When children are infants, they do not yet have the ability to take in solid food and so must be fed through liquids, particularly milk. Not until they have teeth and stomachs to handle the complexities of more substantial food are they able to eat anything more than that. This is true in spiritual matters as well.
Prior to belief, at conversion and shortly after, we are infants, unable to intake or digest the full weight and substance of the Christian life. We need milk. Milk is made-up of the basic, elementary tenets of faith: repentance from dead works towards faith in God, belief in Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and the reality of eternal judgment and grace, et al (Heb. 6:1-3). However, when we are ready, we are supposed to move beyond these basics towards more substantial matters of faith.
The more substantial food is the Word. The Bible, the Word of God, is not an easy read nor is it possible to understand its richness apart from faith. Although it is an amazing literary work, the wealth within its pages is not accessible apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the very Word of God. Many major biblical scholars have made huge inroads of scholarship that can shed light into the Bible but, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of faithful readers, the Bible is nothing more than another anthology, no different from any other book ever written.
The substance of Christianity is found in Christ. Christianity is just another worldly religion if it is severed from its head which is Jesus. The revelation of Jesus is found in the Bible, the whole Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible speaks about Christ. Therefore, any Christian that desires maturity must be in the Bible. The substance that propels Christians towards maturity is found in the Bible, is applied by the Holy Spirit, and is accountably practiced in a body of believers.
Without the Word, the Holy Spirit working, and regular communion of believers, maturity will not happen. In this case, one of two things will occur: (1) the believer will spend the whole of their Christian existence stuck on the milk and never maturing; or (2) the believer will look outside of Christianity for spiritual food because the “real” spiritual food simply lies outside of their human grasp. This points to the necessity for devout, mature spiritual mentors to walk alongside believers to help guide them to maturity.
Lastly, Christian maturity has nothing, not one thing, to do with age. There are many young believers that, by the grace and power of God, are more mature than the older generations. Age is void as a determinant of spiritual maturity. Rather, spiritual maturity is assessed spiritually. If a person exhibits the signs of wisdom, patience, joy, hope, and a passion for God and His Word, they are mature. We should all strive and aim to spiritual maturity for it is a good goal and, in the least, it will bring us closer to God.
Prior to belief, at conversion and shortly after, we are infants, unable to intake or digest the full weight and substance of the Christian life. We need milk. Milk is made-up of the basic, elementary tenets of faith: repentance from dead works towards faith in God, belief in Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and the reality of eternal judgment and grace, et al (Heb. 6:1-3). However, when we are ready, we are supposed to move beyond these basics towards more substantial matters of faith.
The more substantial food is the Word. The Bible, the Word of God, is not an easy read nor is it possible to understand its richness apart from faith. Although it is an amazing literary work, the wealth within its pages is not accessible apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the very Word of God. Many major biblical scholars have made huge inroads of scholarship that can shed light into the Bible but, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of faithful readers, the Bible is nothing more than another anthology, no different from any other book ever written.
The substance of Christianity is found in Christ. Christianity is just another worldly religion if it is severed from its head which is Jesus. The revelation of Jesus is found in the Bible, the whole Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible speaks about Christ. Therefore, any Christian that desires maturity must be in the Bible. The substance that propels Christians towards maturity is found in the Bible, is applied by the Holy Spirit, and is accountably practiced in a body of believers.
Without the Word, the Holy Spirit working, and regular communion of believers, maturity will not happen. In this case, one of two things will occur: (1) the believer will spend the whole of their Christian existence stuck on the milk and never maturing; or (2) the believer will look outside of Christianity for spiritual food because the “real” spiritual food simply lies outside of their human grasp. This points to the necessity for devout, mature spiritual mentors to walk alongside believers to help guide them to maturity.
Lastly, Christian maturity has nothing, not one thing, to do with age. There are many young believers that, by the grace and power of God, are more mature than the older generations. Age is void as a determinant of spiritual maturity. Rather, spiritual maturity is assessed spiritually. If a person exhibits the signs of wisdom, patience, joy, hope, and a passion for God and His Word, they are mature. We should all strive and aim to spiritual maturity for it is a good goal and, in the least, it will bring us closer to God.
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