Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1, 2

Paul continued, "as beloved children." If you observe children in a family, you will notice that they imitate the things parents do and say. A child learns to walk, in part, by watching the people around him/her walk. A child will tend to imitate the things a parent says. In the way a child learns actions and words from adults, so we are to learn to grow spiritually by imitating the things we observe God doing. This means that we must immerse ourselves in Scripture.

Paul continued, "Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you..." The way to discover what spiritual growth is like and implement it into your own life is to observe what Jesus and the Father do.

This study focuses almost exclusively on the teachings of the New Testament. This is because the topic is so vast one cannot do justice to the teachings of both testaments in a single book.

Our investigations will attempt to probe the depths of the New Testament presentation concerning a few carefully chosen topics. There are a host of topics dealing with spiritual growth, but the scope of a single volume cannot touch them all. It would require many volumes to accomplish that task.

This is a series of topical studies. It is an attempt to carefully observe every verse in the New Testament where a particular quality is mentioned. It is an effort to define, or at least describe, what the text means when this quality of character is mentioned. In some instances, more than one Greek word is translated by the same English term. In these instances, we will deal with each Greek word separately.

As we deal with each quality of character, an attempt is made to identify, as thoroughly as possible, what all the verses have helped us discover about that quality.

Our determined focus is, what does the New Testament tell us about this quality. Because of this, you will not find any wonderful quotes from great minds of another day. One can appreciate and learn from such insights, but our focus is straight forward, what does the New Testament say about this.

In this investigation, a concerted effort is made to focus exclusively on the positive. This grows out of an understanding that spiritual growth stresses what God wants us to become; not what we are forbidden to be or do.

Everyone who writes approaches the subject with a set of understandings. This writer is no exception. He is aware of at least some of his understandings which shape his approach to this immense subject.

1. This study grows out of years of the pain and frustration of longing to grow, but failing to do so.

2. There is a strong conviction that the refusal to grow is as disobedient as violating one of the eleven commandments. (Jesus added number eleven.) We are commanded to grow.

3. There is a conviction that hosts of believers understand neither the process of growth nor the ingredients thereof. This is not always because they do not care, but often because they have not been taught.

4. Spiritual growth is God's intention for every one of His children.

5. People often want to grow because they are tired of feeling guilty. That is not the reason to grow. Growth will not really solve that problem.

6. Many people are afraid to try to grow because they fear failure which, in their minds, will destroy their walk with God.

7. A host of believers see "trying harder" as the key to spiritual growth. It does not work.

8. Spiritual growth is a process of becoming mature in faith rather than a strong decision to comply with God's commands.

9. One perceives a general tendency to see spiritual growth as a goal to attain rather than the means to an end that it is. If you listen to testimonies and discussions of the subject, this idea surfaces again and again.

10. The Church today tends to focus on getting people saved. That is good and right. Once these lives have been transformed, however, the New Testament focuses upon helping these new believers become mature in the faith. The New Testament epistles are almost entirely devoted to helping believers mature in their faith. It is fair to say that does not always happen now.

11. There is a strong conviction that God enables that which He commands.

12. One sees a sign of great encouragement. There is a rising choir of voices, many of them babes in Christ, who are determined to take seriously the commands of the New Testament. Their demand is simple, Tell me how to grow; show me how to mature in my faith. Eureka!