The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges

Author:Jerry Bridges [Bridges, Jerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: RELIGION / Christian Life / Personal Growth, RELIGION / Christian Life / Spiritual Growth
Publisher: The Navigators
Published: 2018-04-02T16:00:00+00:00

THE SIN OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY

I believe that one of the chief characteristics of our sinful nature, or “flesh,” as it is called in most Bible translations, is an attitude of independence toward God. Even when we know and agree that we are dependent on Him, we tend out of habit to act independently. It is part of “the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19) syndrome that clings so tightly to us. Undoubtedly, one of the reasons God allows us to fall before temptation so often is to teach us experientially that we really are dependent on Him to enable us to grow in holiness.

One of the best ways, apart from those painful experiences of failure, to learn dependence is to develop the discipline of prayer. This forces us in a tangible way to acknowledge our dependence on the Holy Spirit. This is true because, for whatever else we may say about prayer, it is a recognition of our own helplessness and absolute dependence on God.

It is this admission of helplessness and dependence that is so repugnant to our sinful spirit of self-sufficiency. And if we are naturally prone by temperament to be disciplined, it is even more difficult to acknowledge that we are dependent on Christ and His Spirit instead of on our self-discipline.

Remember, however, that to become holy is to become like the Lord Jesus. And He Himself said, “By myself I can do nothing” (John 5:30). He was completely dependent on the Father, and He freely and willingly acknowledged it. His dependence was not reluctant; it was wholehearted—enthusiastic, even—because He knew that we are created to be dependent on God. So if we want to become holy, we must pursue not a spirit of independence, but a spirit of dependence. And one of the best means God has given us for doing this is the discipline of prayer.

Think of the two wings of the airplane: discipline and dependence. Do they exist in equal proportion in your life? Actually, we haven’t even begun to get into the disciplines yet, except for the disciplines of beholding Christ in the gospel and, now, prayer. Before we are finished, we’ll be looking at several more, and you will end up with a list of about six disciplines on the “discipline” wing of your airplane. But remember the farming illustration. There were six disciplines that farmers must perform, and only one thing they absolutely could not do. But that one thing was the most essential of all. So you may end up with six disciplines on that wing and only the one word, dependence, on the other wing. But dependence is the most vital of all and provides the essential balance to the sum of the disciplines.

Dependence is not simply one of a list of several disciplines. Rather, it gives life and vitality to them. Just as the principle of life that makes the seed grow gives fruition to all of the farmers’ efforts, so the enabling of the Holy Spirit within us gives fruition to our disciplines.

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