As a teacher and in my own life as a Christian, I regularly wonder how high the bar of spiritual expectations ought to be set. Given the constant battles with sin, the world, and Satan, how much should we expect to mature as Christians? There are many schools of thought within Christianity. Some focus on the great gains which should be made like the “higher life” approaches of Keswick, etc. Others like a godly man I respect say all growth seems like a spiritual cul-de-sac.
I do not have an easy answer to this important and challenging issue. Much ink has been spilled in books and will continue to be spilled until Jesus comes back.
What do you think?
There is an interesting dichotomy in the New Testament. On the one hand, we are clearly taught that salvation is by grace, not works. However, Jesus appears to be constantly raising the bar in terms of a believer’s behavior. He told the rich young man that merely keeping the commandments was not enough; he needed to give all his money to the poor. And the Sermon on the Mount reinterprets the commandments to include all our thoughts and motives as well as actions.
This dichotomy is probably only resolved by considering another one of Jesus’ sayings, “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Well put Dave!