Let Us Press On to Maturity!

Christian maturity…though we who have believed on Christ are Christians, we still have some difficulty grasping what a fully mature Believer is. It is true, God is not interested in giving us pacifiers forever! He would have us advance in our faith and grow-up in the Lord Jesus. Maturity is His design and desire for all of His beloved children in Christ. Sometimes the Scriptures use the term “perfection” to refer to spiritual maturity.  It is important to note that “perfection” (Heb. 6:1) is not sinless perfection or completely flawless living; it is progressing in spiritual development—growing up in Christ (Phil. 3:12-15; Col. 1:28; 4:12). Like any good parents, God does not want us to be spiritual babies forever; His will is for us to grow up strong and tall in our Lord. Furthermore, every believer in appreciation of our salvation and as a demonstration of genuine love for Christ should strive to become a fully functional disciple of Jesus Christ. Let us press on to maturity!

“Perfection” (Heb. 6:1) is not some notion that we can become sinless or that we cease to violate God’s perfect moral standards. As Christians we still have a fallen carnal nature that desires dominance of our being. Though we can walk in the Spirit refusing to give in to the desires of a fleshly life, we still will have occasions when we have failed the Lord, our love ones, and ourselves. Though we yearn for the day when we will no longer sin, which is after the Rapture, for now we battle the flesh to deny it any expression as much as possible. “Perfection,” according to Hebrews 6:1, should be understood as pointing to a fully developed disciple of Christ (Phil. 3:12-15; Col. 1:28; 4:12). No Believer has ever achieved ‘sinless perfection’ or has ceased to sin. Some have claimed to, but these are less then genuine claims! All great Christians endeavor to live holy, pure, righteous lives to the glory of God, but no biblical person ever claimed to become sinless during their trek here on earth. Even the Apostle Paul was painstakingly clear that he had not arrived, but He was still in full pursuit of God’s high calling in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:8-21). So it is with you and me; we must press on to perfection. Yes, onward, upward, and ever higher in our Lord and God by His grace and the power of His blessed Spirit—maturing. Becoming more like the Lord Jesus from the inside out is the goal!

Hebrews 5:14, teaches us the mature Believers have grown in the Word, and use it with notable profit in daily life. First, we note how solid spiritual food is for the full-grown, the perfect or mature Believer (Matt. 5:48; Eph. 5:1; Js. 3:2). This is like contrasting a bottle of milk with a T-Bone steak; steaks are not for babies! By obeying the light we have received from God’s Word, mature saints are able to formulate spiritual judgments and save themselves from moral and doctrinal dangers. Secondly, we note how mature Believers habitually and vigorously use or exercise their perceptive faculties/senses (Heb. 5:14). This results in the ability to discriminate between good and evil teachings, values, and actions.  Therefore, the mature Believer is well-informed, decisive, perceptive, sensitive, and while settled in their principles are still growing.

Again the ability to exercise our spiritual senses is a mark of maturity. As we apply the Word, we exercise our “spiritual senses” and develop spiritual discernment. It is a characteristic of little children that they lack discernment. A baby will put anything into its mouth. An immature Believer will listen to any preacher on the radio, television, or internet and not be able to identify whether or not he is true to the Scriptures. Likewise they may be a student in college, but because of spiritual immaturity they are unable to recognize principles and values that are diametrically opposed to the Christian Faith. Just as our physical bodies have senses without which we could not function, so our inner “spiritual man” has “spiritual senses” (Wiersbe, W.). For example: “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear” (Matt. 13:16). As we feed on the Word of God and apply it in daily situations, our inner “spiritual senses” get their exercise and become strong and keen. We taste, hear, and see spiritual realities in richer and deeper significance. This in turn influences our motives, aspirations, and behavior patterns. Paul called this process exercising ourselves unto godliness (1 Tim. 4:7–8). Atrophy sets in when we fail to get enough exercise!

In addition, the mission of each New Testament Church is articulated by the Lord Jesus Christ after His resurrection and just before His ascension to Heaven.  He communicates the Great Commission in passages like Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; Acts 1:8. One of the primary intentions of these passages is to make and mature disciples in Christ. Churches were established to execute this God-given objective. This involves reaching lost people (evangelize) and moving them along a continuum towards maturity (edify). Maturity is just as important as evangelizing. Though the Bible uses different terms there is great stress on the objective of growing believers to full development (Eph. 4:13, 15; Phil. 3:12, 15; Heb. 6:1; Gal. 4:19; Col. 1:28; Matt. 5:48; Rom. 6:19, 22).

There should be continuous training through-out the Believer’s life as well. Such continuing training can be respectively likened unto high school, college, and then productive entry into the marketplace as a contributing member of society (Hemphil, K.). Such discipleship development would consist of the following features:

i.          Understanding that ongoing doctrinal training is essential to maturation (Hebrews 6:1-2)

ii.          Recognizing that Christian character is forged in the crucible of relationships (Ephesians 3:18-19)

iii.         Embracing skills development as essential to productive service (1 Timothy 4:12-15)

iv.         Calling believers to make deep commitments to Christ, and holding them accountable (Mark 8:34-38)

v.         Unleashing mature Believers into reproductive service (2 Timothy 2:2) (Hemphil, K.: The Antioch Effect)

So then, what does a fully mature and functional disciple of Jesus Christ look like? That is a fair question and the answer, though simple, is not as obvious anymore. We must identify these characteristics because they serve as sign posts on our journey to Christ-likeness. Without them we lose our way in the confusion of traditions, poor models, mystery, misconceptions, and pure nonsense! The importance of this can never be overstated; direction is afforded and motivation is fueled when we know where we are headed.  These mature characteristics are the objectives we are to aim for. We must not only identify these, but also fix our minds and hearts upon them with the hope of maturing.

A survey of the Scriptures reveal these features in mature disciples: they worship (Rom. 12:1-2), pray (1 Thess. 5:17), evangelize (Col. 4:3), know and apply Scripture to their lives (2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 5:11-6:3), serve the church body (Eph. 4:11-13), partake of communion (1 Cor. 11:23-26), display the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), give of their finances (2 Cor. 9:6-15), love others (1 John 4:7), and bear spiritual fruit (John 15:5) (Malphurs, Hemphill, & Chappell). These are the primary traits we must concentrate on in cooperation with the Spirit of grace. This is not merely a list of dos and don’ts; it is a portrait of genuine maturity and requires real faith in God's grace to realize. Along with these specific traits, I would further suggest that mature Believers embrace higher motives and are stimulated by roundly biblical values. They are stirred to glorify God above all, express compassion for the unsaved, love God supremely and their fellowman as their own person. While they are not ‘perfect,’ they do routinely evidence the chief graces of faith, hope, and charity (love) (1 Cor. 13:13).

Each of us, with the help of the Spirit, should demonstrate these priorities from the heart in devotion to Christ. As we do so, we will grow. Feed the heart and spirit with the Word of God and exercise yourself in the truths God is teaching...and you will grow (1 Pet. 2:2). Also younger Believers will understand better what to aim for in their own growth journeys as they witness us pioneering new territory in Christ (1 Tim. 4:15). Common sense tells us the likelihood of arriving at the proper destination (2 Cor. 3:17, 18) depends greatly upon knowing what the destination is at the beginning of the journey!

Pressing onward and upward in Christ as Paul did in Philippians 3 should be our focus. Ever steadfastly looking to God for grace and then making full diligent use of that grace to become more like our Lord Jesus. Becoming more like Him in devotion, commitment, sacrifice, generosity, power, peace, sufferings, and joy is what we take careful aim at. This is the very thing that Peter prescribed for all Believers in 2 Peter 2 requiring that we diligently add to our faith many more Christian virtues. Much like a newborn baby craves milk for its incredible hunger; let us desire the pure Word of God that we may grow to full maturity (1 Pet. 2:2). So there you have it; a snap shot of biblical maturity free of any mystery, misconceptions, and false traditions. Let us set a goal of growth in the Lord. Choose the area the Spirit of God indicates He desires to work on in you. Concentrate on Christ in the Word as He models that quality, and trust the Spirit to develop it in you. I will be doing the same for myself. I know our Lord is pleased as we see this through by His grace. Now then, Beloved, let us press on to perfection!