What is healthy grows. These words I often heard while growing up on a farm. It is a basic principle in all of crea­tion, true in the animal world, plant world and also in man's experience. Babies are expected to grow. That's natural. It is also true when sinners become Christians. At first we are babes in Christ. But we must not remain babies. We must grow. What is healthy will grow. This concept of spiritual growth we often find in the Scriptures. In Psalm 84 the Chris­tian as pilgrim is described as going from strength to strength until he reaches Zion. Paul speaks of Christians being rooted in Christ and built up in Him, and of growing up in Him in all things. It is not enough to know that we are born again, important as that is. As new-born babes we must grow up in Him in all things. In our circles we believe that most Chris­tians were born again when they were young, perhaps very young. Presumably then, we will have grown a lot when and if we get to be 80 years old. Even at 60 or 70 we must have grown much since we were teenagers. Christians should never quit growing, but keep on growing in the Lord. This implies that when we have reached the far side of life we don't act like "kids" anymore. As we become mature Chris­tians we also can eat "meat" — a heavier diet, while people who still are spiritual babes can use only "milk."

We properly ask ourselves the personal question: How much have I grown in the Lord since I became a Christian? Or, if you have been an adult for some time, how much have I grown since I was young? Am I still growing? Am I trying to grow?

We find in these words of Peter a comforting thought, but also a sobering admonition — comforting because when we grow we have more of the Spirit with His fruits of faith, joy, love, confidence, peace, comfort, hope and contentment; sobering because, when we realize how little most people grow, we are strongly admonished to grow.

In what way must we grow?

This text says that we must grow "in the grace and knowledge of Christ."

This means that we increasingly become aware of the fact that salvation is by grace alone, and that God therefore deserves all the glory. To grow in the knowledge of Christ means that we learn to know Him more experientially. "Knowing" involves a fellowship of love. Here it means that we increase in the love of Christ, so that He constantly becomes more dear to us. This implies that we increasingly obey His command­ments and live by His Word.

I believe that this question, in what way we should grow in Christ, can best be answered with the teachings of the three parts of the Heidelberg Catechism.

To grow spiritually first of all means that we grow in the knowledge of our sins, knowledge that we in ourselves are hopelessly and helplessly lost sinners. Not only that we were that way, but in ourselves are still that way. At 50 we should know this more experientially than at 20. A good indicator of Christian growth is that our sins trouble us more, that we feel with Paul, "What I would I do not, but what I hate I do" (Romans 7). People who don't often feel this are not growing much in the Lord. With David, when we look back upon our youth, we say,

O God remember not the sins of my youth. Psalm 25

Growing in Christ means that we daily confess our sins from the heart. I believe that this is a primary Biblical indicator of Christian growth.

The second indicator of growth is an increasing awareness of the fact that we are saved only by the grace of God — that the blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ are our only hope. "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling." The Scriptures speak much the faithfulness of God to us as "failing" Christians.

The words, "His mercies are new every morning" become more meaningful to us. Thus the doctrines of the Bible, of the total depravity of our sinful nature and that we are saved only by grace, become living realities to us. We learn to prize the great promises of God. We know that when we have to cross the Jordan of death, His promises will not fail us. As I look back upon my ministry of many years I remember some giants of faith in different churches. What confidence some of them had in the Word of God and in His faithfulness! Growing in faith means also for us and all of His people that we grow in confidence. Young people may look to their parents and grandparents for more faith and trust than what they have. We all need to increase in faith, comfort, trust, peace and joy in the Lord.

The third part of the Catechism speaks of gratitude to God for our salvation, as the "fruit" of faith, a "fruit of the Spirit." It refers to our Christian living as outlined in Scrip­ture. It is not enough to know that we are saved or that we once have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. The "fruits" must also be evident.

Negatively, this implies that growing children of God care less for the world and all it has to offer. There is to be less love for material things and less love for self.

Growing in Christ means that we fight against the sins of love for the world, the love of money and the love of self. Growing Christians are struggling Christians and a living part of the militant church.

Positively, growing in Christ means that we grow in our love for the Lord, His Word and His church and our neighbor. This implies that we also have converted pocket­books. This implies too that we become more humble and modest before God and men. Perhaps the best way to put it is that we become Christ-like. How amazing it is, that we as saved sinners are called to become saints and live like the Lord did! The Scripture shows also that this makes us mis­sionaries. If the love of the Lord increases in our hearts as we grow in years, we must show this in some way, also in our testimony to the world. What is healthy grows.

In all these ways the church of Christ has often failed in the past and still fails. There is a prevailing lethargy in the life of God's people. Many are satisfied, contented, sitting in "the comfortable pew." We confess the name of Christ, are members of the church, pay the budget, but are really absorbed in the things of the world and in many respects are little different from many people who don't know the Lord. There is little interest in spiritual things. Amos warned against this dreadful danger when he said,

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion.

If a young couple had a baby who did not grow at all for a whole year, wouldn't they be wor­ried and seek the best medical help? The church of today, and all of us, ought to be more concerned about our spiritual growth ... or lack of it.

Finally, we ask how we can grow in Christ. Can we make ourselves grow? We can do this no more than we can do this with our bodies. We can grow physically only by using the means given, especially good food. The Lord has made us to use these means. Spiritual growth is possible only by use of the Word, the infallible Word of God (1 Peter 2:2). How much all of us need that Word daily as well as on Sunday in church. In the Word and in prayer we are given means of growing in Christ.

To what end will this bring us? Even if we have tried to grow in Christ and are mature Christians when we come to the end of the way, we will have to confess that we have only a small beginning of true obedience. But to imperfect children, the Lord gives the assurance that what He has begun in us He will finish in the day of Christ. The Lord's faith­fulness will complete it all in that final day. And the growth which we experienced in all of our lives will seem insignifi­cantly small in comparison with the change that will occur at that time, in the twinkling of an eye, by the miraculous power of the risen, glorified Christ. What a comfort this is for the living, growing, struggling child of God.