace."

As mentioned before, we just passed through another healthy season of debates on justification, in which the truth that we're pardoned of all our sins and accepted as righteous in His sight is only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. This righteousness is not infused in us, as Rome claims, so that our righteousness is made acceptable to God. Nor do we add any righteousness of our own, since it only constitutes filthy rags in the sight of God (Is. 64:6).

Sanctification is a more tricky animal, in the sense that it is an ongoing work, and thus a practical struggle in our daily lives. Like justification, we confess that sanctification is wholly of God's free grace, but what are the means of that grace that enable us to "die unto to sin, and live unto righteousness?" (cf. Rom. 6).

Is it not Christ, operating by Word and Spirit (Acts 1) through the preaching of the Word (Rom. 10) and the sacraments (Acts 2; 1 Cor. 10-11)? But, acknowledging our own responsibility in this regard, are we not called to "meditate on the Word day and night" (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2) and set "our minds on things above" (Col. 3:1-4) in prayer?

Brothers and sisters on both sides of the sanctification debate will likely respond in the affirmative to both of those questions. But there is a more specific question that seems to be at the nub of this debate: How is God's Word to be preached and other utilized for the growth of God's people and the glory of His name? Do we focus on the Gospel to spur sinners on toward good deeds, or do we focus on the Law?

On The Gospel Coalition website, Tullian Tchividjian (grandson of Billy Graham) is arguing for the former, while Kevin DeYoung and Richard Phillips are arguing more for the latter

They all agree that the Law should be used to convict sinners in order to drive them to the cross ("Second Use of the Law") and to instruct Christians in the duties that God requires of them ("Third Use of the Law").

Tullian argues that it is only the Gospel that transforms Christians and that it is the Gospel, and Christ's perfect obedience to the Law on our behalf, that should be stressed in preaching. The others would argue that the Law is meant to give Christians a good kick in the pants and can also be used for their conviction and growth. They also question whether Tullian firmly believes in the third use of the Law.

It seems that they probably agree on about 90% of the sanctification issue, and that is what should be stressed as we consider how it is that we grow in grace:

Just as we are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ, we are grown by God's grace through faith in Christ. As plants in the Gardener's care, we cannot grow ourselves, but can only grow when tended by the sunshine of God's Word and the nourishing rain of His Spirit.

God appoints certain means to grow us, and we should take advantage of those means of grace. God calls us to worship on the Lord's Day in order to feed us upon His grace and send us back into the world. He calls us to constant meditation upon His Word, prayer, and fellowship (Heb. 10:24-25). While we are as helpless as plants in our own growth, God calls us to grown where there is rain and sunshine. And even this call would be impossible for us to heed, unless Christ Himself enabled our wills to avail ourselves of the rain and shine (Phil. 2:13).

All of this should guide us to praise His name. When we consider how much we need His grace, not only for our salvation, but for our day to day living, do we not weep in sorrow at our sin? But in the same vein, knowing that His grace is new every morning, and that the Father of good gifts will never change (James 1), are our tears not mingled with profound hope and joy?

As we experience the painful process of our sanctification that occurs between our justification and glorification (when we will be rid of all sin and live in perfect fellowship with our Savior), are we not filled with mingled grief and gratitude? And does this painful process not lead us to affix our eyes on the throne of grace in prayer, where Christ ever intercedes for us? And does it not affix our eyes to the throne of grace that awaits us at the end of our days, when our petty struggle with sin is finally made a thing of the past? And do we not endeavor after new obedience as a result?

As a final note, perhaps the glue that will bind these debates to greater humility and gratitude is the oft-overlooked and precious truth of adoption. All men have free will, but we our only given the ability to utilize that will in service of God when He captures our hearts by His grace. We yearn after Him--and debate these issues to gaze upon His beauty with greater clarity--because we have been adopted to His family. We take these issues to the Almighty God without fear because He is our Daddy, caring for us in our sorrows and stumbling and delighting in our growth and grace.

Let us place the profound truths of our justification and sanctification in Christ into the cradle of our adoption in Christ, and rejoice that our Daddy will carry us like a father carries a child through this wasting wilderness of sin into the Promised Land of His glory (Deut. 1:31).