Christian Maturity

By

Jesse Acuff, Bs. Ed., M.A. Rel.

A Christian brother once told me that one of the most important things in his life was to become a "mature Christian." In fact, he told me that he thought that one could not enter the Kingdom of God unless one was "mature" spiritually. Consequently, he was making it his lifetime goal to become "a mature Christian."

The questions I must ask here is—what is "a mature Christian", how does a "mature Christian" become "mature", and does the Bible even talk about it? To find out let’s first turn to Matthew 5:48:

Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Now, Jesus tells us here that we are to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. However, the English word perfect here does not mean that we are to be, as the definition in the American Heritage Dictionary tells us, (1) "lacking nothing essential to the whole, complete of its nature or kind, (2) in a state of undiminished or highest excellence; without defect; flawless." You see, if we relied only on the English word we would have to conclude that Jesus is asking us to do something that we are unable to do. Then, what are we to do?

We must not try to interpret this passage in terms of King James English or 21^st Century linguistics, but return to the original language used at the time it was written. The word "perfect" in the Greek is teleios and means: G5046 τέλειος teleios (tel'-i-os) From G5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with) completeness: - of full age, man, perfect. As to the completeness that the word teleios describes, the outstanding element mentioned is the phrase "of full age," and this is the part that we want to concentrate on. To be "of full age" means to be mature. Therefore, Jesus is speaking here of being or becoming a "mature Christian," not of being or becoming a flawless individual.

But notice also that it means "complete" in various applications, and I wish to emphasize here the growth element. In order to become a "mature Christian" we must grow, but in what? Well, for one thing, we must grow in grace; and there are many verses in the New Testament, and especially in the Gospels, that preachers and evangelists ascribe to teachings about managing money that are in reality talking about growing in grace. Another thing that we must grow in is knowledge.

2 Pet. 3:18 tells us,

". . . grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . ."

If we don’t grow in grace and knowledge we have no chance of ever attaining Christian maturity.

Luke 2:40, speaking of Jesus says,

"And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was on Him." So we see that even the Son of God and our Messiah had to grow in grace and knowledge and become strong in the Spirit.

The word "grew" here does not mean to just grow physically but increase or enlarge spiritually. It is the spiritual element of growth that helps us to attain the Christian maturity that we seek.

Paul in Romans 12:2, describes another way that we can attain to Christian maturity. Says he,

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God."

So we see that the renewing of our minds daily transforms us in order to prove by us what the good and pleasing and perfect, i.e., "mature" will of God is. If we renew our minds daily by getting our collective noses in God’s word we take on the mind of God and Jesus Christ and attain to the maturity that the Father and Jesus possess. In other words, we become more godlike in our outlook and way of thinking.

In 1 Corinthians 2:6 we see that Paul describes us as mature Christians in terms of the wisdom that comes from above. He says here,

"But, we speak wisdom among those who are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, that come to nothing."

Paul is telling us that the words that he and the other apostles speak to us is the wisdom of God the Father, not the wisdom of the world or the rulers of this world, which comes to nothing. That wisdom is spoken to whom? To those who are "perfect", i.e., who are mature in the faith.

Again Paul talks about the mature Christian in 1 Corinthians 1:28 where he says,

"whom we preach (teach), warning (gently reproving or admonishing) every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."

Paul makes and interesting observation in Hebrews 5: 12 that speaks volumes about the lack of Christian maturity among the congregation he addresses.

"For indeed because of the time, you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again what are the first principles of the oracles of God. And you have become in need of milk, and not of solid food."

Here we see the element that Paul speaks of in Col. 1:28. He is here warning or gently reproving those who having been taught for so long in the faith, and who have not advanced beyond the point of being babes in Christ as it were. Even after having received Paul’s teaching for so long a time, they have not grown in grace and knowledge. They have refused to let go of the "the first principles of the oracles of God," and still need to be fed the milk of the word because they, like a baby, cannot stomach solid or strong food.

What are these "first principles of the oracles of God"? Let’s see what the Scriptures say. Let’s turn to Hebrews 6:1-2.

"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."

In other words, they have refused to leave off being babes in Christ, and they have refused to move beyond the basic doctrines of Christ and still need the "milk" of the word, i.e., they insist on clinging to the basics when they should have a grasp of the higher meaning of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. What, then are these "basic" doctrines?

They are laid out for us in these two verses. Let’s look at them one at a time.

1. Laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works. What does it mean to "lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works? It simply means this—once you have repented of your dead works (trying to obey the letter of the Law, as it were), don’t keep on trying to do it again every time you stumble or fall by going to your 1 John 1:9 and keeping short accounts with God thinking that it is necessary to beg forgiveness for your sins when Jesus has already forgiven you for them. Strong describes it as being a sort of oscillatory repetition; i.e., of going back and doing the same thing again every time you stumble or fall. Repenting incessantly and begging for forgiveness every time you stumble and fall would be like laying the foundation of a house and tearing it out and laying it again, then tearing it out and laying it again, then tearing it out and laying it again, etc. You would never get the house built or get beyond the basic stages of the building process. Once that foundation is laid it cannot be laid over and over again by incessantly repenting and begging forgiveness. What you should do is acknowledge or confess that sin and thank God for His forgiveness then proceed with growing in the grace and knowledge of Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Of the doctrine of baptisms—Strong’s definition states that baptisms here allude to Christian Baptism. However, the word is plural (baptismon), and actually refers to the ceremonial oblations characteristic of the Mosaic Law and the Mosaic economy. Robinson’s Word Pictures says this, "The plural baptismon by itself does not mean specifically Christian baptism either in this epistle (Heb. 9:10) or elsewhere (Mar. 7:4), but ablutions or immersions such as the mystery religions and the Jewish cultus required for initiates, proselytes, and worshippers in general" (Moffatt). In other words, Paul is saying get beyond these things because they don’t matter any more.

3. Of the laying on of hands—This one almost seems out of character here for we see in the Scriptures that the apostles and disciples laid hands on individuals to bless them and bestow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and for healing. How do we explain this one then? The best that I can come up with is that this is referring to the laying on of hands to transfer the sins of the individual to a "scapegoat" as it were. This was a frequent occurrence in Old Testament times, especially under the Mosaic economy having to do with sacrifices. The person who brought the sacrifice or victim laid his hands on its head, confessed his sins over it, and then gave it to the priest to be offered to God to make atonement for his transgressions. The Day of Atonement pictures all these things. As mature Christians we are not required to do these things. We must remember that at the writing of the Book of Hebrews the Temple still existed and evidently some of the Christian Jews had not fully given up the old practices because they had been persuaded by the Judaizers that it was necessary to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15: 1, 5).

4. The resurrection of the dead—Vincent’s word Studies has this to say. "Both resurrection and future judgment were Jewish tenets requiring exposition to Jewish converts as regarded their relations to the same doctrines as taught by Christianity. The resurrection of Christ as involving the resurrection of believers would, of itself, change the whole aspect of the doctrine of resurrection as held by a Jew." The doctrine of the resurrection held by the Jew was that the resurrection was part of the reward promised by God for observing the Torah and its commandments. Paul says no, resurrection is not the reward for having observed the Torah (which includes the Law of Moses—holydays, kosher foods, sacrifices, washings, oblations, Sabbaths, New Moons, etc.), but the reward for having faith in the Messiah, having the faith of the Messiah, and believing His message of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Once again he is telling them to get beyond the Mosaic system and cling to Christ.

5. Eternal Punishment—According to brainyencyclopedia.com, article Rosh Hashanah, Rabbinic literature describes Rosh Hashanah as a day of judgment . . . This holiday is part of the ten-day period called the Yamim Noraim (The Days of Awe), which begins with Rosh Hashanah, followed by the days of repentance, and ends with Yom Kippur. "In Jewish thought, Rosh-Hashanah is the most important judgment-day, on which all the inhabitants of the world pass for judgment before the Creator, as sheep pass for examination before the shepherd. It is written in the Talmud, in the tractate on Rosh Hashanah, that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days till Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living" (Psalm 69:28). The Zodiac sign of the balance for Tishri is claimed to indicate the scales of judgment, balancing the meritorious against the wicked acts of the person judged. The taking of an annual inventory of accounts on Rosh-Hashanah is adduced by Rabbi Nahman ben Isaac from the passage in Deuteronomy 11:12, which says that the care of God is directed from "the beginning unto the end of the year." In other words, Paul says to the Hebrews, "give up your Jewish way of thinking on this matter. Your judgment will not come in the manner depicted by Rosh Hashanah, i.e., by observing the Days of Awe which leads to Yom Kippur that requires you to afflict yourselves once a year to make you more aware of your sins, and then confessing those sins and returning the next year to do the same thing over again. No, Christ made the ultimate sacrifice once and for all, and forgave all your sins reconciling you to God the Father when you were still enemies. Paul tells them it is no longer necessary to approach judgment in the same way. Now that they are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation (eternal judgment) for them (Rom. 8:1-2). The penalty of sin has been paid for and removed. Observing a day of judgment is no longer necessary. Paul tells them to get beyond it and move on to the perfection or Christian maturity.

So how do we come to Christian maturity and exactly what is it? We have received ample hints in what has gone before but Paul gives us further indications in his writings. He says to us in 1 Corinthians 14:20

"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

Paul tells the Corinthians to stop being little children and grew up! Oh, if you want to, he chides, be childlike and immature in malice toward others because that’s exactly what malice evokes, but when it comes to understanding the Gospel be men, i.e., mature adults. The word translated "men" here is the same word for maturity or being "of full age"—teleios.

He says essentially the same thing in Eph. 4:13.

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:"

Again we see that we are to come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man (a mature Christian).

In Philippians 3:13-15 Paul encourages to "forget those things which are behind" as he has done. Now some may interpret this to mean that they should forget their former sinful lifestyle and that is a plausible interpretation. However, he is talking to Gentiles who were influenced by Judaizers as were most of the congregations he established. Let’s read it.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (mature, of full age) be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you."

What was it that Paul had not apprehended? He means that he had not yet attained to the great prize, that is salvation, and that more effort was required. "By this one thing I do," he meant that he was now determined to devote the rest of his life to the sole purpose of attaining that goal. Now, what was one of the ways he was going to do that? By "forgetting those things which are behind." What was he talking about? One thing he was talking about was the hardship and suffering that had come with the territory, i.e., his apostolic lot. First and foremost though, were the things which he once counted as gain. He says in Philippians 3:7,

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

What were these things? They are the things described in vv. 3-6.

"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (4) Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: (5) Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; (6) Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."

Who was it that had "confidence in the flesh?" It was the Jew of Paul’s day, the observer of the Law of Moses who depended on the outward observance of the Law for his salvation. Paul describes himself as having more confidence in the flesh than any man because of his background. He was circumcised the eighth day because he came under the Mosaic economy as a Benjamite. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, which meant that He was a Pharisee that taught other Pharisees. He was more zealous than any other man in persecuting God’s church because he honestly thought he was doing God a service. As touching the law, he was a Pharisee who kept the Law of Moses. He was blameless touching the righteousness which was in the law which meant that he observed everything under the law that was Jewish and that made him (self) righteous. But now, he declares in v. 6, he is leaving those things behind and pressing onward toward the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. Then he says that as many as would be perfect (mature) should be of the same mind as he toward the Gospel of the Kingdom, and that if any who were mature in Christ were not of the same mind, God would reveal the truth to them.

So how do we turn twenty-one in Christ? We listen to Paul and forget those things which are behind, i.e., those things pertaining to the Mosaic system—sacrifices, oblations or ceremonial washings, kosher food laws, holydays, new moons, Sabbaths, tithing, etc., and turn our dependence upon Messiah Jesus. There is only one name under heaven by which we can be saved, and no man is justified by the law. Our salvation is by grace through faith.

Do you want to attain Christian maturity? Do you want to turn 21 in Christ? Then listen to Paul. Unless you move on beyond the elemental things listed in Hebrews 6:1-2, and leave behind those things which Paul did, you can study all your life and never come to the truth. You can repent of your sins as often as you want to and lay that foundation over and over again, but you will never get the house built. You can symbolically lay your hands on that goats head every year on the Day of Atonement and never come to realize that your sins have been forgiven once and for all time by the ultimate sacrifice made by Messiah Jesus. If you insist on clinging to the elemental things listed in Hebrews 6:1-2, you will never attain the Christian maturity for which you seek. Sadly, you will remain a babe in Christ having always to feed on the milk of the word and be taught over and over when you should be teaching the deeper things of the Gospel. Tragically, you will not be able to stomach what the mature Christian can and you will not be able to digest the "strong meat" that is the fare of the mature Christian. The result is that you will constantly fight against God’s saving grace.

Finally, Paul declares in Heb. 5:14:

". . . strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised (trained) to discern both good and evil."

Want to become a mature Christian? Then I say to you what Paul and Christ say to you in the Scriptures—Get beyond the basics. Stop fighting the grace of God. Leave those things behind which hinder you from attaining Christian maturity. Learn to lean on and depend on Jesus Christ completely. In other words, Grow Up!

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