Furthermore, the increase of power is not the growth of life. In giving messages and preaching the gospel, a Christian may be quite powerful and moving, but this does not mean that he has grown in life.
The increase of the element of God means that more of God Himself has been mingled with us and received by us to become our element. Therefore, the real growth of life is the increase of God’s life within us. Life is God Himself. When life grows in us, God is increased in us. Life grows and increases to an extent that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God. This is the final word of Ephesians 3:19.
Colossians 3:4 says that Christ is our life. Thus, growth of life is the increase of Christ within us. The more we love Christ and pursue Christ, the more the measure of the stature of Christ will increase within us. This is the real growth of life.
Life is God, life is Christ, and life is also the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to grow in life is to allow the Holy Spirit to gain more ground in us.
The above three points—the increase of the element of God, the increase of the measure of the stature of Christ, and the expansion of the ground of the Holy Spirit—are on God’s side. On our side, the growth of life is the decrease of our human element, that is, the decrease of the flavor of man and the increase of the flavor of God.
The growth of life is also the breaking of the natural life. In regard to the flesh, the focus of breaking is on its corruption and its opposition to God. In regard to the self, the focus of breaking is on our thoughts and views. In regard to the natural life, the focus of breaking is on our skills, ability, and capability. Concerning these things, the more they are broken, the more the life within will grow. Thus, the growth of life, on the negative side, refers to the decrease of the human element and also to the breaking of our natural life.
The breaking of the natural life and the decrease of the human element are related to the growth of life. In contrast, does the improvement of behavior cause the human element to decrease? Improvement in behavior means that our behavior, which originally was not good, has improved and that we can even be more successful and considerate in dealing with people and matters. However, such improvement does not cause our human element to decrease; instead, it causes our human element to increase. It not only increases, but it is even strengthened.
The more a person’s behavior improves, the more the self is strengthened. Similarly, expressions of piety cause the human element only to increase. The mere expression of piety will cause one to be strengthened rather than diminished. Hence, this is not the growth of life. Zeal in service, in the same way, causes an increase only in the human element. This is true concerning the increase of knowledge, the abounding in gifts, and the increase of power. All of these things only increase the human element and cannot cause one to have the growth of life.
The growth of life depends on the increase of God and Christ within us—all other aspects should decrease. If we desire to grow in life, our gifts must be stripped by God, and our shell of godliness and piety must be knocked down and broken by God. Our knowledgeable mind, our gifts, and our power must be shattered by God so that the Holy Spirit will have a way to be released. The growth of life depends upon the increase of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit within us. Everything else must decrease.
Furthermore, the growth of life subdues every part of our soul. The more our soul is subdued, the more life grows, and the more our soul decreases, the more life increases. This is a certain fact. When we meet a saint, there is no need to measure what has been increased in him; rather, we should observe what has been decreased in him and whether he has been poured out and broken. If there is a decrease of himself, then God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit have surely gained ground in him and have increased in him. Only this is the real growth of life.
The real growth of life is not the improvement of behavior, the expression of piety, zealousness in service, an increase of knowledge, an abounding in gifts, or an increase of power. Rather, the real growth of life is the increase of the element of God, the increase of the measure of the stature of Christ, the expansion of the ground of the Holy Spirit, the decrease of the human element, the breaking of the natural life, and the subduing of every part of the soul. On the positive side, growth in life is the increase of the Triune God within us, the increase of the measure of the stature of Christ, and the expanding of the ground of the Holy Spirit. On the negative side, it is the breaking, consuming, and reducing of our outer man, that is, the decrease of our human element, the breaking of our natural life, and the subduing of every part of our soul.