CHRISTIAN LIFE

Spiritual Growth Basics

What is spiritual growth? What is sanctification and edification and spiritual maturity? The basics of how our Christian walk changes us from the inside-out.

Day One: Now what?
Congratulations! You have made a life-changing decision! Perhaps you are asking, "Now what? How do I begin my journey with God?" The five steps mentioned below will give you direction from the Bible...
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For more, see: "I am a new Christian. What is the next step?"

Day Two: Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins the process of making us more like Him, conforming us to His image...
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Day Three: The Spiritual Journey
"Spiritual journey" is a phrase used by many different religions to mean the natural progression of a person as they grow in understanding of God, the world, and himself. It is an intentional lifestyle of growing deeper in knowledge and wisdom...
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For more, see: "Experiencing the Journey of Life"

Day Four: Spiritual Maturity
Spiritual maturity is achieved through becoming more like Jesus Christ. After salvation, every Christian begins the process of spiritual growth, with the intent to become spiritually mature. According to the apostle Paul, it's an ongoing process that will never end in this life...
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For more, see: "On Being an Adult"

Day Five: Progressive Sanctification
The word translated "sanctification" in most Bibles means "separation." It is used in the New Testament, according to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, of the separation of the believer from evil, and it is the result of obedience to the Word of God...
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Day Six: The Christian Life
The Christian life is supposed to be a life lived by faith. It is by faith that we enter into the Christian life, and it is by faith that we live it out. When we begin the Christian life by coming to Christ for forgiveness of sin, we understand that what we seek cannot be obtained by any other means than by faith...
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Day Seven: Putting God First
It is common to hear people say, "God first, family second, work third." But what does it really mean to put God first? What does it mean to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength?...
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Day Eight: Dying to Self
The concept of "dying to self" is found throughout the New Testament. It expresses the true essence of the Christian life, in which we take up our cross and follow Christ. Dying to self is part of being born again; the old self dies and the new self comes to life...
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Day Nine: Christian Liberty
Christian liberty is found in the Bible in several concepts. For example, liberty for the Christian can mean that he or she has been freed from the penalty of sin by faith in Jesus Christ...
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Day Ten: Christian Behavior
When we talk about "Christian" behavior, we are talking about the behavior of those who have accepted, by faith, Jesus Christ as their Savior and thus are indwelt with His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), making it possible for them to serve God...
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Day Eleven: The Good Christian
Wouldn't it be great if the Christian life had a check list? A recipe of sorts to provide instructions that we could follow to ensure we were being "good Christians"? Few things in life really work that way...
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For more, see: "How to Be a Good Christian: Three Easy Steps"

Day Twelve: Edification
What is edification, and why is it so important in the lives of believers? The word used for "edification" in the New Testament is oikodomeo, which translates literally as "to build a house."...
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Day Thirteen: "To live is Christ"
Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Most people focus on the second part of the verse, "to die is gain," and contemplate the joys of heaven. But we should not overlook what comes before...
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Image Credit: bjmyers; untitled; Creative Commons