THE COMPLETE GREEN LETTERS
Miles J. Stanford
(1914-1999)

Background – I encountered Miles and his written correspondence ministry in the months following my “new-birth – John 3” awakening of October 9th, 1969. For the next 30 years, Miles served as both a spiritual mentor and occasional surrogate father in a virtual capacity.

Miles J. Stanford was an American “evangelical/fundamentalist” author, who beginning in the early 1940s, immersed himself in so-called “deeper life” Christian literature and writers of the late 19th and early 20th century. Later, his spiritual journey led him to literary works of the early leaders of the mid-19th century Plymouth Brethren (PB) movement of Great Britain. Most prominent of these was John Nelson Darby, who served as the primary source for the global rediscovery of Pauline theology.

The Complete Green Letters (TCGL) was commercially published in 1975 by Zondervan under their Clarion Classic series. “Green” for spiritual growth. The book is comprised of five selected booklets: The Green Letters, The Principle of Position, The Ground of Growth, The Reckoning That Counts, and Abide Above, which were previously mass-printed (Living Spring Press, Hong Kong) and widely distributed in conjunction with Miles’ personal correspondence ministry. Zondervan’s choice of ordering the booklets reflected neither the history nor the best approach for reading and digesting the contents of these original works. My recommended approach to reading is as follows:

1) Foundations of Spiritual Growth – Chapters 19-28 (The Principle of Position)
After years of one-on-one ministry, Miles came to see the critical need for a safe and sound doctrinal foundation to the Christian life. With correspondent’s inadequate grasp of the Bible (understood through a grammatical-historical hermeneutic and Christian basics), they typically struggled to understand and experientially enter the mature spiritual truths of the Pauline epistles—the believer’s standing in the New Creation and connection (“identification”) to the Cross and Risen Life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2) Principles of Spiritual Growth – Chapters 1-18 (The Green Letters)
The most widely known, The Green Letters, (green for growth) were written between 1960 and 1964 and sent out free every other month to fifteen hundred (1,500) “born-again” believers who were hungry for spiritual growth in their Christian life. These “letters” emphasize the doctrinal growth truths of Paul’s epistles (e.g., Romans 6-8)—the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seated beyond. The Green Letters are the most devotional in character and reflect a broadly eclectic, evangelical flavor.

3) The Ground of Growth – Chapters 29-39 (The Ground of Growth)
Originally published in 1971, three months after The Principle of Position, these ten chapters plus a one-page summary are the most theologically ‘dense’ and doctrinally rich of the book. Like the original PBs, Miles Stanford was a prolific writer and largely self-published. His literature was extensively circulated via USPS mail among his global “hungry-heart” correspondents/community. Like the PBs, Miles believed lasting ministry was both spiritual in nature and should be personal—precise truth tailored to the needs of the individual. Mass revivalism, except for some rare moments in history, was typically shallow and unacceptable.

4) The Realization of Spiritual Growth – Chapters 40-54 (The Reckoning That Counts)
The Reckoning That Counts was written from 1964 to 1966 as a follow-up to The Green Letters and to those correspondents wanting further elaboration of the vital FAITH aspect of appropriating the “identification truths.” For those accustomed to the Christian life being centered in “works” or continuous religious activity (the “barrenness of busyness”), settling into the positional truths of the Word and genuine spiritual growth often is a struggle or initiated by a personal crisis.

5) A Guide to Spiritual Growth – Chapters 55-71 (Abide Above)
These chapters represent a collection of various related and unique topics that arose during Miles Stanford’s five-decades-long correspondence ministry. The first three focus upon the believer’s forensic position of being “seated with Christ the heavenlies.” Chapter 58 contrasts selected voices of the Protestant Reformation’s emphasis upon “law as a rule of life” versus “Christ as Our Life.” The next eight take up various organizational dynamics believers might encounter in a local assembly or church. Chapters 67 to 69 touch upon the plague of so-called “healing” and “tongues” found in the Pentecostal/charismatic movement, which the author treated expansively in his publications—The Red Letters and The Line Drawn. Because of their polemic/critical nature, neither the Red Letters nor Line Drawn were included in TCGL. The last two chapters in the book provide brief overviews of the doctrinal points found in the centuries-long theological conflict between Calvinism (Reformation Covenantal theology) and Arminianism (Anglo-Catholic humanism).

© Dan R Smedra
withChrist.org ( )

Recommended by: Pat Mote (2016 Fall)

This book changed my life ( )