How do we measure spiritual growth, and how do we do it where the “Pharisees” don’t win?? I.e. had the most quiet times, or the longest ones . . . gave the most in the offering . . . looked the most spiritual at church, etc. John Ortberg wrestled with this question, and he realized that commitment is not a true measure of spiritual growth. Here’s an excerpt from John’s article entitled “Your Spiritual Growth Plan” . . . I found it to be very helpful!
But devotional practices are not the ultimate criteria for spiritual growth. In Jesus' day, the people who would have rated highest on devotional practices would have been the scribes and the Pharisees ("I thank you, God … that I fast twice a week; I give tithes on all I get"). But they were not examples of spiritual maturity.
How do you measure spiritual maturity so that the Pharisees don't win?
Sometimes churches measure spiritual progress in terms of commitment. Often we see scales that look something like Scale 1 (below). Where would the Pharisees be by this scale? Far right. They win. Commitment was not the problem.
But consider another possibility. Jesus said the ultimate command was to love. So imagine another scale. See Scale 2.
On the second scale, Jesus would put the Pharisees at the far left.
Commitment is not the same thing as Christlikeness. In fact, where people's primary focus is on their commitment, pride is not far behind. Where the primary focus is on Christ, commitment no longer seems like such a heroic thing. It just seems sane.
When I realized that devotional practices were not the best measure, I once asked Dallas Willard how he monitored the condition of his soul. His immediate response was that he regularly asks himself two questions:
—Am I growing more or less easily irritated these days?
—Am I growing more or less easily discouraged these days?
Gauging peoples' involvement in activities like small groups and serving is surely a good thing. But we need to give them a deeper way of looking at the well-being of their souls.
And because we all live in our own blind spots, it is enormously helpful to find a way to have relationships where other people can help me see those parts of my soul that are obvious to others and opaque to me.
Scale 1:
Atheist
Skeptic
Seeker
Convert
New Believer
Growing Disciple
Totally Committed
Atheist
Skeptic
Seeker
Convert
New Believer
Growing Disciple
Totally Committed
Scale 2:
Selfishly Unloving
Radiantly Loving
Selfishly Unloving
Radiantly Loving
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