Spiritual Maturity

The New Testament is very clear that Christians are to grow and mature in the faith. Peter describes new converts as “newborn babes” who are to “desire the pure milk of the word” that they may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:1). What does spiritual maturity look like? How would we know spiritual maturity when we see it?

Growth in Knowledge and Understanding

As 1 Peter 2:1 implies, exposure to the word of God should produce spiritual growth. Ephesians 4:11-16 speaks of gifts Christ gave to the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These gifts were given that the church might be equipped for service, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,” and “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” Growth in knowledge is vital if we are to walk in the teachings of Christ and not be turned aside by false teachings. As disciples of Christ we must continue to learn from our master.

With knowledge should come understanding and discernment. Not only should we understand what Christ taught, but we should discern what his teachings imply for situations which are not specifically addressed in Scripture. The Hebrew writer describes the mature saying, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). The mature do not need explicit commands of what they must do or must not do. They are able to discern what is good and what is evil based on the principles laid down in the word of God.

Growth in Character and Conduct

Growth in knowledge and understanding is vital, but it is not enough. The real challenge of spiritual growth is maturing in character – in how you think and what you do. Discipleship is both learning and following. Ephesians 4:13,15 makes the standard clear: we are to grow “to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” and “speaking the truth in love, [we must] grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” A spiritually mature individual will behave like Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to be like Christ? Let us look at a few challenging passages:

Romans 13:14 – “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

Philippians 2:3 – “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

John 15:12-13 – “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her”

Luke 19:10 – “... the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Beyond scriptural knowledge, how mature am I? Do I make provision for the flesh? Do I give the pursuit of pleasure, entertainment, and “me-time” a large place in my life? Do I pursue the praise of men? Do I seek position and recognition? Is my life all about me or primarily about others? Do I think highly of myself? Do I love my spouse as much as Christ loves the church? Do I love others enough to invest in them? Do I seek those who need to be saved? Do I have patience with and compassion for the lost? Do I share Jesus’ view of the souls around me?

I do not know about you, but I have some more maturing to do.

-  Pat Gaughan

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Adorning the Doctrine

Titus 2:9-10: “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”

That phrase, “adorn the doctrine,” is especially expressive.  One translation renders it:  “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”  Our English word “cosmetic” is derived from the Greek word for “adorn,” which is defined as:

1.  to put in order, to arrange

2.  to ornament, to adorn

3.  to embellish with honor

As Christians we are expected to live in a way that makes the gospel beautiful to those who observe us.

How about you?  Does your conduct, speech, and treatment of others cause them to be repelled from hearing the teaching of Christ?  Or does it “make the teaching about our Savior attractive?”

-  Selected

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All It Takes

French cleric and diplomat Charles-Maurice Tallyrand was once approached by a man who said that he had developed a new religion which he considered a great improvement over Christianity.  However it had failed to catch on with the people, and he asked for advice on how to give it greater appeal.

Tallyrand dryly replied, “To insure the success of your new religion, all you need to do is have yourself crucified and then rise from the dead on the third day!”

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