Goodwin compared and contrasted false signs of growth with true signs of growth. Overall, he teaches us that growing in grace is not just looking holy on the outside due to the use of gifts, opportunities, special spiritual experiences, and professions. Rather, it is continually producing all of the fruits of the Spirit in your soul even in difficult circumstances out of sincere love for God and in reliance on his righteousness rather than your own, though using wisdom to do it to the best of your ability. 

One of the questions I always get asked about the Christian life is some variation of, “how do I know if I am growing in godliness?” Even if you are doing your best to pay attention to your spiritual growth, it can be difficult to measure because it is somewhat abstract. This is a common concern for all believers, both today and in centuries past. For Thomas Goodwin, it was so common that he decided to write a short case of conscience about it, titled “The Trial of a Christian’s Growth” and based on John 15:1-2 where Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Cases of conscience, or casuistries, were intended to set forth the details of holy living in all areas of human activity. In this particular case, Goodwin wrote for those who had “doubts and troubles about their estate . . . and so call into question the work begun, because not carried on so sensibly unto perfection as they expect and desire.”[1] To help them evaluate their growth in holiness accurately and keep growing, Goodwin compared and contrasted false signs of growth with true signs of growth. Overall, he teaches us that growing in grace is not just looking holy on the outside due to the use of gifts, opportunities, special spiritual experiences, and professions. Rather, it is continually producing all of the fruits of the Spirit in your soul even in difficult circumstances out of sincere love for God and in reliance on his righteousness rather than your own, though using wisdom to do it to the best of your ability.

Growth in godliness is NOT

1.    Only growth in gifts and abilities.

Though growth in godliness includes growth in gifts like preaching and praying, it is best described as growth in graces, like love and humility. Goodwin explains this by comparing graces to fruits, and gifts to their platters: gifts “serve indeed to set out and garnish the fruit, and to help forward the exercise of graces; they are good fruit-dishes to set the fruit forth. But if grace grow not with them, we bring not forth much fruit.”[2] Goodwin writes about gifts and graces to help those believers who think that “because they cannot pray as well as others, nor do so much service to the saints as some do, therefore they bring forth less fruit.”[3] Actually, explains Goodwin, the truth is that “thou mayest bring more fruit for all that, if thou walkest humbly in thy calling and prayest more fervently, though less notionally or eloquently.”[4]

2.    Measured by the size of your opportunities.

Similarly, growth in godliness is not measured by whether you have a greater or smaller opportunity to do good. Thus, when John the Baptist “was hindered in his latter time in prison, yet he brought forth more fruit.”[5] It was the same for Paul.

3.    Measured only by special spiritual experiences.

Growth in godliness is also not measured by special experiences of grace, or what Goodwin calls “accessory graces, as joy and spiritual ravishment” that bring “comfort.”[6] In fact, Goodwin says, it’s often when we don’t have comforts like this that we exercise more faith and humility, and cleave more tightly to God.

4.    Only increasing in your outward profession.

Just as gifts are like platters, so are outward professions like leaves; neither are the fruit of godliness itself, but something that goes alongside it. Goodwin warns that some make grand professions of faith but that this does not really reflect what is happening in their souls. Here, Goodwin makes his main point about growth in godliness very clear: “True growth begins at the vitals; the heart, the liver, the blood gets soundness and vigour, and so the whole man outwardly; this heart-godliness is the thing you must judge by.”[7]

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]