13 Nov The Five Things That Must Happen for You to be Spiritually Mature
There are five things that have to happen in order for for us to become spiritually mature. If these things happen in sufficient measure, we’ll become spiritually mature. If one of these things is left out, we don’t become spiritually mature.
Part of the process depends on God and part of the process depends on us. Here’s the equation:
The Work of God + Personal Commitment + the Word of God + Other Believers + Time & Trials = Spiritual Maturity.
We can reduce it to: WG + PC + WG + OB + T&T = SM.
WG = Work of God: The spiritual growth process begins with God. He is the one who gives us the desire to do His will, and He gives us increasing ability to do His will (Philippians 2:12–13). It is His Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and calls us to righteousness (John 16:8), who enables us to understand the truth of Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:12–14), and gradually changes us so that our character begins to reflect God’s character (Galatians 5:22–23). That is the Work of God.
PC = Personal Commitment: Then we must respond to this work, as Philippians 2:12 tells us, to work out our salvation. We are not passive in the spiritual growth process. We cannot generate our own spiritual growth, but God will not grant us spiritual growth unless we are pursuing it. Francis Schaeffer called this “active passivity.” We cannot do it, but God will not do it unless we are pursuing it.
The apostle Paul described his own personal commitment to his spiritual growth process in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27:
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
This is a picture of one who “works out his salvation with fear and trembling.” It is not a lackadaisical or haphazard process, but one involving strategy and commitment.
WG = Word of God: The Word of God is essential to the spiritual growth process. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
To the degree that we do not know the truth, we are vulnerable to ignorance and deception.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 adds to the centrality of the Scriptures to the spiritual growth process: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
If we are not to be vulnerable to ignorance and deception, if we are to be adequate, thoroughly equipped for every good work, we must master the Bible so well that the Bible masters us.
OB = Other Believers: The Christian life was not meant to be lived alone. God intends us to be Three Musketeers, not LoneRangers.
In fact, God has stacked the deck against us. We cannot make it alone. We need others and others need us. The Bible refers to Christians, collectively, as a body, indicating that just as individual members of a body cannot make it alone, so individual members of the body of Christ cannot make it alone (Romans 12:5).
In Ephesians 4:16, the apostle Paul tells us that it is as each individual member of the body of Christ makes its contribution to the whole, that the whole body grows to maturity.
Christians must be integrated into a body of believers, making their contribution to the “whole,” and allowing the “whole” to make its contribution to them, in order to grow to spiritual maturity.
T&T = Time and Trials: The process of growing to spiritual maturity always takes place over time and includes trials.
As for “time,” 1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like new born babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation”. Just as a physical baby must grow to physical maturity over time, so a spiritual baby must grow to spiritual maturity over time. You can’t be holy in a hurry.
In addition to time, it takes “trials” to grow to spiritual maturity. The apostle James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (1:2–4).
In a similar passage, the apostle Paul wrote, “We exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3–5).
Just as strenuous physical effort brings the athlete to peak physical condition, so trials are used by God to bring the Christian to peak spiritual condition.
Conclusion
So…when each element of the Spiritual Maturity Equation is present in sufficient measure, the Christian can become spiritually mature. If one element is not present in sufficient measure, the Christian will not be spiritually mature. Knowing this, we can more fully cooperate with God in his divine strategy, and reap the reward of love, joy and peace that come to those who are spiritually mature.
To that end, I encourage you to trust God to do His part and be faithful to do your part!
If you want to get a good overview of what a spiritually mature Christian looks like, check out this post on The 7 Marks of a Complete Christian.
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