Spiritual Leadership Semester II. Classes 4 and 5, Dec.04.03 and Dec.11.03

Spiritual Maturity

Outline and Summary

I. Foundational Scriptures

Ephesians 4:15, 13 and 2 Peter: 1:3 – God wants us mature and has given us everything we need to grow to maturity in Christ

Paul wrote: “We are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ…to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”

Ephesians 6:12 and 1 John 2:12-14 -- Satan is opposed to our maturity and must be overcome

Satan will do anything he can to keep us from realizing who we are and what we have in Christ. Since we wrestle against principalities and powers instead of flesh and blood, we must experience victory over evil before we can be fully mature.

I Corinthians 2:9-3:4 -- Classification of men according to their ability to receive and understand the deep things of God

The "natural man." Because he is unsaved, this man remains spiritually unchanged because he does not have the Holy Spirit. There is an innate inability to comprehend, to receive, to know or to interact with spiritual truth.

The "babes in the Lord." A new believer can only understand the "milk" of the Word of God, not the "meat" of the Word of God. He is not able to "bear" the deep things of God.

The "carnal man." The carnal man is a believer who does have the ability to receive the meat but he does not do so because his carnality hinders the full ministry of the Holy Spirit. The carnal man is dominated by his flesh.

The "spiritual man." A spiritual man is characterized by the meat of the Word of God or, “the deep things of God.” The reason the spiritual man is able to discern all these things is because he has the mind of Christ.

Hebrews: 5:11-14 – Spiritual infancy and carnality versus spiritual maturity

The state of babyhood and carnality. The characteristic of a baby believer is that he needs milk because he lacks knowledge. But, the carnal believer is not someone who lacks knowledge as such. He lacks the exercise of that knowledge in real-life situations in order to be able to discern good and evil; to discern right and wrong.

The state of spirituality and maturity. The spiritually mature man is the man who has been born again, who has the Holy Spirit and who has submitted to the Spirit's illuminating teachings. He has received the milk of the Word of God and has used it. He has progressed on to the meat of the Word and is using that too.

II. Becoming Spiritually Mature

The Nature of Maturity as the Product of Spirituality

Spirituality that leads to maturity:

-first involves regeneration, being born anew by the Spirit of God through faith in the person and work of Christ.

-is also the result of biblical wisdom imparted by the Holy Spirit and the study of the Word.

-involves the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

-involves time—time to grow and mature in one’s walk with the Holy Spirit.

Unless one recognizes the elements of spirituality and their role in spiritual maturity, many of these qualities will be sought by people in their own energy or strength. The result will not be true spirituality or maturity, but rather human reformation. Change brought about through any human means (like Jewish exorcism or human reformation) will fail. The only kind of change that is truly effective is through faith in Christ and growth in His life.


Outline and Summary (cont’d)

II. Becoming Spiritually Mature (cont’d)

Spiritual Growth Requires Action

Our sanctification is a collaborative effort between us and God. We have certain tasks and God does also, such as preparing our hearts, setting up the circumstances, and bringing forth results from the growth work. We are partners in our own spiritual surgery. When we are passive, we shrink from the risks of the faith life itself. God takes no pleasure in this: “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him” (Heb 10:38).

Discipling One Another to Spiritual Maturity

Discipleship is an intensely personal ministry between two or more persons who help each other experience a growing relationship with God.

Discipleship is not “building my life into yours.” It is the process of building the life of Christ in one another.

Every Christian is both a disciple and a discipler in the context of his or her Christian relationships. We have the awesome privilege and responsibility both to be a teacher and a learner of what it means to be in Christ, walk by the Spirit and live by faith.

Colossians 2:6-10 provides a design for discipleship.

Paul refers to three levels of maturity in Colossians 2:6-10:

- Rooted in Christ (Col 2:7, 10) (Level I)

- Built Up in Christ (Col 2:7) (Level II)

- Walking in Christ (Col 2:6) (Level III)

Each level of maturity is dependent on the previous level. Christians cannot have an effective walk (Level III) if they are not growing in Christ (Level II), and they cannot mature if they are not firmly rooted in Christ (Level 1).

These levels of maturity, and their associated conflicts and growth issues, are reflected in the Spiritual, Rational, Emotional, Volitional and Relational aspects of our lives.

III. Perspectives on Spiritual Maturity

Myths about Spiritual Maturity

Maturity is demonstrated more by behavior than by beliefs. The Christian life isn't just a matter of creeds and convictions; it includes conduct and character. Christians need relationships to grow. We develop in the context of fellowship. It takes a variety of experiences with God to produce true spiritual maturity. In addition to Bible study, it takes worship experiences, ministry experiences, fellowship experiences, and evangelism experiences.

Growing Stronger in Spiritual Maturity

Spiritual Maturity is growing more Christ-like. We will never fully achieve it in this life, but it is clearly the target that God wants us to shoot for. These are the components: gaining a biblical worldview; a surrendered heart engaged in knowing God; living out God’s purposes; spiritually reproducing our lives in others.

Definition of Spiritual Maturity for Missionaries

1.  Doesn't rely on institutional structures to express Christianity.

2.  Christian beliefs and practices are a spontaneous part of everyday life.

3.  Doesn't need social support (agreement) to maintain faith and practice. Plus fifteen more characteristics…


I. Foundational Scriptures

Ephesians 4:15, 13 and 2 Peter: 1:3 – God wants us mature and has given us everything we need to grow to maturity in Christ

Ephesians 4:15, 13 15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

2 Peter: 1:3 3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Ephesians 6:12 and 1 John 2:12-14 -- Satan is opposed to our maturity and must be overcome

Ephesians 6:12 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

1 John 2:12-14 12I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake. 13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 14I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Satan will do anything he can to keep us from realizing who we are and what we have in Christ. We must experience victory over evil before we can be fully mature.

I Corinthians 2:9-3:4 -- classification of men according to their ability to receive and understand the deep things of God.

2:9 but as it is written, things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and which entered not into the heart of man, whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. 2:10 But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 2:11 For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. 2:12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words. 2:14 Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man. 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. 3:2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; 3:3 for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men? 3:4 For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?

1. Divine revelation has now been given through the written Word of God (v. 9).

2. The Holy Spirit now has the ministry of illumination (vv. 10-11). God has provided His revelation in the written Word of God. He illuminates our mind to understand the things of God which no man can know but by the Spirit only. Men are classified according to their ability to receive and understand the deep things of God.

a.  The first classification is the "natural man." The word that Paul uses here is psuchikos and it literally means "soulish man" (v. 2:14).

b.  The second classification is the "babes" in Christ. The word Paul uses here is sarkinos, which literally means "flesh-man" (v. 3:1-2).

c.  The third category he uses is the "carnal man." The Greek word here is sarkikos, which literally means the "fleshly man" (vv. 3:3-4).

d.  The fourth classification is the "spiritual man"; the mature, adult man. The word used is pneumatikos (v. 2:15).

3. Believers have received the Holy Spirit, and He knows the deep things of God (v. 12). We have the Holy Spirit in order that we too may understand the deep things of God. In the four classifications above, only the first is an unbeliever. The other three all refer to believers; but not all have the capacity to understand these deep spiritual things. However, regardless of the spiritual state of the believer, he has received the Holy Spirit and, therefore, if he is willing, he is able to learn from the Holy Spirit the deep things of God by helping us to understand the written Word of God by His ministry of illumination.
I. Foundational Scriptures (cont’d)

4. The divine wisdom is hidden in the Scriptures and the divine content is understood only as one learns to compare spiritual things with spiritual words (v. 13).

5. The first classification of man is the "natural man" (v. 14). The Greek word used is psuchikos, the "soulish man." This is the unregenerate man; the unsaved man. Because he is unsaved, this man remains spiritually unchanged because he does not have the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; Jude 19). Because the natural man is an unsaved man, he does not receive the things of the Spirit of God (v. 14)! As far as he is concerned, they are "foolishness." Furthermore, not only are spiritual things foolishness to him, he cannot know them (v. 14). There is an innate inability to comprehend, to receive, to know or to interact with spiritual truth. He simply does not have the ability to know the deep things of God. He does, however, have the ability to know the deep things of Satan (Rev. 2:24).

6. Paul next describes the "spiritual man" (vv. 15-16). The Greek word is pneumatikos, which means the mature, adult man. The spiritually mature man is someone who discerns all things (v. 15) and his mind is illuminated by the Holy Spirit. He freely receives all things but he understands them with his mind. A spiritual man is characterized by the meat of the Word of God; and the meat of the Word of God is the deep things of God. The reason the spiritual man is able to discern all these things is because he has the mind of Christ (v. 16).

7. The "babes in the Lord" (3:1-2). The Greek word is sarkinos which means the "flesh-man," the immature man. The emphasis of this word is on weakness. It describes the brand-new believer; and flesh-ness is the mark of a babe in the Lord. A new believer can only understand the "milk" of the Word of God, not the "meat" of the Word of God. He is not able to "bear" the deep things of God. There is no sin, of course, in being a babe in the Lord. Every one of us who is a believer today, started our walk in the Lord in this way.