The Process of Spiritual Growth

John 12:23–25 KJV 1900

And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Lesson Focus

To help believers understand the spiritual growth process from Grafting to Glorification

Introduction

Every Christian is expected to grow in Christ. (1 Peter 2:2) We are to start our journey on the milk of the Word, that which is light and palatable to us, and then move on to the weightier, meatier, and deeper things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10) There is physiological and scientific process for growth that is completely applicable to our spiritual development, and this is what we will cover tonight.

Lesson Outline

The Goal Is Glorification – Verse 23

Glorified - doxazo (dox-ad'-zo); to render (or esteem) glorious:

KJV - (make) glorify (-ious), full of (have) glory, honour, magnify.

The Process Of Spiritual Growth – Verse 24

Grafting – 24a

The joining of dissimilar things – Romans 11:13-20, Galatians 3:26-28

We are physically and spiritually joined to God, and made individual branches of His Tree.

Grafting requires a cutting, and a splicing, or bonding together of two different things to make them one. Hebrews 9:19-22

Germination – 24b

To start to grow into a new individual from a seed – II Corinthians 5:17

Review the Seed Germination Process Below…

Growth – 24c

The process of maturity, and increase in size, power, and intensity – Ephesians 4:11-13

The Glorification – Verse 25

To be highly exalted and full of the glory of God - Romans 8:16-18

The Seed Germination Process

The term germination is applied to the resumption of the growth of the seed embryo after the period of dormancy. Germination does not take place unless the seed has been transported to a favorable environment by one of the agencies of seed dispersal. The primary conditions of a favorable environment are adequate water and oxygen and suitable temperature. Different species of plants germinate best in different temperatures; as a rule, extremely cold or extremely warm temperatures do not favor germination. Some seeds also require adequate exposure to light before germinating.

During germination, water diffuses through the seed coats into the embryo, which has been almost completely dry during the period of dormancy, causing a swelling of the seed; the swelling is often so great that the seed coat is ruptured. With the absorption of oxygen by the seed, energy is made available for growth. The foodstuffs stored in the endosperm or in the cotyledons are broken down by enzymes into simpler substances that are transported through the embryo to the various centers of growth. The radicle is the first portion of the embryo to break through the seed coat. It develops root hairs that absorb water and attach the embryo to particles of soil. The hypocotyl then lengthens, bringing the plumule and often the cotyledon or cotyledons above the surface of the soil. If the cotyledons are brought into light, they develop chlorophyll and carry on photosynthesis until the true foliage leaves develop from the plumule. In many plants, especially members of the grass family, the cotyledons never appear above the surface of the soil, and photosynthesis does not occur until true leaves develop; the plant meanwhile subsists on food stores in the seed. From the time of germination until the plant is completely independent of food stored in the seed, the plant is known as a seedling.