6 Sure Marks of Spiritual Growth
J. C. Ryle is probably my favorite Christian author of all time. No matter who else I read, I always find myself returning to Ryle. He had a gift for communicating profound truths clearly and directly. So, when I had a break this past Christmas from Master’s classes, I decided to start reading through “Holiness.” If you are looking for a book to read in the New Year, I strongly recommend “Holiness.” I have not read a book as spiritually beneficial in a long time. In keeping with what I have been writing about lately, I wanted to discuss 6 marks of spiritual growth J. C. Ryle gives in this book.
Increased humility
Increased faith and love towards our Lord Jesus Christ
Increased holiness of life and conversation
Increased spirituality of taste and mind
Increase of charity
Increased zeal and diligence in trying to do good to souls
J.C. Ryle from the chapter “Growth” in “Holiness“
What the quote means
The above marks of spiritual growth occur in a chapter where Ryle wants to impress on his readers that spiritual growth is an essential part of the Christian life. According to Ryle, there are many professing believers who do not care at all about growing spiritually or think that spiritual growth is not a necessary part of the Christian life. Ryle spends the first part of the chapter arguing that there is such thing as spiritual growth and that every earnest believer must ask themselves “am I growing spiritually?”
But Ryle doesn’t just want his readers to accept that spiritual growth is taught in the Bible or that it is important. He lays out 6 marks of spiritual growth so that you and I can take stock of our lives to see if we are, in fact, growing. Each of these marks is rooted in Scripture and is based on Ryle’s assumption that humans are poor judges of their own character. Therefore, Ryle recommends you examine your pattern of life in light of the 6 categories given above to get a more or less objective look at whether you are growing spiritually or not.
Why it is important
Most serious Christians I have met desire to grow spiritually. But a lot of times “spiritual growth” is so abstract that it becomes hard to answer the question “am I growing spiritually?” Oftentimes, Christians answer that question by seeing if they are growing in Biblical or theological knowledge or by looking at how busy they are doing “Christian activity” (small groups, Bible studies, etc.). These are good, but the 6 marks of spiritual growth Ryle gives are much better measures to test our lives against.
Notice that the list Ryle gives is not focused merely on head knowledge or doing Christian activities. Each of the 6 qualities are focused on how you practically relate to God, to yourself, and to others. The first mark given is humility which Ryle describes as a growing sense of sin and unworthiness as you draw closer to a thrice holy God.
If you are truly growing in the knowledge of God, such knowledge will humble you rather than puff you up.
The second mark concerns your love for Christ. You can know a lot of true things about God, and even be a morally upright person but if you aren’t growing in your love of Jesus, it is all for naught. Another mark of spiritual growth is increased holiness of life, both in word and in action. Ryle makes the point that a growing Christian will seek to submit every aspect of his life to Christ.
The fourth mark is increased spiritual taste and mind. I thought Ryle made a very profound and helpful point here. If you are growing spiritually, your life won’t just change. What you value and enjoy doing will change too. You will become more and more interested in “spiritual companions, spiritual occupations, spiritual conversation.”
Growing Christians don’t just pursue spiritual things out of duty. Instead, all things connected to Christ and the gospel excite them.
The fifth mark is growing in charity, or love for others. Ryle spends a lot of time connecting this idea of loving others with being forbearing or long-suffering. A growing Christian will grow more gracious towards others when wronged and will seek to do good to all regardless of whether the other person deserves it or not. Finally, Ryle argues a growing Christian will become more and more concerned with the state of the souls around him. If you are growing, you are progressively more and more concerned for the unbelievers in your life. You pray fervently for their salvation and share truth with them every chance you get.
Takeaways
1. Consistently examine your life against these 6 marks of spiritual growth
A famous quote in business management is “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” A lot of times, you can have a vague idea of what spiritual growth is and a desire to grow. But when it comes down to how you specifically measure your progress in the Christian life, it is easy to get stuck. The 6 biblical measures of spiritual growth Ryle gives will allow you to actually get some measure of where you are in your walk with the Lord. And once you get an honest look at where you stand spiritually, you can prayerfully seek to improve in areas you know you fall short in.
In your morning quiet time or nightly journaling/reflection, take time once a week (or even more frequently) to examine the trends in your life. By that I mean are you increasing in each of these six areas? Or are your life patterns going away from these six ares? Ask yourself which of these six areas you need to grow in the most and then make that the focus of your next weeks prayer.
Don’t settle for vague, general prayers for spiritual growth. Use these 6 marks Ryle gives to ask the Lord specifically for sanctification in the areas you most need it.
2. Explicitly target these 6 marks of spiritual growth when discipling others
Every Christian is obligated to make disciples. Teaching others to observe all the Jesus commanded is an exciting but difficult task. How can you help another believer grow up in Christ? These six marks are an excellent starting point for discipling others. When you meet up with another believer, don’t just talk about the weather or overall how your week went. Ask a question about one of these six areas of the Christian life that Ryle gives.
Within the local Church, we should all be comfortable asking one another “how has the Lord grown you in humility this week?” Or confessing to a brother or sister “my taste for spiritual things has dulled the past few weeks.” Or praising the Lord together for a Church member who is increasing in zeal for the lost. Part of the privilege you have in the local Church is helping other believers grow spiritually. Use these six marks Ryle gives to frame your conversations so you can better spur your fellow brothers and sisters unto love and good deeds.
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