I HAVE OFTEN SPOKEN ABOUT THE FACT that anyone who claims to be a “Christian” or, even more explicitly, “a disciple of Christ” should always be growing in faith, in graciousness and in a knowledge of the truth. But why is such growth necessary? Why not just remain a baby in Christ? Wouldn’t life be simpler? What are the benefits of growing as a disciple of Christ? (And please consult the Bible references as they provide the background to this little text).

First, growing as a disciple of Christ will contribute towards there being unity in the church. Immature believers are much more likely to be divisive troublemakers (see, for example, First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 1-3) — to make a big deal out of things which are not really issues — whereas the real growth of a disciple will kindle a passionate desire for unity and spiritual concord. (Please don’t confuse this desire for unity with any kind of compromise, for it is unity based on the mutual understanding of essential Truth). The more a gathering of disciples grows in faith, graciousness and knowledge, the more naturally harmonious will be that gathering.

Second, growing as a disciple of Christ will help you to develop the spiritual gift of discernment — the ability to distinguish between good and evil (see the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 5, verses 13-14). Having such a gift can prevent a great deal of heartache in the life of the disciple (Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 13-15). The more you grow, the less likely you will fall into sin, stupidity and falsehood. The more you grow, the more likely you will be to choose the good and avoid the bad. The more you grow, the less dependent you will be on others to do your discerning for you. The more you grow, the less likely you will be deceived.

Third, growing as a disciple of Christ will equip you for deception-avoidance by false teachers and false teaching. This is especially true with regard to the way that disciples grow through being fed by those with authority to teach (Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 11-14; cf. Book of Jeremiah, chapter 3, verse 15; chapter 23, verse 4). The more you grow, the more you will know! The more that you know, the more your spiritual life will flow. For the Christian life is not merely about the acquisition of knowledge (although in some circles you would think that it was!) but it is about what such knowledge opens up and reveals in the life of the disciple. Knowledge is only worthwhile if it goes somewhere, such as an increase in spiritual maturity.

Fourth, growing as a disciple of Christ will mean that you will have the ability to think clearly and logically in a grown-up fashion. It is so important to grow up when you are a believer, because “foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child” (Book of Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 15). But when we grow up, we put childish ways behind us (First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 11). “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature” (First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 14, verse 20). When you look at the actual life of a person, their “babyhood” only lasts a very short time, and their baby diet of milk is very short-lived indeed. Solid food and maturity are what characterises the greater part of one’s life. So it is with one’s spiritual life also: Babyhood to begin with, but very briefly; for rapidly one grows and desires solid food. Even to have a basic understanding of the importance and place of righteousness in the disciple of Christ’s life, one needs to grow up in the faith (Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 5, verse 13). It is that important.

Fifth, growing as a disciple of Christ will mean that you will be much better equipped to help others grow: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness” (Letter to the Galatians, chapter 6, verse 1). When Paul says: “You who are spiritual…”, he means you who are secure in your faith, stable in your walk with God, maturing as a believer. How important it is for the church to have a plentiful supply of those “who are spiritual”! They will serve as examples to the flock and be a treasure trove of mature wisdom for the weak.

Sixth, growing as a disciple of Christ will make you into a nuisance-free zone! Immature believers, if not encouraged to higher things and correctly helped — and especially those who wilfully remain immature (I’ll explain that below) — are like loose cannons, ‘bulls in a china shop’, and any other similar phrase you can think of. They can be a real nuisance. In fact, one can say that a person’s nuisance-factor will be diminished or raised according to the level of spiritual maturity. Frankly, wilfully immature believers are a pain to have around. They cause an enormous amount of problems. It’s like when children think they know it all and think that their parents know nothing (when the reverse is actually true). It’s a real pain when they think like that. Obviously, we have to be tolerant of them to a certain extent because we understand what’s going on; but that doesn’t lessen their nuisance-value. So, it’s worth growing —if only to stop being a nuisance to others.

Seventh, growing as a disciple of Christ will mean that you will become a suitable citizen of heaven. If you are a true believer, do you realize that you are being built up as a future inhabitant and citizen of heaven (Letter to the Philippians, chapter 3, verse 20)? Your citizenship of heaven begins right here on earth with your present life (Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 14); and its fulfillment comes with your final call to glory at the end of your time on earth, whether through physical death or through the return of Christ to enact the resurrection. This is in the context of Paul saying that the Lord has given teachers to the church “to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ” (Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 12-13). None of us can wholly attain to “the full measure of the stature of Christ” until we go to be with Him after death. However, all disciples of Christ are urged to aspire towards that measure even now in this life. The more mature you become, the more heavenly-minded you will be. The more heavenly-minded you are, the more useful you will be in this life and the better equipped you will be for the life to come. The true believer should not live a less-than-is-possible life now and then suddenly grow up in the life to come. It can all begin right away, growing to the highest degree possible in the here and now. The more we use the gifts and abilities we have been given in this life, the fuller our work will be in the life to come. If you don’t appreciate the importance of what I just said in the last sentence, please read the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, verses 15-27. It could not be made clearer.

Unity, discernment, deception-avoidance, with the ability to think clearly, being equipped to help others grow, creating a nuisance-free zone, and becoming a suitable citizen of heaven. These are the benefits of cultivating spiritual maturity.

Finally, take note that there are two types of spiritual immaturity. One is natural and the other is wilful. We are all naturally immature at some stage. If one is naturally immature and then one discovers that more maturity is possible, the healthy mind then acknowledges that immaturity and reaches towards a more mature way of being. Such a mind loves to become more mature. Natural immaturity is normal because it is where we begin as a big empty space needing to be filled with something of substance. However, wilful immaturity is totally different to natural immaturity. Wilful immaturity doesn’t even acknowledge the possibility of an empty space. Wilful immaturity is engaged in deliberate rebellion against the natural development of a soul. Wilful immaturity thrives on ignorance and foolishness. You can tell the difference between wilful and natural immaturity. Natural immaturity rejoices when it discovers something which enables it to grow. Wilful immaturity refuses to accept instruction and pridefully accuses its potential teachers of either being wrong or unnecessary.

It was immaturity which made James and John, the “sons of thunder”, thunder (Gospel of Mark, chapter 3, verse 17; chapter 9, verse 38: Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, verse 54). It was immaturity which led to Peter’s denial of knowing Christ (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, verses 32-35 and verses 74-75). It was immaturity which caused Corinthian chaos and charismania (First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 10-11; chapter 5, verses 1-2; chapter 11, verses 20-22; chapter 12, verse 1). But all these saints acknowledged their immaturity when it was revealed to them, and they then moved on to better and higher things. They willingly learned their lessons. James eventually became a heavenly martyr (Book of Acts, chapter 12, verses 1-2) and John became a heavenly writer (Gospel of John, chapter 21, verses 21-24). The Peter who denied Christ was found, only a few weeks later, giving the sermon of his life before the people (Book of Acts, chapter 2, verses 14ff). The Corinthian babes grew up and out of their spiritual cul-de-sac (Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7, verses 8-12). These are living lessons and examples for us.

Growth for disciples of Christ does not always come easy. Sometimes it involves being “pruned” (chastised) by the Lord Jesus Christ (Gospel of John, chapter 15, verses 2 and 5; Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 12, verses 10-11) — a painful but necessary process. Sometimes it involves passing through the fires of affliction (Book of Zechariah, chapter 13, verse 9; First Letter of Peter, chapter 1, verses 6-8). But it always achieves its divine purpose. So let this thought of Paul’s be our own:

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well”.

Letter to the Philippians, chapter, 3, verses 12-15

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2023
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]