Spiritual Immaturity
It is an embarrassing situation when you tell someone that you have been a Chrisitan for many years, but you are unable to answer a simple question about the Bible when you're asked. The writer of The Epistle to the Hebrews addresses this issue as he rebukes them for their spiritual immaturity.
Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV)
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The main problem with remaining in a state of spiritual immaturity is not the embarrassing situations it can cause, but that remaining a babe in Christ leaves you helpless against the attacks of the wicked one, unable to discern both good and evil.
We also learn from this passage of scripture that spiritual growth is something that God requires of every Christian. The inspired writer of the letter rebukes these Christians for still being in need of instruction on the first principles of the oracles of God, when they have had plenty of time to experience the spiritual growth necessary to be teaching others.
He says, for everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. Some might say the reason they are still on the milk after many years as a Christian is because their preacher only teaches on those subjects. I think there is some credibility to such a claim. I listen to radio sermons every Sunday that have no substance whatsoever, they are politically motivated rants that do not focus on spiritual growth at all.
Although this is a problem, it is not a good excuse. The reason I say this is because each individual Christian is responsible for doing our part in our spiritual growth. Yes, we should expect better guidance from someone who is standing in the pulpit on Sunday morning, but we have a copy of the Bible that we can read and understand ourselves, if we put forth the effort.
If someone asks us a question about the word of God and we can only reply with something a preacher said, but cannot provide a book, chapter, and verse answer to the question, our answer is worthless because it is supported by an opinion, not the truth.
Solid food belongs to those who are of full age. This is not a reference to the wisdom that is gained through life experiences as we grow older. Spiritual growth is not associated with our physical age, but our knowledge and understanding of the word of God. Therefore, someone who has been a Christian for six months can be of a more advanced spiritual age than someone who has been a Chrisitan for fifty years. The individual who has been a Christian for five decades may have wasted that time not growing in their knowledge of the scriptures through study, while someone who has been a Christian for less than a year has made this growth their number one priority.
Why is all of this important? Because God expects His children to reach a level of maturity so they can teach the lost and babes in Christ the things they need to know about Jesus to serve Him and glorify Him as they labor in the vineyard. Christianity is NOT sitting in our pew and waiting on the Lord to return. Being a Christian requires serving, obeying, and worshiping Him according to the word only, and with a heart full of gratitude and love.
So what can we do to be sure that we are not in the same situation as these Christians receiving this letter? We need to study our Bibles. We need to search the scriptures for the truth. If we find something lacking in our lives based on what we discover as we study the word of God, we need to have courage and unwavering love for Christ to make whatever change is needed.
If a preacher is teaching us something on Sunday morning that does not align with what we can find as we study the scriptures for ourselves, we need to approach them, ask questions, and teach them the way of God more accurately. If the only instruction we are receiving is the milk of babes, and we aren’t receiving strong spiritual food, we need to ask the preacher for instruction on the deeper matters of the word. If he refuses to accept what the Bible says about a matter he misrepresented or will not go beyond the milk of babes in his preaching, we need to make decisions that help, not hinder our growth.
If we find ourselves in the situation where we have been a Christian for many years, but haven't experienced the growth necessary to teach others, there is no better time than the present to start studying and meditating on the word. We are not going to be endued with knowledge miraculously, as some claim. We will not find our answers by praying for God to speak to us in some supernatural way, but we will only find those answers by putting forth a diligent effort to study the word of God. We need to let the Bible speak, and we will soon understand the peace, comfort, and knowledge that the Lord provides through His written word.
- Eric Bullock, Evangelist
