If you missed yesterday's post, stop here and read it now, or this one may not make much sense to you. We have been discussing spiritual maturity, but you need to see the background work we did in order to really understand.
The passages I have for you today all touch on a similar topic. Let's get them all before us. Be sure to read carefully so you can find the word that means "mature."
…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (Eph 4:13-15).
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. (Col 4:12).
By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (1John 4:17).
All of these passages speak to a mature mindset in a child of God. If we are not mature, we will be easily deceived, believing one thing one day and another the next, always in danger of losing our souls to the next conman who comes along. We must teach our children not to help the stranger find his puppy. We adults see right through the trick. We must do that spiritually, too, becoming so familiar with God's Word that it becomes practically impossible to deceive us.
In the second passage, the issue is standing firm, fully assured. Having doubts along the way may be perfectly normal at the beginning. But as you mature in Christ, studying and learning and growing, those doubts should melt like Frosty on a warm morning. If, after many years, those doubts still pester me, I did not grow up in Christ, I stagnated on the pew. It's time to get to work. Maybe I need to work on the things we talked about yesterday. Maybe I need more training "to discern good and evil" (Heb 5:14). Whatever it is, I need to attack those doubts before Satan uses them to attack my faith.
The third passage then follows logically. When I have grown to a full assurance, I will be able to stand before God on the Day of Judgment without fear. Just as I grew out of my doubts about Him, I will have grown out of my doubts about myself. I will understand grace and love like the babe I used to be could not. Finally, I will stand next to my Big Brother and be able to measure myself against his maturity and though I may still be an inch or two short, at least I will have narrowed the gap.
And there you have it in two relatively short posts—how to measure your spiritual growth. I hope you toes aren't too sore to stand up and measure yourself every day and see how far you have come.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2)
Dene Ward
The passages I have for you today all touch on a similar topic. Let's get them all before us. Be sure to read carefully so you can find the word that means "mature."
…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (Eph 4:13-15).
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. (Col 4:12).
By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (1John 4:17).
All of these passages speak to a mature mindset in a child of God. If we are not mature, we will be easily deceived, believing one thing one day and another the next, always in danger of losing our souls to the next conman who comes along. We must teach our children not to help the stranger find his puppy. We adults see right through the trick. We must do that spiritually, too, becoming so familiar with God's Word that it becomes practically impossible to deceive us.
In the second passage, the issue is standing firm, fully assured. Having doubts along the way may be perfectly normal at the beginning. But as you mature in Christ, studying and learning and growing, those doubts should melt like Frosty on a warm morning. If, after many years, those doubts still pester me, I did not grow up in Christ, I stagnated on the pew. It's time to get to work. Maybe I need to work on the things we talked about yesterday. Maybe I need more training "to discern good and evil" (Heb 5:14). Whatever it is, I need to attack those doubts before Satan uses them to attack my faith.
The third passage then follows logically. When I have grown to a full assurance, I will be able to stand before God on the Day of Judgment without fear. Just as I grew out of my doubts about Him, I will have grown out of my doubts about myself. I will understand grace and love like the babe I used to be could not. Finally, I will stand next to my Big Brother and be able to measure myself against his maturity and though I may still be an inch or two short, at least I will have narrowed the gap.
And there you have it in two relatively short posts—how to measure your spiritual growth. I hope you toes aren't too sore to stand up and measure yourself every day and see how far you have come.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2)
Dene Ward
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