Time to Bloomনমুনা

Spiritual Maturity

Spiritually, we could say that immaturity is what happens when a Christian isn't what they should be right now. Many people think maturity just comes with time. If we’ve known the Lord longer, if we were born again a long time ago, then we must be more mature than new believers.

That should be true. But we often find that some people who have been Christians for less time are actually more mature than others who have been believers for years!

It’s the same with our age. That’s why we hear sayings like, "When are you going to grow up?" "That kid is more mature than his dad," or "The younger one is more mature than the older one." Maturity is linked to the behavior we expect—behavior that matches our age, or in our case, the time we’ve been born again.

Maturity is closely tied to the word growth, and growth is linked to the ability to produce fruit. In the Christian life, this means the spiritual growth of the person who has been born again. So, it makes sense that we should grow in the Lord. This growth starts because we were born through the Spirit, and it's God's Spirit Himself who makes us grow in Him.

When the author of Hebrews says, "by this time you ought to be teachers," he is saying that it's expected that a time will come in our lives when we’ve gained enough knowledge, life experiences, and quality of life in the Lord to not only have a renewed mind that understands God’s things but also to be able to teach others.

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unfamiliar with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV)

These wise words point to a Christian life that looks more and more like Jesus every day. He emphasizes that it’s time to bloom, to receive solid food, and to reach maturity—a growth that every Christian should experience as Christ is formed in them.

As the apostle Paul said: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” Galatians 4:19 (NIV)