What is the Goal of Spiritual Growth in Colossians 2:19?

     Human and spiritual development are a lot alike.  I'm sure God's responsible for that.  Just like we begin our human life as infants, we begin our Christian life as infants in Christ.  And as strange as it would be to see a 50-year-old baby, it would be just as strange for us not to grow and mature over the years of our own Christian life.  

We visited the Sonoran Desert with
 my father on our Spring Break trip in Arizona.

  But what causes this spiritual growth?  I really appreciate how much Witness Lee speaks about this matter in his Life-Study messages!

     I really liked reading chapter 51 of the Life-Study of Colossians  because he clarifies that true Christian growth is not about us acquiring more doctrinal knowledge. Colossians 2:19 gives us a window into what it's really about: 

And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.  

     And then in chapter 52 he talks about how we need personal spiritual growth for the sake of the building up of the Body of Christ.  I've heard it said many times that the age of spiritual giants is over because God's ultimate goal is to obtain a corporate Body that expresses  and represents Him.   And our brother always brought us back in his messages to God's desire in Genesis 1:26. 

   For this growth to take place, the most important thing we need to do is eat!   That shouldn't surprise you because it's the same way with your human life--see how far you can go on just one meal. On pages 456-457 he talks about how this all hinges on our taking the time to be with God, listen to this:

"As we daily take time to eat food, we should daily take time to absorb the Lord, take time to assimilate the riches of Christ. Our contact with the Lord should not be rushed. If we are in a hurry, we shall not be able to absorb much of His riches. We need to allow adequate time for prayer. This will enable us to absorb more of the riches of our God.….spend more time in your spirit to adore the Lord, to praise Him, to offer thanks to Him, and to speak to Him freely. As you fellowship with Him in this way, you will absorb His riches, and He will add more of Himself into you" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Colossians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1979, Print). 

      But all of this is not just for yourself.  At the end of this chapter he connects Colossians 2:19 with Ephesians 4:15-16 "…according to the operation in measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love."  He points out here that these two verses show us that the Body of Christ is depending on us to grow!  Each day we all need to spend time alone with God so that we can grow, and this growth is what will help the Body of Christ grow and be built up. 


You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Colossians given in 1979 on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Colossians:

What is God's Will in Colossians 1:9?
What is the Stewardship of God in Colossians 1:25?
What is the Hope of Glory in Colossians 1:27?
What is the Mystery of God in Colossians 2:2? (Part 1)
What is the Mystery of Christ in Ephesians 5:32?   (Part 2)
What is the Greatest Mystery?
What is God's Intention for Your Life?
From the Life-Study of Colossians - What Happens When We Pray?
How Does God Get the One New Man in Colossians 3:10?
What Does Colossians 2:7 Say About Spiritual Growth? (Part 1)
What is the Goal of Spiritual Growth in Colossians 2:19?  (Part 2)
What is Christ Doing at the Right Hand of God in Colossians 3:2?