Growing Up

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ….

Ephesians 4:15

The end of sanctification is for us to become like Christ. It is to that end that the Holy Spirit ‘renews us in the whole person.’  When we see Christ ‘we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.’  The exercise of true spirituality aids and abets our spiritual growth.  As Paul is writing to his Ephesian children in the faith, he is exploring with them how their spiritual maturity will look and what will assist its’ advancement.  If we read a little farther on, we will see how specific Paul gets about the practices that go with spiritual maturity.  We hope to discuss them in a few days.  For the moment, Paul remarks that our ‘speaking the truth in love’ along with the other edifying things which he has mentioned before, will all work together so that we ‘may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.’  This ‘growing up’ has an intrinsic value for us personally, and a wider value for us corporately.  It makes us more like Christ as individuals and increases the overall development of the Body of Christ.  It is our making use of the available means of grace that will expose us consistently to all the things to which Paul has been referring which will aid us in growing up.

Our Great God and Savior,
we rejoice that You will have us to be
a fully developed people.
We praise You that You will cause us
to grow up before You
until we become like Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning