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hat
is your definition of maturity?
One magazine has defined maturity as being “able to carry
money without spending it; to be able to bear an injustice without
retaliating; to be able to keep on the job until it is finished;
to be able to do one’s duty even when one is not watched;
and to be able to accept criticism without letting it whip you
up” (The Uplift). Someone else has said it this way, “Smart
people speak from experience - smarter people from experience,
don’t speak.” While there is wisdom in these quotes,
they do not define Christian maturity. Our study looks at the
indicators, measures or marks of a mature Christian.
˜
Call
To Love.
In our last study we saw that the first mark of a mature Christian
is love. Hebrews 13:1-6 gave us five marks of a mature Christian:
one who continues to love other Christians, one who loves strangers
by inviting them into the home, one who loves prisoners as though
chained to them, one who loves his or her spouse by being sexually
pure, and one who loves God by not loving money. Love is a mark
of self-denial and self-giving to others. Love is a mark of
a Christian that must be present.
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But
whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his
brother in need and closes his heart against him, how
does the love of God abide in him? Little children,
let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed
and truth. (NASB) 1 John 3:17-19 |
˜
Call
To A “Life of Faith.”
Mature
Christians also live by faith (Heb. 10:38) with their eyes fixed
on Jesus. The best way to pick up this mark is by carefully
selecting an older Christian to mimic (Heb. 13:7). This is not
just any person. Hebrews tells us that this person must be one
who has taught the Word of Truth and who is worthy of being
followed. This requires careful evaluation over time. This is
not a quick decision. It must be obvious that this person has
trusted God, obeyed God, and endured suffering for Jesus. This
person cannot be a young person since Hebrews 13:7 implies that
the person is an older man or woman, and may even be dead. At
this point someone may say, “But times are different now.
Younger people have different needs and we need to minister
to them accordingly.” But that is not the message of this
verse nor is it the message of the next verse.
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Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.
(NASB) Heb. 13:8 |
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This verse is a curious verse. At first, it seems the verse
does not belong here. Why is it here? How does it fit with the
passage before it? The answer is that the path to spiritual
growth does not change because Jesus does not change. The wisdom
found in the book of Proverbs is still God’s wisdom for
all ages. It does not change with culture. Jesus does not change,
and the Old Testament saints in the great chapter of faith,
Hebrews 11, are still patterns to be followed. That is why they
were listed. Culture and nations are always changing now, but
the path to spiritual growth does not. |
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