Maturing in Christ
By Ana Blackwell
When we give our life to Christ we become a new person. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Word says “if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation”. My mind can’t fully comprehend the enormity of that statement but I believe it in my heart. Not only that, but I believe it enough to live in such a way that it can be seen. First by me and then by others. Since I am the only one who knows my motivations and inner thoughts, I am the only one who knows where I am in the growth process. The question I have for you is, where are you in this growing up into salvation process?
I had a baby on October 8th of 2021. She is currently 7 months old. Being a mom to a tiny human has made me appreciate the complexity and overwhelming reality of development.
The first day I held my Amelia, she was tiny and I felt the need to be gentle as I dealt with her. As time passed, she began to grow and seem less and less fragile. My daughter was born 7 lbs, 12 oz. After 7 months, she more than doubled her weight by eating exclusively milk. She even has 2 teeth that came in. Why do I mention all this?
When we become a Christ follower, we begin as a new born child. The Bible states that we start out with spiritual milk. In one of his letters, Peter says “like new born babies, you must crave spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).
Amelia also ate exclusively milk for the first six months of her life. She did great in her progression of development with that alone. The time came when she showed signs of readiness for something other than liquids. A believer must also show signs of readiness in their faith. The only way to do this is by applying the basics that Jesus teaches. It is not enough to simply memorize or recite spiritual principles; otherwise, someone may be well versed in theology and memorize doctrines but never become like Jesus.
Do not misunderstand, the spiritual milk Peter talks about is extremely important. In fact, when we first come from darkness into light, we need to exclusively focus on the basic principles until they are so deeply rooted that they become a part of us. Some of these foundational truths are “repenting from evil deeds and placing our trust in God,” (Hebrews 6:1), This is the first step we take towards God and the eternal hope of salvation. the passage goes on to mention “baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:2). The foundation is important because what we believe, we will act upon. Our beliefs determine who we are ultimately. Unless we are grounded in the basics, we cannot be trusted to carry out His greater call over our lives.
A baby is not able to take care of others. This is true in the spiritual realm as much as it is in the natural. As we grow older we require responsibilities and a sense of purpose in order to be fulfilled and happy individuals. I can’t think of a single adult who would want their mom and dad to spoon feed them, change them, bathe them, and rock them to sleep for the rest of their life. Now take this obvious illustration and apply it to the spiritual life.
Perhaps this is why western Christianity struggles with a self-centered attitude in epic proportions. Today’s Christian is constantly crying out “I want, I want”. They expect the pastor to constantly feed them. It is understandable for my daughter to expect to be fed because she can’t nourish herself. It is also normal to expect a new believer to be fed because they may need guidance in the basics of the Christian faith. It is not normal, however, for that believer to remain in a state where they cannot feed themselves through studying the Bible on their own and having a personal relationship with Jesus.
In Hebrews 5, the author of the letter is stern with his audience. He states “you have been believers so long that you ought to be teaching others” (5:12). This is one of the most important tasks we have as Christians. Teaching others isn’t only for the leaders of churches and Bible studies. We all have a sphere of influence and the responsibility falls on us to share and persuade others about Christ. The same passage goes on to say “instead you need someone to teach you the basic things about God’s word; you are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food” (Hebrews 5:12).
The reason Christians can’t graduate to solid food is because even though they have head knowledge about God’s word, they do not apply the disciplines. It is like a person studying about fitness through books, videos, and podcasts, but never using the gym membership to become a fit individual.
On the other hand, some immature Christians do apply some of the wisdom found in the Word but ignore other important teachings. That is a whole other discussion which I will cover in a future article.
So how do we graduate to solid foods? By implementing the basic teachings of Jesus in our lives, one by one. This process varies from person to person. It all depends on how well they recognize the enormity of the gift of salvation they have received. One who takes care of others by teaching and discipling them is a person who has become mature in Christ. If the motivation for preaching and teaching is love, then that person is considered mature. A person who is no longer in spiritual “Huggies” is also a servant who puts the needs of others first.
Lastly, a Christian is considered mature when he or she seeks after God with their whole heart and continues to press in. They aren’t satisfied with yesterday’s anointing, revelation, or miracle because they know that God wants to reveal Himself more each day. As the Bible says “we go from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
