Growth in Grace

After being born again by faith in Jesus, Paul desired to know Jesus, the power of Christ's resurrection, and the fellowship of Christ's sufferings by being conformed to His death.  This was God's will for Paul and all believers, and Paul also acknowledged this sanctifying pursuit remained a work in progress in his life as he wrote in Philippians 3:12:  "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me."  As Paul pursued Christ by faith and obedience, the finish line remained ahead of him.  Paul did not speak as someone who had crossed the line and now had advice for fellow disciples:  he continued to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus by grace.

As a Pharisee, Paul had arrived:  he had achieved in obtaining a rare position of honour and influence among the most respected elders in Jewish society.  Legalism can offer this superficial status, yet a relationship with God leads us by His grace.  Grace is what makes Christianity distinct from religions and authoritarian cultures in the world.  I like Philip Yancy's comments concerning Leo Tolstoy in his book What's So Amazing About Grace?:

"Tolstoy drew a contrast between Jesus' approach and that of all other religions:

The test of observance of external religious teachings is whether or not our conduct conforms with their decrees [Observe the Sabbath.  Get circumcised.  Tithe.]  Such conformity is indeed possible.

 The test of observance of Christ's teachings is our consciousness of our failure to attain an ideal perfection.  The degree to which we draw near this perfection cannot be seen; all we can see is the extent of our deviation.

A man who professes an external law is like someone standing in the light of a lantern fixed to a post.  It is light all round him, but there is nowhere further for him to walk.  A man who professes the teaching of Christ is like a man carrying a lantern before him on a long, or not so long, pole:  the light is in front of him, always lighting up fresh ground and always encouraging him to walk further.

In other words, the proof of spiritual maturity is not how "pure" you are but awareness of your impurity.  That very awareness opens the door to grace." (Yancey, Philip. What’s so Amazing about Grace? Zondervan, 1997. pages 197-198)

The Light of the World Jesus Christ, coupled with the illumination of the Holy Spirit and God's word, continually guides us in our pursuit of Jesus in a relationship governed by His love and grace.  Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life we receive definite guidance for our lives and personal convictions we should hold to--without setting up an arbitrary standard before which others must submit to be acceptable.  Legalism leads to bondage, self-righteousness and condemnation of others, while Jesus provides a whole new way of living that makes us free indeed.  It is a harder way (because it requires faith in God), but an infinitely better and fulfilling way where genuine spiritual growth is possible by God's grace we all desperately need.