Are we there yet? How can I know?
The book of Hebrews gives us a remarkably practical definition of Christian maturity: “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14, NIV). Notice what the writer does not say. Maturity is not measured primarily by how many sermons we have heard, books we have read, conferences we have attended, or theological arguments we can win. The mature are those whose powers of discernment have been trained through practice.
This comes immediately after a rebuke. “Though by this time you ought to be teachers,” the Hebrews still needed instruction in elementary truths (Hebrews 5:12). They had been hearing long enough that maturity should have resulted. But exposure to truth is not the same thing as maturity. Hearing provides the truth; doing trains us to use it. James makes the same point: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Jesus likewise describes the wise man as the one who hears His words and “puts them into practice” (Matthew 7:24).
Some of this practice is necessarily inward. We continually bring our thoughts, desires, affections, priorities, habits, and reactions under the discipline of God’s Word. Paul calls this being “transformed by the renewing of your mind,” through which we learn to discern what is good and pleasing to God (Romans 12:2). Over time, repeated submission to truth trains our spiritual senses. We begin to recognize distinctions that the immature may miss: truth from plausible error, wisdom from foolishness, courage from recklessness, prudence from cowardice, genuine love from mere sentimentality.
But Christian maturity cannot remain merely internal. Romans 12 moves almost immediately from the renewed mind to life among others: humility, service, teaching, encouragement, generosity, mercy, hospitality, and concern for those in need. The inwardly transformed person becomes an outwardly useful person. James will not permit faith to remain detached from works, John will not permit love for God to remain detached from love for our brother, and Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit largely in qualities that become visible in our relationships with other people.
There is therefore a natural progression: the Word is heard, truth is believed, truth is practiced, discernment develops, character is formed, and character expresses itself in service to others. Christian maturity cannot be reduced to theological sophistication. A person may possess an impressive command of doctrine and still be selfish, quarrelsome, unreliable, ungenerous, or indifferent to those around him. Knowledge alone is not maturity.
Nor does merely spending years in church make us mature. Time provides opportunity for maturity, but it does not guarantee it. Truth must be exercised. Decisions must be made. Desires must be disciplined. Wisdom must be practiced. Gifts must be used. People must be loved and served. Through this repeated exercise, truth gradually becomes character.
So how do I know whether I am mature? Not merely by asking how much truth I know, but by asking what that truth has produced in me. Has practice sharpened my discernment? Can I distinguish what is merely permissible from what is wise? Can I govern my appetites rather than simply obey them? Can I recognize error even when it is attractively presented? Can I receive correction and change course? Do I increasingly make decisions from biblical principle rather than impulse, fear, social pressure, or convenience?
And perhaps the most revealing question is this: Has all of this made me more useful to others? Have years of hearing the Word made me more patient, dependable, generous, courageous, hospitable, merciful, willing to serve, and capable of bearing responsibility for the good of another?
Christian maturity is not sinlessness, nor is it knowing everything. It is developed spiritual capacity—the accumulated result of truth repeatedly heard, believed, practiced, and lived.
Maturity is developed inwardly and demonstrated outwardly.
Article posted with permission from Bill Evans
