The primary goal of a
parent (biological or spiritual) is the spiritual maturity of his or her
children. But what exactly is
spiritual maturity? How does the Bible define it?
There are a handful of passages that speak
to this. I am going to draw primarily from three: Hebrews 6:1-2, Philippians 3:4-11,
and Romans 12. These passages each identify various steps on the road to
spiritual maturity. There is some overlap between them, so I’ve combined them
into one expanded list.
1. Repentance from Dead Works (Hebrew 6:1, Philippians
3:4-9)
2. Faith in God (Hebrews 6:1, Philippians 3:9)
3. Knowing God (Philippians 3:10)
4. Sanctification / Mind Renewal (Hebrews 6:2, Romans 12:1-3)
5. Walking in Unique Gifts & Calling (Philippians 3:10,
Romans 12:6-8, Hebrews 6:2)
6. The Fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings (Philippians 3:10)
7.
Being Conformed to Christ’s Death (Philippians 3:10, Romans 12:14-21)
This list presupposes an initial surrender
of overt, willful sin took place at conversion. Also, each of these steps is an
area we (hopefully) continue to grow in our entire lives. I don’t want to give
the wrong impression that one step must be fully conquered before moving on to
the next. Now, let’s break down each step.
1. Repentance from Dead Works (Hebrew 6:1, Philippians 3:4-9)
The writer of Hebrews identified “repentance
from dead works” as the “foundation” of Christianity. Every time we
do something that appears “good” or “Christian” or “spiritual”, but
subconsciously seek to feed our sense of self-worth or compensate for
underlying guilt, we perform a dead work.
This does not mean we should not exercise
discipline. It does not mean we should stop praying, reading scripture, or
assembling with other believers if we do these things out of guilt or
self-righteousness. But it does mean being honest with God and others about the
condition of our hearts and asking Him to change us.
We can also use parenthood or our careers
as dead works – anything we rely on to help us feel acceptable. However, dead
works are especially toxic when infused with religion and spirituality. Dead
works are at the heart of every false religion. Even atheists want to feel like
good people and often expend a tremendous amount of effort to convince
themselves they are.
In Philippians 3:4-9, Paul listed several
factors from which he might have derived self-worth – his nationality, his
family of origin, his impeccable moral behavior, his career advancement, his
respectability in the eyes of his peers. Yet he gave up finding any value
whatsoever in these things, saying:
“…those things I have counted as loss for
the sake of Christ… I have suffered the loss of all things so that I may gain
Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived
from the Law [i.e. dead works]…”
Dead works are serious and dangerous. In a
way, they are more deadly than overt sin because they are so deceptive. They
have the appearance of righteousness. They cause some believers to think they
are growing closer to God when they are actually pushing Him away. They cause
other believers to think they can never be good enough for God and give up
following Him under a cloud of condemnation.
Because repentance from dead works is so foundational,
it is often the most heavily attacked area of a believer’s life. Satan
constantly pressures us to try to earn God’s acceptance through moral
performance, and then gets us to pressure others (including our children) in
the same way. The way to combat this is found in the next step – Faith in God.
A Personal Story
Dead works are ingrained in our fallen
nature even from childhood. When I was four years old, I stole several dollars’
worth of quarters from my dad’s home office. For the next two days, I felt
physically sick with guilt. I was afraid to expose my sin to my father, so I
secretly brought the money to church the next Sunday and put it in the
offering, hoping to alleviate my guilt.
It seemed to work. I began to feel better.
My relationship with my father had not been restored since I was still hiding
something from him. But at least I could reason to myself that I was not a bad
person since I ultimately gave the money away to a holy cause.
This is the quintessence of a dead work.
It hides the truth of our condition. If I had the courage to tell my dad the
truth, he would have reacted exactly as God does – he would have forgiven me
and reaffirmed his love for me.
Incredibly, God kept my pursuing my little
4-year-old heart. The senior pastor of this large church happened to see
me put the money in the offering and mailed a letter to my parents praising
their son’s virtuous character! When my parents read it and began telling me
how proud they were of me, I knew I was a fraud. God gave me a wonderful
opportunity to come into the light and confess my sin, but I still chose not to
out of fear. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful illustration of the deceptive
nature of dead works.
2. Faith in God (Hebrews 6:1, Philippians
3:9)
Hebrews 6:1 and Philippians 3:9 identify
the second step of maturity as “faith toward God” or “faith in
Christ”. Faith in God does not just mean believing He exists; it is
agreement with the Bible about what He has done and what He is like.
This means believing our sins are really
forgiven, He really loves us, and our relationship to Him is the foundation of
our purpose and value. When we believe this from our hearts, not just as an
intellectual concept, dead works are no longer necessary—there is no reason to
work for something we already have.
Jesus said in John 15:9-10, “Just as
the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep
My commandments, you will abide in My love.” Christ loves us exactly as the
Father loves Him – infinitely. It never changes or wavers in the slightest. Our
obedience or disobedience to His commands doesn’t affect it one iota. It only
affects whether we “abide” in it, which means we allow our lives to be
directed and shaped by it.
3. Knowing God (Philippians 3:10)
The apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10 sets
apart “…that I may know Him…” as distinct from other steps. This refers
to knowing God relationally and experientially. It means having a
unique personal history together. Like any relationship, it means two-way
interaction.
Relationship with God can be hard to
define since He is invisible and inaudible, but it is probably more familiar to
each of us than we might initially realize. For example, ask yourself the
following questions:
·
Have
you ever experienced God giving you wisdom about a situation in your life?
·
Has
He changed your desires or priorities over time?
·
Has
He ever orchestrated circumstances in a way that His hand was evident?
·
Have
you ever gone to church and the message “coincidentally” addressed exactly what
you were going through?
·
Have
you ever felt His presence in a palpable way?
·
Has
He ever opened your eyes to a sinful pattern you were previously oblivious to?
·
Has
He ever healed you from a past emotional wound?
·
Has
He ever comforted you during a time of grief?
·
Has
He ever empowered you to overcome a fear or anxiety or bitterness that
previously seemed insurmountable?
·
Has
He ever guided you through an important decision, perhaps by imparting a sense
of peace or clarity about what to choose?
·
Has
He ever touched you with overwhelming emotions during a time of worship?
·
Has
He opened your mind to understand a scripture you did not previously understand?
·
Has He shown you
how to pray for someone by guiding your thoughts during the prayer?
·
Has He given you
just the right thing to say to a hurting friend in need of encouragement?
·
Have you ever had
a dream you felt was from the Lord?
·
Has
He ever spoken something timely and personal to you through His word, during
prayer, or through other believers?
Most believers have experienced several,
if not all, of these. Knowing God is our source of life. It is what
enables us to live out every other step. It is how biblical truth moves from
our minds to our hearts.
No matter how much we agree intellectually
with correct doctrines, we will only give up dead works to the extent we experience
how much God loves and values us. We will only find freedom from guilt to the
extent we experience His forgiveness. We will only be sanctified or
fulfill our calling to the extent we experience His grace at work in our
lives.
I’m not saying there isn’t a place for
exercising faith when our feelings or experiences don’t seem to line up with
biblical truth. But there is nevertheless a maturation that only takes place as
a result of time and experience.
Christians are encouraged to read our
Bibles, spend time in prayer, and assemble in community. However, we are not as
frequently told why to do them. These are primary vehicles through which
God’s Spirit interacts with us. They are food and water. We cannot grow
spiritually without these things any more than we can grow physically without
eating or drinking.
4. Sanctification / Mind Renewal (Hebrews 6:2, Romans
12:2-3)
The next maturity step listed by the
author of Hebrews is, “instructions about washings”, which refers to the
process of sanctification. Sanctification means letting go of sinful
habits and attitudes and replacing them with righteous ones. Similarly, Paul
wrote in Romans 12:2, “…do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Mind Renewal
refers to letting go of false, worldly beliefs and replacing them with
righteous ones.
Let’s break up Sanctification / Mind
Renewal into four categories:
1) Exercising Self-Control
2) Responding to Conviction
3) Viewing God Accurately
4) Viewing Ourselves Accurately
Exercising Self-Control
Part of sanctification is exercising
self-control. This is why “self-control” is a fruit of the Spirit
(Galatians 5:23). Self-control means repeatedly rejecting sinful thoughts,
words, and actions and instead choosing righteous ones until they become habitual.
This pursuit is greatly affected by what media, relationships, and biblical
teaching (or lack thereof) we let into our lives.
Proverbs 24:16 says “a righteous man
falls seven times, and rises again”. People don’t form new habits
instantly. It is simply impossible. It takes time and practice. There is no
shame in stumbling if we get up and keep going. God is very patient and gentle
with our sincere attempts to grow in righteousness.
Responding to Conviction
Conviction is a wonderful gift. It is the
most loving thing God can possibly do when we are in sin and don’t realize it.
Or maybe we do realize it, but don’t realize how serious it is.
Conviction is cause for rejoicing. It is
like a wise doctor seeking you out on his own initiative and telling you you
have a very early, very treatable form of cancer. Then he offers to remove it
for you first thing tomorrow morning free of charge. Wouldn’t you be filled
with gratitude toward such a doctor?
God never convicts us without providing
grace to overcome our affliction. The very fact that He is convicting us means
He is also offering us the power to change. This is why conviction is cause for
celebration even though it may initially feel grievous.
There is an awesome picture of this in
Nehemiah 8. When Ezra began reading God’s law to the people they were deeply
convicted. They began to weep because they had disobeyed for so long. However,
Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites said to them:
“This day is holy
to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep. …Go, eat of the fat, drink of the
sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy
to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. …Be
still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
After
this word, they celebrated with a great festival. The people understood that
God’s goal was not to weigh them down with sorrow, but to offer them a new
beginning. Conviction
stands in stark contrast to Satan’s counterfeit – condemnation – which points
out a problem but offers no solution. Condemnation leaves us ashamed and
discouraged, but conviction is accompanied by hope.
When we ignore God’s conviction (as we all
have), it is like telling the wise doctor we don’t want to address the cancer
he found just yet. Instead, we tell him the operation sounds inconvenient and
uncomfortable. We’re not ready to give up the lifestyle that caused the cancer
in the first place. We put it off. The longer we wait, the more serious it
becomes. The operations required to remove it grow more numerous, painful, and
expensive. Eventually, it becomes deadly. The cancer of unrepented sin can kill
our relationships, our calling, and even our faith. Therefore, a major part of
Christian maturity is learning to embrace and celebrate God’s conviction.
Viewing God Accurately
God is not a Restrictor, but a Fulfiller.
He does not withhold good things from us; He protects us with wise boundaries.
There is nothing in the universe God cannot give us or would not give us.
Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over
for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” James
1:17 says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights.” The ironic truth is that the vast
majority of sins Christians commit are in pursuit of things God already
plans to give us!
Below is a list of several common sins
followed by short descriptions of the godly desires they seek to fulfill:
·
Sexual
Immorality – Godly desire
for sexual fulfillment
·
Witchcraft – Godly desire to connect to the
spiritual realm, since God is a spirit, as are we.
·
Greed
/ Jealousy – Godly desire
to steward wealth/possessions, provide for loved ones, exercise generosity;
enjoyment of a home, food, travel, experiences, and everything money can buy.
·
Pride
/ Envy – Godly desire to
be affirmed and feel valuable or significant
·
Fear
/ Anxiety – Godly desire
to make wise plans and see them fulfilled
·
Substance
Abuse – Godly desire for
encouragement, refreshment, and relief from pain or stress
·
Unforgiveness – Godly desire for healing and a restored
relationship
·
Idolatry – Godly desire for any good thing
that is not prioritized above our desire to know God and obey Him
Satan’s tactic since the beginning of
creation was to offer a forbidden shortcut to something God already planned to
give. In Genesis 3, he said to Eve, “In
the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.” God wanted Adam and Eve’s eyes to be opened
eyes (ex. Ephesian 1:18). He wanted them to be like Him (ex. Ephesians
5:1). He wanted them to discern good and evil (ex. Hebrews 5:14). Each
of these attributes would have increased in them the longer they walked with
God.
Satan
tried the same thing with Jesus. He offered Him authority over the earth if He
would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:9), even though God already planned
to give Jesus this authority.
Sin is often pleasurable. The Bible
doesn’t deny this. Hebrews 11:25 says Moses chose to abstain from “the
passing pleasures of sin”. However, the path to freedom often feels like
bondage at first, and the path to bondage often feels freedom at first. If we
were allowed to indulge our most base desires (lust, greed, pride, etc…) as
much as wanted for as long as we wanted, it might initially feel like freedom,
but it would quickly grow into an addiction, resulting in slavery. Not only
would it no longer fulfill us, but we would need it in ever greater measures
just to feel ok.
However, if we trust God’s boundaries and
pursue the good things we desire His way, our ability to enjoy them is richer
and deeper. By learning how to make God our primary source of fulfillment, the
joy we derive from all our secondary desires is magnified.
It is true that not all of our desires
will be fully or even partly fulfilled in this life. This is where an eternal
perspective is vital. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says:
“For momentary,
light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all
comparison, while we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are
seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
This life is very short compared to the
endless millennia we will exist beyond it. The depths of joy, peace, love,
fulfillment, etc… we will experience in the future is far beyond anything we
can imagine right now. Having an eternal perspective is crucial when we must
lay down a deeply-felt desire, either temporarily or permanently, in order to
follow Jesus.
Part of sanctification is learning the
Lordship of Christ, which means to see Him as our King and Judge. It
means we would do or surrender anything we knew with confidence He was asking
of us, even if it involved pain or sacrifice, because He created us and paid
for us. We belong to Him and we are accountable to Him.
View Ourselves Accurately
Paul wrote in Romans 12:3, “…I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than
he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment…”
Another part of Sanctification / Mind Renewal is replacing trust in ourselves
and our abilities with dependence on God. The truth is that we are all far more
dependent on God’s grace and protection than we realize. If God gave the enemy
full access to us, allowing him to orchestrate any temptation he wanted for as
long as he wanted, we would all fall headlong into bondage. The perfect
combination of temptations, wounds, and weaknesses is all that stands between
us and the sin we think we could never commit.
We also have no ability to accomplish
anything of eternal significance apart from God’s empowerment. This is why Paul
wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are adequate in
ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is
from God.” God exalts the humble (James 4:10), displays His strength
through our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and makes wise the simple (Psalm
19:7). However, he opposes the proud (James 4:6), debases human strength, and
nullifies human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). He even does this with His own
children – not just the lost. If we feel self-confident and capable to
accomplish what God is calling us to, we are not ready. However, if we feel
vulnerable and aware of our weaknesses and limitations, that is the safest
place to be.
Next
In the next chapter, we’ll examine the remaining steps on the road to spiritual maturity. What we uncover may lead to you conclude, as I did, that a spiritually mature Christian is perhaps the rarest kind of person in the world.