I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
— 1 Corinthians 3:6

As we considered in the previous Note, this verse shows us that only God can give us the genuine spiritual growth; apart from this, all our seeking of the Lord, and even the labor of the apostles themselves, must be in vain. (See “How Can We Grow In Christ?” • 1)

So, does this mean we should be passive in our spiritual seeking, just waiting around for the Lord to do something in our life? Absolutely not! I can testify from my own experience that, far from making me passive, considering this always increases my desire to seek after the Lord in a more serious way.

The reason is, it makes me clear about what I am responsible for in terms of my spiritual growth. Yes, only God can actually give the growth, but I must still do my part, by being in the word in a consistent way, coming to the Lord in prayer, and dealing with the Lord in so many areas of my life regarding the sins and other frustrations the would keep me from following Him (Heb. 12:1-2). If I fail to take care of my responsibility to seek Him in these ways, He will not come in to give the actual growth.

Consider the analogy Paul is using in this verse, and in this section (vv. 6-9), of farming. Of course, only God, through the natural processes He has established, can actually cause the crops to grow. But, the farmer does not therefore wait passively for the growth to happen; rather, he tills the ground, plants the seed, and waters and feeds the crop; only then is it possible for the crops to grow as they should. In brief, the farmer does not cause the crops to grow, but he provides the right environment so they can grow.

In the same way, while only God can give us the genuine spiritual growth, we have to be so diligent in our spiritual exercise to provide the right “environment,” so to speak, in our life, so He can operate within us as He desires. It is when we do our part in this regard that God will do His part, with the result that we grow in Christ in a healthy way.

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—  19 April 2025 —