The humbling truth of the verse above must not be missed. God gives the increase. The agricultural metaphor Paul uses communicates this perfectly. Human agency is no longer necessary – God has made it so.
1 John 2:27
GOD must plant, cultivate, and tend the seed. Without God, the seed will not grow. One may try to plant, cultivate, and tend a rock without God and since human ministry has been abolished as John said then the first century method of understanding GODS truth has changed.
Paul is speaking about evangelism and spiritual formation. We would do well to humbly accept this truth. We can neither save nor sanctify anyone. Only God can. GOD and Christ by the spirit of GOD has by eliminating human ministry has also eliminated any possibility of deception by men.
We think we can. We think we must. We often think that our responsibility is to change those we love for the better - that if we see flaws we must act to correct them. God never tells me to make you the best “you” you can be. I have the responsibility to love you John 13:34,35 to serve you Matthew 7:12 to pray for you 2 Corinthians 1:7 But I cannot change you, nor can you change me. Only God can do that – and then only if we yield to Him.
The New Testament word that applies is “sanctification.” Sanctification is the process of making something pure and holy. It is the process of spiritual maturity and refinement. The New Testament identifies the agents of sanctification as Jesus Acts 26:18 1 Corinthians 1:30 1 Thessalonians 4:3 John 17:17 and most frequently the Spirit of the Father Romans 15:16 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Hebrews 12:14 1 Peter 1:1 Neither you, nor I are ever mentioned as agents of sanctification for each other.
You and I must sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts 1 Peter 3:15 That will occupy a great deal of our time and attention. It is the removal of the log from our own eye so we may help another with the speck in his Matthew 7:1,2,3,4,5 We must also love, serve and pray for each other. We must “consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds,” Hebrews 10:24 But we are never asked to engage in a test of wills, to win a conflict, or to even wage one. We are not God. One person cannot change another person – only God can, and only when we yield to Him.
Belief that we can (that we must) change another person is a form of faithlessness. It demonstrates a lack of trust in God and His word – as if He is not sufficient without our contribution. Belief that we can (that we must) change another person is a form of Hubris – for we assume the mantle of God.
This assumption – that I have to change you, and you have to change me – may come from the best intentions, but it will not be productive. It will lead to disappointment, discouragement, and bad feelings between us. On this forum we have the opportunity to share with one another spiritual knowledge but the understanding of this knowledge is still by the spirit of GOD. 1 John 4:5 John 6:45 GOD can use us as sort of a catalyst to stir up each others spirit as we speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:14,15,16 One of us cannot say to the other I have no need of you. The more spiritually mature among us should help the babe in Christ as exampled by Acts 18:26
Let us love each other, serve each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, and when necessary confront each other. But let us remember - only God can give the increase.
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