How do we evaluate spiritual health? The trends in Christian discipleship have tended to emphasize different things in extremes. On the one hand, spiritual health is measured by your knowledge. If you have memorized lots of Scriptures, can articulate lots of doctrines, or have read major theological works, then you are classified as spiritually healthy. On the other hand, some evaluate spiritual health by the amount of ministries you serve in and projects you support. In these models, spiritual health is often evaluated primarily by what a person knows or what a person does. But these metrics are too reductionist and don’t tend to conform to the Biblical standard. Spiritual growth is multidimensional, and any discipleship model that elevates one dimension at the expense of the others will produce distorted Christians.
Most of us are familiar with these reductionist discipleship models. We’ve seen them or experienced them first-hand. They are popular, of course, because they are easy to measure. We can calculate the amount of knowledge a person possess or the amount of ministries they engage. We can also more easily disciple people in these. We can offer courses and classes to help with information transference. We can also create ministries in which people can serve. These reductionist models, then, make discipleship easier to organize, quantify, and evaluate. But they do not honor the more whole-person approach to spiritual growth detailed in Scripture.
Scripture presents us a multidimensional pedagogy for spiritual growth. Take, for example, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The first three chapters detail the doctrinal truths that form Christians. But the final three chapters turn attention to the character and behavior of a Christian. Paul is presenting a whole-person picture of what it looks like to be a faithful follower of Jesus. Or consider how Paul expresses his thankfulness for the Colossian Christians. In Colossians 1 he expresses the growth of these Christians in terms of knowledge, fruitfulness, and endurance. Likewise Peter, in 2 Peter 1, describes the effective Christian life in terms of knowledge, character, and love for others. He writes:
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)
Scripture’s vision of spiritual growth reflects Scripture’s vision of human beings. We are not merely minds to be filled with information, nor workers to be deployed into ministry. We are whole persons created in God’s image whose beliefs, character, relationships, and service all matter.The Bible’s discipleship model doesn’t view people merely as thinking machines, nor merely as cogs in the ministry wheel, it views them as whole-persons. Our approach to evaluating spiritual growth, then, must focus on the whole person too. This is where the Four C’s can help us.
The Four C’s is a concept I first saw in the work of Biblical counselor Robert Kellemen. Dr. Kellemen speaks about Biblical Content, Christlike Character, Christian Community, and Discipleship Competency as hallmarks of spiritual health. Together, these categories provide a more complete picture of what spiritual maturity looks like. They avoid the trends in modern discipleship, and give a more realistic presentation of the Bible’s evaluation of Christian living. They are worth understanding in more detail.
Biblical Content –> Scripture does acknowledge the importance of knowledge in the formation of disciples. When Jesus commands the apostles to go into all the world and make disciples he clearly emphasizes the need for “teaching” (Matt. 28:20). Christian faith is built upon the truths of sound doctrine, which is why Paul urges the young preacher Titus to teach in accordance with sound doctrine (Titus 2:1). Doctrine matters. We cannot rightly follow Jesus if we do not believe the right things. So, healthy spiritual growth will necessarily include “Orthodoxy” – right beliefs. Healthy Christians increasingly understand the story of Scripture, the character of God, the gospel of Christ, and the truths the church has confessed throughout the centuries.
Sound doctrine is not merely an academic exercise. What we believe shapes how we interpret every aspect of life. Our understanding of God influences our worship. Our understanding of humanity influences our relationships. Our understanding of suffering influences our perseverance. Truth forms the foundation upon which the rest of the Christian life is built. Our discipleship, then, will want to include the study and memorization of Scripture, the study of theology, the reading of good books, and listening to the preaching of the Word. These are all matters detailed in Scripture and promoted for the health of the believer and the community of believers. Biblical content matters. But Orthodoxy (right belief) is meant to lead to Orthopraxy (right practice).
Christlike Character –> Biblical knowledge is never presented as the end goal in and of itself. Christlike character is both evidence of spiritual growth and one of its primary goals. Even when Jesus instructs the apostles to teach, it is for the expressed purpose of “teaching them to obey all that I have commanded” (Matt. 28:20). The goal of knowledge is the transformation of the life, not merely the acquisition of information. Likewise, the Apostle John connects knowledge to lifestyle when he writes:
This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. (1 John 2:3)
Our knowledge is evidenced in the manner in which we live. James too, contrasts mere knowledge of doctrine with faithfulness in lifestyle. The profession of faith without works is meaningless to the apostle (James 2:14-26). In fact, even sound doctrine is something that the demons have, but they do not have a lifestyle of obedience to the One God (James 2:18-19). Our discipleship, then, needs to focus on more than information. It needs to emphasize character development.
The call to follow Jesus is the call to be conformed to the image of the divine Son (Rom. 8:29). We are to look increasingly like Jesus in our character. A person may know a great deal about Jesus without becoming much like Jesus. We evaluate spiritual health, then, not merely by how much a person knows but by how much they live and act like Jesus. Does a person display growing Christlike Character? Is there visible fruit of the Spirit on display in their life (Gal. 5:22-23)? This is a key marker of a healthy believer.
Christian Community –> This Christlike character, however, is not displayed in isolation. Rather, it is manifested among others and inservice to others. The Christian is one who is engaged in community and displays his doctrine and faith in love for others. Consider for example the Fruit of the Spirit; many of the elements detailed in Paul’s list necessarily require relationships: love, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. We can’t really display these elements in isolation. Likewise, John, when he writes about knowledge leading to obedience, he writes that love of others is a key distinguishing feature of discipleship. He says:
The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:9-11)
The Christian faith is individual in the sense that it requires personal faith. Yet, Christian faith is a communal faith in that we are saved into a community of believers with whom we grow. We are not merely saved from sin. We are saved into a family. We are united not only to Christ but also to His people. The New Testament consistently assumes that spiritual growth occurs in the context of meaningful relationships with other believers. Our involvement in community, then, displays our spiritual health.
But spiritual growth is not merely displayed through our love for one another (John 13:35). Rather, community is required for spiritual growth. All of Paul’s “one another” commands, for example, remind us that we need each other if we are to continue to look more like Jesus. Hebrews 10:25 cautions us not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves together” and the reason this is dangerous, Paul says, is because we need mutual exhortation. This is an idea first promoted in Hebrews 3:13 where the encouragement is to exhort one another so that no one is “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” In other words, according to Scripture, spiritual growth is a community project.
Many modern Christians desire spiritual growth while remaining largely disconnected from meaningful Christian relationships. Yet the New Testament knows nothing of a disciple who follows Jesus while remaining detached from His people. The same Savior who calls us to Himself also calls us into His body. Healthy spiritual growth, then, will be displayed in involvement in the Christian community. Is this person meaningfully connected to other believers? Are they known and knowing others?Are they giving and receiving care?Are they pursuing growth alongside God’s people? We want to see someone who knows they need the community and knows that the community needs them.
Finally, Discipleship Competency –> One final way we evidence spiritual growth, particularly in relationships, is in our ability to help others grow in their likeness to Christ. The one-another commands, as we have said, are mutual. They require both our receptivity to input from others, and our wisdom in promoting godliness in others. We are called not merely to be accountable, but to hold others accountable. We are called not merely to receive rebuke, but to rebuke. We are called not merely to receive exhortation, but to exhort. So, a spiritually healthy person knows how to help others grow and is committed to that work. A spiritually mature Christian possesses the wisdom and skill necessary to help other believers follow Jesus.
While Jesus originally delivered the Great Commission to the Apostles, the commission itself belongs to the church. Because Christ commands disciple-making until “the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20), the task necessarily extends beyond the lives of the Apostles and remains the responsibility of Christ’s people today. Jesus did not merely call His followers to become disciples; He called them to make disciples. Healthy spiritual evaluations, then, will want to consider the competency of a believer in helping others to “obey all that [Jesus]” commands.
Far too often, in the modern church we think of “ministry” as something the paid pastoral staff does. But Paul actually states plainly that the pastor’s role is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:11). In otherwords, ministry is what all Christians do. We are all called to this level of work and mature Christians display their competency in this ministry.
We may ask, then, do I know the relevant passages of Scripture to speak into a person’s situation? Do I know how to wisely apply those passages of Scripture to a person’s situation? Do I have the discernment to know when to warn, comfort, or help those in various struggles (1 These. 5:14)? Can I speak the truth in love? Can I practically bear burdens and walk with those struggling? We must evaluate more than knowledge and love, we must evaluate competency in care. Biblical Content gives us truth to share. Christlike Character gives us credibility in sharing it. Christian Community gives us the relationships in which to share it. Discipleship Competency is the ability to wisely and lovingly apply those things for the benefit of others.
Discipleship competency should not be confused with professional expertise. Spiritually healthy believers do not need to know everything about every struggle, nor must they become professional counselors. They do, however, need to know how to care for others, apply Scripture wisely, bear burdens faithfully, and encourage fellow believers toward Christ. That ability is a hallmark of spiritual maturity.
Conclusion
The Four C’s remind us that God is interested in more than producing informed Christians or busy Christians. He is forming people. He is shaping what we believe, how we live, how we relate to others, and how we participate in His work. Healthy discipleship, therefore, must aim at the whole person. As you evaluate your spiritual health, ask not merely what you know or what you do. Consider your growth in Biblical Content, Christlike Character, Christian Community, and Discipleship Competency. The healthiest believers and churches will not excel in only one of these areas, but will pursue growth in all four.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 