Maturity in Christ

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 5:11-14

Key Verse: Hebrews 5:14

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

I don’t think I have ever met anyone that is okay with the title of “immature”. I think this is the reason that immature people stay immature; they refuse to recognize their need.

Today’s Key Verse is straightforward and tough talk from the Hebrews author to the believers of that day. The author tells his readers that some of them are “spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen”. Ouch!

The author goes on to tell them that they ought to be ready to be teachers since they have been believers for so long. However, these believers needed to learn “basic things about God’s Word” (Hebrews 5:12c).

I don’t think this type of confrontation would work well in most of our modern churches! However, I do believe that this challenges all of us to take an honest look at our walk with God and evaluate whether we are in the mature crowd or the immature.

Let’s look at a couple of indicators that can help us determine to which crowd we belong.

First, determine how long you have been a believer. If you have only been a believer for a year or two, you can assume that you may be immature in your knowledge of deep, spiritual truths, but that is okay while you push yourself to keep growing in the faith.

If you realize that you have been a believer for five years or more, then you should be mature in Christ.

(By the way, these times are not exact, are not Biblical, nor are they it standard for all believers. After 45 years as a pastor, I’m giving these years as a general estimation.)

How can you tell if you are mature? Our scriptural passage for today tells us that a mature person doesn’t need to keep going back over the basic things in God’s Word.

This doesn’t mean that we never need to review the basics, but it does mean that a mature believer has moved on to the deeper truths of God’s Word.

The basics of God’s Word might include:

• God’s love never fails,
• The Bible is the inspired Word of God,
• Jesus is the Son of God and came to save us from our sins,
• We are saved by our faith and not by our works,
• Praying and reading the Bible daily is how we grow and stay connected to God, and
• Our lives can be free of constant, continual, and premediated sins.

The more mature person digs into things like:

• Being sanctified holy,
• Finding and using their spiritual gifts,
• Loving difficult to love people, and
• Study habits that can lead to becoming a teacher of God’s Word.

Neither of these lists are exhaustive, but hopefully they help you evaluate your journey with God.

Father, help me to become ever more mature in my faith, In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.