Growth by degrees. Last Saturday at Sovereign Grace Church of Lagrange we hosted a Leadership Seminar. Aron Osborne with Metro Life Church shared with us from (2 Cor.3:18) . Aron enlarged upon the Christian degrees of transformation that unfold as we fix our gaze upon Christ's glory. We are truly and actually being changed from one degree of glory to the next.
The challenge germane to Christian growth or change (sanctification), often times, is that we are susceptible to the crux of degrees. What is this crux of degrees. Well its the measure of degrees. Degrees are intrinsically variant. So often do we measure the growth, maturation, transformation et al of ourselves and others based upon greater degrees that we often overlook the growth, maturation and transformation that is actually happening. In other-words we define transformation by 10 degrees or 20 degrees. While growth by these greater degrees does occur we are well served not to overlook growth by lesser degrees.
So how do we understand growth by degrees? Is it greater degrees or lesser degrees? Well,first things first. This is a false dichotomy. The former shouldn't be put at odds or in competition with the latter. When Paul asserts that we are being transformed from one degree to another he is speaking generally more or less, and not being person specific or relative.The point is that while growth by degrees will be active and present within all of our lives respectively, growth by degrees will vary by degree within all of our lives individually.
There will be times or periods of life whereby we grow by greater degrees while at other times and periods of life we grow by lesser degrees. Or there may be some whose growth by greater degrees is intrinsically sporadic while another's growth by lesser degrees is intrinsically steady. This is the crux of growth by degrees. There is no standard of measuring our degrees of change or growth within ourselves outside of the standard of Christ's life. And His life in us, by way of the Holy Spirit, is changing us by degrees.
How should we respond when realizing this? We shouldn't apply a 'uniform degrees' template to every Christian as though one person's growth by degrees will be the same. When we apply a template of this kind we eventually downplay the degrees referred to by Paul. Degrees that are again subjectively variant. We must also recognize that Paul is speaking positively about the degrees of growth. It is a promise we have in Christ whose Spirit has liberated us to be transformed according to Christ's glory. Let's not impose or force one's degree or degree's of growth onto another's degree or degree's of growth! Otherwise the promised degrees of growth promised here in Scripture will take on oppressive overtones and thereby distort the nature of Christ's glory being worked out in us.
Christ is working his glory out in us by the Holy Spirit by way of degrees. Growth by degrees is promised. It is incontrovertible. But as we are being changed from one degree of glory to another, that growth by degree will vary from person to person by degrees. Let's bare this in mind as we walk together.
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