College/20-Something Small Group (12.6.2010)
Tonight we had a few college/20-somethings over for our weekly Monday night small group. We discussed the doctrine of sanctification and what that looks like for the Christian life. A few of the topics we discussed, amongst a plethora of subjects, were spiritual disciplines for the Christian life, new covenant fellowship, law and grace, and repentance.
Wayne Grudem’s definition of sanctification:
… a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.
Greg,
Here lately I’ve been trying to think through the role spiritual disciplines play in our sanctification. You are familiar with what our biblical counseling courses teach concerning behavior modification: that real change begins with the heart and works itself out in changed behavior. Therefore, godly behavior springs forth from a pure heart. What I’m trying to figure out is how spiritual disciplines fit in to this equation. On the surface, it seems like the thrust of what is being taught concerning the disciplines is simply external behavior modification: Do certain things (i.e., fast, pray, read your Bible…etc.) and your behavior will automatically change. I realize that the Spirit uses means to bring about change in us and give us new hearts, but it seems that the focus of much teaching concerning these disciplines makes the disciplines an end in themselves: if you do the disciplines, you will automatically become godly by virtue of simply doing things—almost like doing the bench press automatically makes your muscles grow larger. I am I making sense? I’m all for disciplining ourselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim 4:7); I’m just trying to figure out how we should be teaching others to approach them. It seems that we should not be trusting the disciplines in and of themselves to bring about change, but instead the Holy Spirit, as He brings about sanctification and uses means to accomplish it. It seems, therefore, that we need to be calling on our people to pray that the Spirit would change us and make us new from the inside-out, as we practice the ordained means that are the spiritual disciplines.