Every serious disciple of Jesus Christ desires to attain to spiritual maturity, of this there should be no argument. Many faithful disciples spend their entire lifetime striving to reach an ever-higher level of maturity, and even babes in Christ have that fervor that drives them to not remain babes but to somehow find the secret of how to “grow in the grace and knowledge” of their Savior, Jesus Christ2 Peter 3:18. Many books have been written to help disciples grow up and into the faith, but we need look no further than God’s written word for the way to reaching that elusive goal. But knowing how to attain to spiritual maturity is one thing, while knowing how to measure our spiritual maturity is quite another. I went to school for years and gained quite a bit of knowledge [much of it now forgotten], but how do I know whether or not I truly learned anything? Testing! Like it or not, the only real way to know if we are maturing spiritually is to be put to the test. Our spiritual strength may be tested by trials and temptations James 1:12, but we need not seek them out when we have a safer means readily available: God’s written word. It is there that we find some ‘measuring sticks’ to which we may compare ourselves and find verification of spiritual maturity or find that we are not yet there. Let us be honest with ourselves, though, and not shy away from putting ourselves to the test to see if we are where we should be. In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul states “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you [a]are disqualified”. And there is one particular passage that I believe is a good measure by which we might compare ourselves, if spiritual maturity is our sincere goal. In Paul’s letter to the Philippian brethren, he used himself as an example to show where we all should be — but you would never know it by Paul’s own words!
Most of us would hold Paul up as an example of spiritual maturity, but his words seem to say quite the opposite. In Philippians 3:12-13 Paul states the following, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead”. The mature disciple exhibits the marks of maturity when he realizes he has a long way to go, yet the ultimate goal is to be like the Master! Paul once said to the Corinthian brethren, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” I Corinthians 11:1. The mature disciple distinguishes himself from the immature in that Jesus is the standard, and not other brethren. The immature disciple looks around at his brethren and measures himself by them. Of course, he will always find someone ‘worse’ than himself, so he will believe he is mature when, in fact, he is not. The mature disciple looks at Jesus and basically says, “I’ve got a lonnnnngggg way to go!”
The mature disciple also is one who does not dwell on the past — good or bad. He realizes that, in the past, he was a sinner — guilty of transgressing the will of God and guilty of the blood of Christ. He could look back on this and wallow in self-pity and remorse, but he knows that he is now forgiven! Instead of dwelling on how bad he was at one time, the mature disciple focuses now on what he has become, through the power of Christ. On the other hand, neither does the mature disciple dwell on the past, remembering the good he has done ‘way back when.’ Instead, the mature disciple is always thinking, “What can I do today for the Lord?”
The mature disciple is one who, of necessity, has a deep understanding of God’s word but who, at the same time, is striving to always know more and to understand it better. He is “diligent” to present himself approved to God and rightly divides the word 2 Timothy 2:15, and knows that constant study is the only way to ensure that continues to be the case. Laziness regarding God’s word is simply not even considered! He knows that the future will bring more challenges, more temptations, and more trials, and an even deeper knowledge of God’s word is necessary. He knows he must have the desire as a babe for the “pure milk of the word” I Peter 2:2, but knows he cannot feast on milk for long before moving onto the meat Hebrews 5:14.
The mature disciple, in his efforts to always be reaching forward, will also be constantly doing more and more work for the Lord. He will not sit back and point to what he did “way back in ’62” or even last week but will instead be thinking about tomorrow and what he might do if the Lord grants him another day. He will be “always abounding in the work of the Lord” knowing that his labor is “not in vain in the Lord”I Corinthians 15:58, constantly searching for what more he can do and how he can contribute in even the smallest way. Again, he will not be comparing himself to other disciples, but be concerned only for how much work he is doing, and he will never grow weary of doing all he can do Galatians 6:9-10.
Lastly, here is often the most distinctive mark of the mature disciple: he has a goal! The mature disciple does not hide the fact that he is a disciple, but gladly shares his goal with others in the hopes that it will be their goal, too. He forgoes the chase for the pleasures of the flesh and the everyday distractions the world throws at him. He is focused and presses on toward the goal, and will let nothing stand in the way, even the many afflictions which may come his way. Therefore, I want to close by urging the brethren to keep in mind what Paul stated in Philippians 3:15, “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you”. To that I would add my hearty “AMEN!” We need more spiritually mature brethren who are willing to admit they do not know it all, who will forget about the past and look to the future, and who will press fervently for the goal.