In psychological circles there is what is called the “learning curve” which, if displayed on paper, would show a graph revealing the increase in the number of things an individual learns throughout his/her life.  The graph would begin at zero and would climb upward over the years until the subject dies.  The human being begins life with a “tabla blanca”–a blank tablet (mind).  Following birth, we humans survive for the first several months because of an instinct–sucking.  Whatever touches the lips is sucked.  Without this instinct we would starve to death soon after birth.  Over time we begin to learn things, causing our learning graph to rise (curve) with the passage of time.

The same is true concerning the believer’s learning curve following his/her introduction to the Godhead–God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our learning curve continues to rise as we study Their Word–the Holy Bible.  There comes a point at which we must make a life-determining decision.  We must decide whether to 1) study Their teachings (the Bible) and obey them until we become “as He (Christ) is in heaven,” or 2) embrace man’s version of what a Christian should be (become a Catholic or Protestant), or 3) openly reject the Godhead and the Bible (become an atheist, agnostic, etc.).

The spiritual “learning curve” of true saints (“holy ones”)–those in category 1–climbs upward at a steep angle following our conversion as we learn the teachings of Jesus Christ through intense Bible study and prayer.  We come to believe (have faith in) Christ’s teachings and pattern our lives after them–do the WORKS of faith.  Read James 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26.

The true saints’ learning curves never stop rising as we grow more and more like our Lord in word, thought and deed.  As this is happening our separation from the things of the world and the worldly church grows ever wider.  Eventually, we break totally free from the world and become truly “sanctified”–segregated from the world in which we live.  We must understand how the sanctification process takes place.  Jesus stated that God sanctifies us when we obey His Word (Lk. 17:17).  Sanctification takes place when become purified of all ungodliness (1 Jn. 3:3) “by the washing by the water by the Word” (Eph. 5:26).  As we come to believe and obey God’s Holy Scriptures we become more like Him and less like the world.  Jesus explained the connection between God’s Word and man’s salvation in Matthew 4:4 when He said that “(true Christian) man must live by (obedience to) EVERY WORD that comes from the mouth of God”–the Holy Bible.

Physically, “We are what we eat.”  We become physically what we consume physically.  The same is true in the spiritual realm: we become spiritually what we consume spiritually.  As we study God’s holy Word with faith we become His Holy Word in human form, AS WAS JESUS CHRIST–“THE WORD MADE FLESH” (Jn. 1:14).  The opposite is also true.  If we consume church doctrine, we become church doctrine in human form.  “Sinners saved by Grace” is the title by which church doctrine consumers describe themselves.  God calls them “hypocrites” because they claim to be His people, but are not.  Their spiritual learning curve remains just above the birth level throughout their lives.  They are carnally minded, meaning that they are “enmity against God” (Rom. 8:5-8).  They are “ever learning (about religious things) but never coming to the knowledge of the Truth” (2 Tim. 3:7).  I know people who read the Bible religiously, but know nothing about His Truth.  They grow angry when shown His Truth found in the “fine print.”  My ministry involves showing “headline hunters” God’s “fine print.”  Needless to say, my work is not appreciated.

How does the Lord’s saint–His “Word made made flesh”–come to be where he/she is spiritually?  God reveals the key to this transformation in Isaiah 28:9,10.  Here the prophet asks: “Whom can He (God) teach knowledge? and whom can He make to understand (His) doctrine?”  From this point on he answers the question: “they who are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast–have spiritually progressed past the elementary stage and are no longer spiritual “babes.”  In verse 10 Isaiah explains exactly how one becomes an adult in the Lord: “For precept (teaching of Christ) must be upon (added to) precept, precept upon precept, line (specific teachings) must be upon (added to) line, line upon line, here a little (bit of Truth), there a little.”  I did the math: four precepts, four lines and two little bits.  The Lord commands us to study 10 different sources of Biblical information relative to any subject.  God expects us to “Prove all things (that are believed to be) of God” (1 Thes. 5:21) to make sure they are indeed of Him.  “Study (the Scriptures) to show yourself approved of God” (2 Tim. 2:14).  In Isaiah 28 the Lord commands us to search out at least 10 passages of Scripture in our quest for the Truth about any spiritual subject.  We are then to study those passages and to prove the Truth of what is being studied until we “come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

Let us make certain that our learning curve is moving continuously upward with the passage of time.  Let us not be like the Hebrew Christians the Apostle Paul wrote to in his letter to them (5:11-6:2).  Here he chastises some of them, telling them that he has much to teach them (to raise their learning curve), but that they have remained on the milk/breast level of Scriptural knowledge, and are therefore spiritual “babes”–not acquainted with “righteousness”–knowledge of good and evil.  He goes on to say that those who have matured (have ascending learning angles) are ready for “strong meat.  Paul admonished the spiritual “flat-liners” among the Hebrew Christians to leave the elementary teachings of Christ and go on to “perfection” (maturity).  He told them to develop a high level of knowledge of Christ and a lifestyle that matched His earthly walk.  He told them (and all flat-liners today) to stop studying subjects like baptism, repentance of sin, the resurrection, faith and judgment, which Paul calls “milk.”  Repentance of sin ends when sin is eliminated from one’s life.

Paul’s message applies to God seekers today.  Therefore, let us “go on to perfection” by learning the ways of Christ, then putting them into action by “walking as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6), “purifying ourselves as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:3) and overcoming (temptation) as He overcame (Rev. 3:21).  He promises that those who do so will sit with Him on His throne in the Kingdom of God.  L.J.