J. Oswald Sanders - Spiritual Maturity: Principles of Spiritual Growth for Every Believer

SPIRITUAL
MATURITY

SPIRITUAL
MATURITY

P RINCIPLES OF S PIRITUAL G ROWTH FOR E VERY B ELIEVER

J. OSWALD
SANDERS

MOODY PUBLISHERS
CHICAGO

1962, 1994 by
T HE MOODY B IBLE I NSTITUTE
OF C HICAGO

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Study guide produced for Moody Publishers with the assistance of The Livingstone Corporation by James C. Galvin, Ed.D.

For Reflection questions by Neil Wilson of The Livingstone Corporation.

All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org.)

Scripture quotations marked NEB are taken from the New English Bible with the Apocrypha, 1961, 1970, the Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of Cambridge University.

Scripture quotations marked PHILLIPS are taken from The New Testament in Modern English, translated by J. B. Phillips (New York: Macmillan, 1958).

Scripture quotations marked WILLIAMS are taken from The New Testament in the Language of the People, by Charles B. Williams (Chicago: Moody, 1937, 1966).

The use of selected references from various versions of the Bible in this publication does not necessarily imply publisher endorsement of the versions in their entirety.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sanders, J. Oswald (John Oswald), 1902

Spiritual maturity : principles of spiritual growth for every believer / J. Oswald Sanders.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8024-8252-5

ISBN-10: 0-8024-8252-X

1. Spiritual formation. I. Title.

BV4511.S36 2007

248.4dc22

2007013990

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Chapter

1. The Overruling Providence of God
All things work together for good

2. The Prostrating Vision of God
I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory

3. The Undiscouraged Perseverance of God
The God of Jacob

4. The Discriminating Disciplines of God
Doth the plowman plow continually to sow?

5. The Perfected Strength of God
My strength is made perfect in weakness

6. The Moral Antipathy of God
The Lord doth hate... a proud look

7. The Satisfying Compensations of God
Lo, I see four men...
and the fourth is like the Son of God

8. The Supreme Vision of Christ
I saw one like unto the Son of man

9. The Transcendent Worthiness of Christ
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

10. The Unfinished Work of Christ
He ever liveth to make intercession

11. Christs Ideal of Character
Blessed are the poor in spirit

12. Christs Terms of Discipleship
Come to me.... Come after me....

13. A Personal Letter from Christ
Unto the angel of the church at Ephesus write

14. A Reigning Life Through Christ
Live all their lives like kings

15. The SpiritThe Breath of God
There came a sound as of a rushing mighty breath

16. The Transforming Power of the Spirit
We are changed... by the Spirit of the Lord

17. The Purging Fire of the Spirit
Then the fire of the L ORD fell

18. The Mighty Dynamic of the Spirit
Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit

19. The Missionary Passion of the Spirit
Ye shall receive power... ye shall be witnesses unto me

20. The Spirit and Speaking with Tongues (1)
They all spake with other tongues

21. The Spirit and Speaking with Tongues (2)
Do all speak with tongues?

J . Oswald Sanders wrote no preface or introduction for Spiritual Maturity. As a reader, you will find yourself immediately engaged in Sanders reflections on Scripture. This is not light readingit is Light reading. The subjects will test your attentiveness. They will challenge your approach to Gods Word.

If you take a moment to read through the table of contents, a pattern will be apparent. This book is a three-part reflection on the Trinity. Chapters 17 focus on God the Father; Chapters 814 on God the Son; Chapters 1521 on God the Holy Spirit. Sanders gave deliberate equal consideration to the Triune God who is due our full attention.

This book invites the reader to experience the title. It is not just a how-to volume, but a be volume. Those who join the author in thinking about the most worthy subject of our hearts, minds, and souls, immerse themselves in maturity. So, dive in. This is the deep end of the pool that represents grown-up reflection on Gods ways with us.

These chapters are not cumulative. Sanders doesnt take us from point A to point B to point C. His subject is the revealed character of the Alpha and the Omega. We can start with any chapter and will be instantly challenged to understand God better even while we will be further convinced that we will never understand Him fully.

As we discover by keeping company with J. Oswald Sanders, spiritual maturity is not a position we reach or a goal we achieve. It is a life we find ourselves living. Those who have been prepared by their life in Christ will sense in this volume a selection of meaty dishes beyond the milk of the Word (see Hebrews 5:1214). The taste will not be unfamiliar, but the required digestion will show us Sanders has served us a more substantial spiritual course than we are accustomed to at the table that is Gods Word.

Prepare yourself for a deeply satisfying spiritual meal. Ask God to give you a hunger to take in as much of Him as possible. This is not fast food. Take your time. Savor the thoughts. Chew on the challenges. And let the truth you digest nourish your body, mind, and soul as you grow in spiritual maturity.

The Editors