Progressive Growth
The Christian life is a progressive growth that finds no maturity in this world, with the Holy Spirit continually unveiling the glory of Christ.
G. Campbell Morgan emphasizes that every new vision from God creates a crisis for the soul, prompting either obedience towards spiritual growth or disobedience leading to stagnation. He asserts that the more one knows Christ, the more aware they become of their need for deeper understanding and revelation of His glory. The Holy Spirit continually unveils Christ's glory, inviting believers into new adventures and sacrifices that foster spiritual growth. Morgan highlights that true Christian life is a progressive journey without ultimate maturity in this world, as the light and beauty of Christ are inexhaustible. He concludes that sanctification is a continuous process, with God illuminating our hearts to grasp His glory through Christ.
Text
Whenever a new vision is presented to the trusting soul a new crisis is created for that soul, and the soul will either obey and march into larger life, or disobey and turn backward. The man or woman who has the largest, fullest knowledge of Christ is the man or woman who is most conscious that he or she has hardly yet begun to see His glory. The Holy Spirit . . . is forever unveiling to the eyes of faithful, watching souls the glory of Christ; and as each new glory is revealed it calls the soul to some new adventure, to some new sacrifice . . . to some new area of spiritual growth.
Every response to light means fuller understanding and enlarged capacity for further revelation. The true Christian life is a growth, which finds no maturity in this world; the ultimate is never reached in this land of shadows. There is no exhausting of the light and glory and beauty of Christ, and if He has not startled and shamed me recently it is because somewhere in the past I disobeyed and have lost my power to see. Sanctification is progressive, the Spirit of God patiently leading us from point to point in life of faith and light and love, and forevermore astonishing us with new unveilings of the glory of our Master.
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Sermon Outline
- The New Vision and the Crisis of Obedience
- The Importance of Continual Revelation
- The Nature of the Christian Life
- The true Christian life is a growth that finds no maturity in this world
- The ultimate is never reached in this life
Key Quotes
“The man or woman who has the largest, fullest knowledge of Christ is the man or woman who is most conscious that he or she has hardly yet begun to see His glory.” — G. Campbell Morgan
“The ultimate is never reached in this life; the true Christian life is a growth that finds no maturity in this world.” — G. Campbell Morgan
“If He has not startled and shamed me recently it is because somewhere in the past I disobeyed and have lost my power to see.” — G. Campbell Morgan
Application Points
- We must remain open to new revelations of God's glory and be willing to obey and grow.
- The Christian life is a journey, not a destination, and we must continually seek to deepen our understanding of God.
- Disobedience and a lack of faith can cause us to lose our power to see and experience God's glory.