Christian Maturity

QUESTION: Christian maturity - Is it important in the church?

ANSWER:

Christian Maturity is an important thing in the life of a Christian. What is spiritual maturity? It is moving beyond the basics and moving towards a life of full devotion of God.

Hebrews 5:13-6:3 sums up the need for Christian maturity. "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so."

As Christians, we need to learn and grow in our faith and understanding of God. This is what spiritual maturity is all about, taking our faith to the next level. What needs to be done to grow spiritually? Commit yourself to a life of study and learn more about God through Bible study and fellowship with other believers. Another component to maturity involves regular communication with God through prayer. Another component is adapting a lifestyle that reflects this new life that has been found.

How does this apply to the church? 2 Timothy 4:2-6 states the obvious: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season, correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardships, do all the work of evangelists, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

Spiritual maturity certainly pertains to the church, because we must not fall short on our jobs of encouraging one another, praying for each other, helping each other grow spiritually as we learn more about God together, and then fulfilling our job as evangelists.