Treasures New and Old

Christian Behavior: Identity in Christ – On to Maturity!

– Romans 6:4

So far we have looked at the new creatures that we are as believers in Christ, and we looked at the fact that we are now children of God and children of the King (Jesus Christ). Let’s now say a few words about maturity as it relates to our identity in Christ. I would also remind you of the seven disciples’ principles that we should remember and observe (as in guard, hold important). To review, look back at the first article of the discipleship series.

Seven Principles Recap:

1. We must always strive to be like Him and understand that we can never be better than Him
2. Always remember that Christ is our Master – others may be teachers or counselors, or brethren, but He is our Master
3. The Master is coming back and will ask for an accounting
4. Hold fast to the truth, don’t stray, avoid the gray areas
5. Disciples serve one another – as our Master gave example
6. Stay in the Master’s Book
7. Be a vessel of honor

Summarizing the Last Two Articles

• You accepted Christ as your Savior. You repented of your sins. That means that with God’s help, you have turned away from the sinful life you were leading and are now attempting to walk in the light that God gives us.
• But I don’t really “feel” different.
• Feelings are deceptive and one of the worse ways to judge your relationship in Christ.
• The Christian walk is a spiritual walk, and Christians are members of a heavenly kingdom that is called in the Bible both the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Christian are to walk by faith and not by sight.
• We, as believers, recognize that we can’t trust our feelings, but instead, must stand on the many promises of God as found in the Bible.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
• Galatians 6:15: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcised, but a new creature.”

What Spiritual Maturity Is Not:

As we discuss moving towards maturity, we need to first agree on what it is not. Consider the following:

• Spiritual maturity is not just getting older. That might work in the physical world. As people age, they usually get more wisdom and understanding of things as they experience more of life. But that is not automatic in the spiritual kingdom. Too many Christians assume they have “arrived” early in their walk and sort of coast along.
• Spiritual maturity is not automatic. If that were true, we wouldn’t see verses like Hebrews 6:1 about going on to maturity. It is to be worked at. We start out like spiritual babies and must grow and mature in our faith.
• Spiritual maturity is not recognizing your spiritual gift. Your spiritual gift is given to you by the Holy Spirit at the moment of your salvation. We each have one, and as we mature our gift will mature, but the gift itself is not evidence of maturity – it is a gift from God.
• Spiritual maturity is not imitating Christ or others in the faith. Although imitation of good examples is a good thing to do, it does not represent the mature changes that need to take place in a person as you walk in Christ. You might mature as you imitate good examples, but that alone is not maturity.

What Spiritual Maturity Is:

Let’s start by looking at Hebrews 6:1 again:

“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; . . . .”

So the word here that some translations render as maturity is perfection in the King James and is the Greek word teleiotes which means completeness or the state of completeness (Strong’s G5047).

Here, the Hebrews writer lets us know what it is not – Hebrews 6:1b-2:

“. . . not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, but of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”

Apparently, these truths are foundational, as in every new Christian ought to know and understand them. Maturity is encouraged in several ways in the Bible. Look at these few verses:

Ephesians 4:11-16 (bold added):

And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 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: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increased of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

So God gave us leaders and teachers to help us grow and work towards completeness or perfecting until we become a “perfect” man/woman (teleios (Strong’s G5046)). By listening, studying, and imitating them, we are working on the growing-up-in-Christ process.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (bold added): “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 (bold added): “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;”

Consider this important truth:

Colossians 1:28-29 (bold added): “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”

So the goal is to work towards perfection and help others do the same with the understanding that we are talking about completion.

Philippians 2:12-13 (bold added): “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Here the word salvation in Greek in soteria, which can mean safety, health, saving (Strong’s G4991); and does not mean getting saved, that is the gift and work of God. It refers to the maturing of your soul, in effect, the saving, if you please, of your heart, mind, and emotions as they mature.

2 Peter 1:5-8: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Peter has given us a very good process that helps us on to maturity. We add to our faith (our salvation experience and walk in Christ) the following:

• Virtue (arete) valor, manliness, excellence (Strong’s G703)
• Knowledge (gnosis) knowing, information, knowledge (Strong’s G1108) (Particularly more and more Scripture)
• Temperance (enkrateia) self-control, continence, consistency in behavior (Wordsearch’s Strong’s G1466)
• Patience (hypomone) cheerful endurance, enduring, patient continuance (waiting) (Wordsearch’s Strong’s G5281)
• Godliness (eusebeia) piety, holiness (Strong’s G2150)
• Brotherly Kindness (philadelphia – not the city) kindness towards the brethren, fraternal affection (Wordsearch’s Strong’s G5360) Charity (agape) love (Strong’s G26 – the selfless kind of love)

Some Action Steps:

Besides the passage in 2 Peter quoted above, consider spiritual maturity by doing the following:

1. 1 Corinthians 13:11 (bold added): “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

2. 1 Corinthians 14:20 (bold added): “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” Cultivate your understanding.

3. Ephesians 4:13-15 (bold added): “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: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

4. Hebrews 5:14 (bold added): “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

5. 1 John 2:14 (bold added): “I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.”

Consider Being Like the Thessalonians . . .

1 Thessalonians 1:4-8:

Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out of word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything.

Maranatha!

May God bless you all!

Bro. Joe

Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)

Strong, J. Strong’s Talking Greek_Hebrew Dictionary. Wordsearch. (2020). Wordsearch Bible. [computer software] . Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources. (Original work published 1890).

Privacy Policy