You and the Gospel 4

The Discipline of Grace
by Jerry Bridges

The Balance of Dependence and Discipline

A believer must understand the balance of dependence and discipline. Discipline is the work of sowing what you want to see grow. Dependence is the trusting and resting in the only provision for that sowing. A believer disciplines in the Christian life by making choices. Yet, even in all the work of making right choices, the believer must depend on God for the enabling, knowledge, endurance and resources. The believer does all the sowing, but in his sowing, he must depend on God to grow the spiritual fruit. These two cannot be separated. Yes, there must be sowing, right choices must be made, but if the believer stops there, all that he will grow is pride and self-sufficiency. At the same time, the believer will never grow if he simply sits back in "dependence"--"lets go and lets God" do the work. The work/discipline a believer does is seeking to make right choices. He depends on God by reading his Bible, and seeking God in prayer. Declaring dependence both in prayer and time spent in God's Word show in a tangible way dependence in the life of a believer. Right choices made based on a renewed mind, empowered by a Spirit-filled will and completed by the One finisher is the balance of dependent discipline.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it." - Psalm 127:1 Does the Lord builds the house or do the workers build the house? Yes. The balance of dependence and discipline is found by understanding that it is God who provides and enables and completes, but the workers must labor to build. The understanding is that the laborers cannot build apart from the Lord graciously enabling. In fact, they labor in vain otherwise.

Our Christian labor apart from dependence on Christ is harmful. We will only grow pride and self-sufficiency. Our "dependence" apart from discipline is worthless -- as nothing will get accomplished. Let us be believers that work with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength realizing that anything we do is an act of God's grace. It is He alone that saved us, enables us, keeps us, and makes our work right.