Though the increase of a believer’s spiritual knowledge through hearing more messages, knowing more truths, understanding more of the Bible, and comprehending more spiritual terms, etc., is a kind of growth, yet it is not growth of life. The increase of such knowledge only causes his mind to become improved and more thoroughly versed, and his head to have more comprehension or more ability to comprehend. It is not that the Holy Spirit has given greater revelation within him or that life has gained more ground within him so that he has growth in the real knowledge and experience of Christ as life. The increase of such knowledge alone simply causes men to be puffed up (1 Cor. 8:1). It is nothing before God (1 Cor. 13:2) and has no value in life. Thus, growth of life is not the increase of knowledge.
Though it is quite precious for a believer to abound in spiritual gifts, such as the ability to minister, heal, speak in tongues, etc., yet this is also not the growth of life. It is the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit descending more upon a believer which causes him to have such gifts. It is not because the life of God has grown and matured within him that the gifts are manifested. It is possible, on the one hand, that a man who is used by the Holy Spirit may manifest more gifts; yet, on the other hand, he may not have allowed the Holy Spirit to have more of the life of God wrought into him. Thus, abounding in gifts does not necessarily mean growing in life.
The believers in Corinth were enriched in all utterance and all knowledge and came behind in no gift (1 Cor. 1:5, 7), yet in life they were still very immature; indeed they were carnal and babes in Christ (1 Cor. 3:1). This shows us that growth of life is also not to be abounding in gifts.
It is possible that a believer may be more powerful than before in serving God; in preaching or in testifying, he is able to move men more than before; in administering the church or in managing the affairs, he has more wisdom than before. These are an increase in power, but they are still not growth in life. Such increase of power is but an outward power which the Holy Spirit has bestowed on him. It is not that the Holy Spirit has interwoven life within him, and thus, through his spirit, manifested life power from within him; therefore, it is neither from life nor of life. Thus, the increase of such power is also not the growth of life.
Luke 9 tells us that in the beginning, all the twelve disciples who followed the Lord received power and authority from the Lord so that they could subdue all kinds of demons and heal all kinds of diseases; yet at that time the condition of their spiritual life was very immature. This suffices to show us that the increase of power is not the growth of life.
From these six negative points, we see that it is not by being improved in our behavior, by having an expression of piety before God, by being zealous in serving God, by increasing our spiritual knowledge, by abounding in outward gifts, or by our power in work being augmented that we have growth in life. None of these are the growth of life. It is a pity that almost all Christians today take these as standards for the growth of life. They determine whether or not there is growth of life in a Christian by looking at his behavior, piety, zeal, knowledge, gifts, and power. Such a way of evaluating things is not accurate. Copper is very much like gold, yet it is not gold. Likewise, though these six points somewhat resemble the growth of life, they are not growth of life. Of course, real growth of life will manifest these six points to some extent; yet to measure growth of life merely by these six points is not right.
Then, after all, what is the growth of life? This requires that we consider the matter again, this time from the positive side:
The increase of the element of God means that more of God Himself is blended into us, is gained by us, and has become our element. We have said that life is God Himself, and to experience life is to experience God; therefore, the growth of life is the increase of the element of God in us, until all that is of the Godhead is completely formed in us that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).