When a child is born, they are expected to grow. And at every point in the development process, we expect certain traits of growth. When these are not forthcoming, we may begin to worry that perhaps something may have gone wrong. At the birth of our youngest son, who is seven years now, my wife signed up for a website which gave her weekly updates about what to expect at every stage of the boy’s growth. It was a beautiful experience. We followed these weekly updates till he took his first step. In the same way, growth is also required of Christians. When we come to faith in Christ, putting our trust in him for salvation, we are expected to grow.
At various places in the Bible, the necessity of Christian growth is commanded and Hebrews 5:11-14 is one of the clearest places we see this command.
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
One of the hardest things an adult can ever hear is “Grow up”. That phrase hurts. In the text, it sounds like the author is telling his audience, “Grow up”: “You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” That must hurt, and I can’t tell how the original audience may have responded. But clearly, he rebukes their immaturity.
For the rest of this article, I will consider three traits that are expected in every mature Christian. These obviously are not exhaustive.
Understanding Basic Christian Doctrine
If the charge is: “…you have become dull of hearing”, then the antidote is, “you must become sharp in hearing”. The charge is undoubtedly a call for understanding and maturity. At the beginning of Chapter 5, the author lays out some truths and doctrines about the person of Jesus Christ. Then he draws a comparison between the High Priesthood of Christ and Melchizedek. However, he tells his original readers there are many things to say about this topic, but they were not ready since they had not grasped even the basics of the Christian faith (v.12c). Ponder over this. The immaturity of these people has denied us what more things the Holy Spirit may have communicated through the writer of Hebrew.
“This is a reminder that failure to appropriate the truth of the gospel produces stagnation in spiritual advancement and the inability to understand or assimilate additional teaching (cf. Jn 16: 12 )” .¹
A believer must not be dull in hearing. They must grasp the doctrines of the Christian faith. They must mature. If this is not happening, then they may not be applying themselves to growth. Every believer must grasp the basic doctrines and teachings of the Christian faith and must desire this to happen. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is instructive: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Eph. 1:16-17). James also said, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”(James 1:5). These texts point to the fact of desire. We must desire growth in our walk and in fact ask for it.
Ability to Teach Others
Linked to their dullness in hearing is the expectation of the author for them to teach others: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.” Every believer has a responsibility to pass on Christian truth to others. Therefore, one sure sign of Christian maturity is our ability to teach and instruct others in the Christian faith. We cannot tell how long they have been believers. But we can be sure if this is required of them, then they may have been believers for long. To be able to pass on the Christian faith, we must know and understand it. Unfortunately, there are many believers who have a disdain for Christian doctrine. They are all of experience and lacking in any knowledge of what they believe. R. C. Sproul calls them “sensous Christians”:
Sensuous Christians don’t need to study the Word of God because they already know the will of God by their feelings. They don’t want to know God; they want to experience him. Sensuous Christians equate “childlike faith” with ignorance. They think that when the Bible calls us to childlike faith, it means a faith without content, a faith without understanding. They don’t know that the Bible says, “In evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Cor 14:20). They don’t realize that Paul tells us again and again, “My beloved brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (see, for example, Rom 11:25).²
Such people, like the ones mentioned above, stand the danger of being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14). We deny ourselves the joy of the Christian faith if we don’t apply ourselves to learning and maturity. In an age of great deception; believers would have to pursue growth in the Christian walk.
Now it is not all believers who are called to vocational or Christian pulpit ministry, nonetheless, every believer has a responsibility of communicating Christian truth wherever they find themselves. But if we don’t know what we believe, we would not be able to pass it on. When Jude wrote to his audience, he called upon them to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 1:3). But how can one contend or defend the faith, if they do not know what they believe? Here, Peter’s charge is relevant: “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…” (1 Pet. 3:15). It is important you and I know what we believe to be able to pass it on and defend it. And this is Christian maturity.
Right Living
It is not enough to understand Christian doctrine. It’s not enough to be able to pass on Christian truth. Christian Maturity involves a practical application of Christian doctrine: “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” This is doctrine and practical living fused together. Our knowledge, our understanding and ability to teach must reflect in how we live. We must, as the author puts it, be able “to distinguish good from evil.” That is discernment. Can you identify an error when you see one? When you are living in disobedience, are you able to tell and repent? We are not tasked only to know and teach the truth. But we are to live the truth. We are to be able to apply the word of God to every area of our lives. What is required here is a proper application of the word to our lives, exactly what Paul charged Timothy to do “rightly handling the word of truth.” Proper handling of Scripture, its application and obedience in the Christian faith is a sure sign of maturity. We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only. (James 1:22-25).
“If our theology does not quicken the conscience and soften the heart, it actually hardens both; if it does not encourage the commitment of faith, it reinforces the detachment of unbelief; if it fails to promote humility, it inevitably feeds pride.”³
*This article with updates was originally posted as Christian Maturity by the author on Sovereigngracegh.org
Notes
1. John MacArthur, The John MacArthur Study Bible ( Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2006), Kindle
2. R.C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (Downers Grove, Intervarsity Press, 2009), Kindle.
3. J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1990), 15.
