Reading Classics Together: The Discipline of Grace, Chapter 6

Transformed into His Likeness

 I’m participating in Tim Challies Reading Classics Together program, so this week I read the sixth chapter of Jerry Bridges’ book The Discipline of Grace. 

This subject of this chapter is sanctification, the progressive transformation of the believer’s inner by the Holy Spirit. This work begins with regeneration, when, at the time of our conversion, a new principle of life—spiritual life—is planted within. Regeneration is an instantaneous, one-time act of the Holy Spirit that starts our transformation, and sanctification is a work of the Spirit that keeps us progressing toward the final goal—likeness to the Lord Jesus Christ. The source of each is God’s unmerited favor.

Sanctification is a process that lasts our whole life long, and it’s goal of conformity to Christ is never reached completely in this life. “That is why,” writes Bridges, “that Paul refers to the continual change being wrought in us with his expression in 2 Corinthians 3:18, ‘with ever-increasing glory.’” Since our sanctification won’t be finished in this life, there will always be conflict between our spiritual desires and our actual performance. 

The agent of sanctification is the Holy Spirit. Scripture makes it clear that he’s the one who does the work, but it doesn’t tell us exactly how he accomplishes it.

We will often be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives and will even be able to discern what He is doing to some extent, especially in those instances where He elicits a conscious response from us. But, to again use the words of John Murray, “we must not suppose that the measure of our understanding or experience is the measure of the Spirit’s working.”

This summarizes the first two-thirds of this chapter. Now we get to the section I found most interesting, the section that focuses on one of the primary means used by the Spirit to sanctify us. We are sanctified by seeing and understanding “the glory of Christ, especially as it is revealed in the gospel.” Bridges writes:

To the degree that we feel we are on a legal or performance relationship with God, to that degree our progress in sanctifiation is impeded. A legal mode of thinking gives indwelling sin an adantage, because nothings cuts the nerve of the desire to pursue holiness as much as a sense of guilt. On the contrary, nothing so motivates us to deal with sin in our lives as does the understanding and application of the two truths that our sins are forgiven and the dominion of sin is broken because of our union with Christ.

The most important action we can take in our pursuit of holiness is to keep on preaching the gospel to ourselves. A guilty conscience is paralyzing! If we are to progress in the process of sanctification, we must constantly remind ourselves “that our sins are forgiven in Christ, and that ‘the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin’.” Telling ourselves this gospel truth daily is a crucial habit to develop as we seek to become like Christ. 

Next week’s reading is chapter 7, Obeying the Great Commandment. 

Update: Tim Challies reflections on this week’s reading.

Theological Term of the Week

henotheism
The belief in the existence of many gods while worshiping only one god.

• Scripture teaching against henotheism:

Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” [5] For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—[6] yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist (1 Corinthians 8:4-6 ESV).

• From the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one?
A. There is but one only, the living and true God.

• From What is henotheism? at GotQuestions.org:

Hinduism is a classic example of this belief in practice. Hindus generally worship one god, yet acknowledge that there are many other gods that can be worshiped as well. The religion of the ancient Greeks and their worship of the Olympians is another well-known example, with Zeus being the supreme ruler of eleven other gods. All twelve were worshiped, each individually by a different sect or temple.

Learn more:

1. Theopedia: Henotheism
2. Blue Letter Bible: What Is Henotheism?
3. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: Henotheism
4. Ligon Duncan: God the Clockmaker - Deism

Related terms:

• deism
• idolatry
• monotheism
• panentheism
• polytheism
• atheism
• Trinity

Filed under Isms

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

Round the Sphere Again: Recommended for Listening

Canonical Questions
Brian Auten interviews Michael Kruger on the canon: How was it formed? What are the attributes of canonicity? What about all those other gospels? 

I remember, as a teenager, wondering how we knew which books were scripture and not being completely satisfied with the answers I was given—and I didn’t have Bart Ehrman and others writing books to cause me to doubt. If you have teenaged or young adult kids, you’ll probably find this interview useful for helping you answers answer any questions about the canon that come up.

Historical Discussion
Al Mohler interviews Gregg Frazer about the religious convictions of the American founders. If you like history, you’ll enjoy it, and you might learn something, too.

Preaching by Scripture
From Monergism.com:

Today Monergism.com is announcing a new major addition to its free MP3 offerings which features biblical preaching and teaching from EVERY CHAPTER of the Bible from the ministries of Christ-centered, God-honoring shepherds and theologians who are committed to the historic Christian faith. This includes the sermons and lectures of servants of God such as William Still, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Brian Borgman, Arturo Azurdia III, Eric Alexander, J. Ligon Duncan, Derek Thomas, Edward Donnelly, John MacArthur, James T. Dennison, Jr. Albert N. Martin, Dick Lucas, Alistair Begg and many many more.

Read more—and consider donating. (The MP3 by scripture index is here.)