1 Corinthians 2:1-15 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. … (6) However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. (7) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory … (13) these things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (14) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (15) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one.”
In the New Testament a mature believer and one who is spiritual are synonymous terms. We have seen thus far that the three main characteristics that identify both baby believers and young adults; is their understanding of God’s word, their level of faith, and the way in which they behave. In the same manner we can identify mature adults in the Christian faith by looking at those same three characteristics. And so the first characteristic of mature believers that we want to discuss is their understanding of God’s word. In order for us to understand this particular truth it is important to recognise that this characteristic refers to a spiritual understanding of God’s word, as opposed to an intellectual understanding of the bible. So what’s the difference? In the above quoted passage of scripture Paul refers to spiritual truths which the Holy Spirit teaches. In other words spiritual understanding of God’s word can only be received by direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. Intellectual understanding of the bible on the other hand is an attempt to understand the bible using the wisdom of men. For example, in an effort to more clearly understand the bible there are many “theologians” who study the original Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew texts of the bible and study the historical contexts in which the scriptures were written, etc. That is not spiritual understanding however, but rather that is having an intellectual or natural understanding of the bible. And so consequently there are many very “learned theological professors” who can quote the original Greek texts for example, but have zero spiritual understanding about what the Holy Spirit is teaching in those same texts. For example, in the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul refers to the “rulers of this age”. The spiritual man clearly understands that the Holy Spirit is referring to Satan and his angels as being the rulers of this age. The natural man on the other hand has no such understanding, and so being constrained to natural thinking, the various “professors of theology” would refer to those rulers as being the Roman governors and Jewish Sanhedrists of the time, thus completely missing the important spiritual truth revealed in this passage about the Lord’s crucifixion. And so we see in this passage that the apostle Paul contrasts the natural man’s understanding of the bible with the spiritual man’s understanding of God’s word. The natural man that He is referring to is one who is still constrained to worldly thinking, while the spiritual man on the other hand no longer thinks as this world thinks, for they have renewed their minds to think in line with the word of God. And so we see that it is only the spiritual man that can understand the things of the Spirit of God, while the natural man is excluded from such understanding because, as Paul states in this passage, the natural man views those things as being foolish. As we have already stated, it is only God who gives us spiritual understanding of His word, and so to that end God withholds no spiritual truth in His word from the individual who is spiritually mature (Mark 4:24-25). Paul confirms that truth to us in this passage when he tells us that it is only mature believers that are able to understand the hidden wisdom of God.
Hebrews 5:11-14 “of whom we have much to say and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (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.”
We had a look at the above quoted passage of scripture when we discussed the characteristics of baby believers. Nevertheless this passage also reveals to us certain truths about mature believers. In this passage the writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that there are certain spiritual truths that are hard to explain to those who are still babes in Christ, thus implying that those same truths are relatively easy to explain to those who are mature in Christ. In context the writer of Hebrews is referring to our Lord’s ministry as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, which clearly is one of the spiritual truths that can only be fully understood by those who are mature in Christ. The Holy Spirit goes on in this passage to imply that mature believers are well able to teach the word of God to others, for He reprimands the saints in Jerusalem for not yet being mature enough to teach. Although the Holy Spirit refers specifically to teaching the first principles of the oracles of God i.e. the six foundational doctrines, it is clearly implied that mature believers are able to teach other spiritual truths as well. We know that to be the case, because when the Holy Spirit refers to baby believers as being unskilled in the word of righteousness, He therefore implies that mature believers are those who have become skilled in the word of righteousness. In other words because they have studied the word of God, mature believers have learnt to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). We also see in this passage that unlike babes in Christ, mature believers are able to partake of the solid food of God’s word, i.e. they can understand the hidden wisdom in God’s word which Paul mentioned in his letter to the church in Corinth.
Ephesians 4:11-14 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, (13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (14) that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.”
The above quoted passage of scripture explains the roles played by the Lord’s fivefold ministry gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher in the building of His church. Nevertheless the point that I want to highlight from this passage is that it is the will of God that each one of His saints reach maturity in Christ, for Paul states that we are all to come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man. The word translated “perfect” in this passage also means “mature”. Notice that the result of becoming mature in Christ is that the individual will no longer be carried about with every wind of false doctrine, because they would have become skilled in the word of righteousness and thus no longer susceptible to various and strange doctrines that they may come across. Sadly baby believers and even young adults are vulnerable in this area, not yet having learnt to rightly divide the word of truth. As an aside, this passage shows us the importance of the fivefold ministry gifts in bringing the church to the place of maturity in Christ.
2 Peter 1:12 “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.”
The apostle Peter reveals to us in the above quoted passage of scripture that mature believers are established in the present truth. So what does he mean by that statement? It simply means that mature believers have a clear understanding of the word of God as revealed to us in the New Testament. Nevertheless because He refers to the present truth, the Holy Spirit thus signifies to us that there are spiritual truths which have not yet been revealed, even to those who are spiritually mature. The apostle Paul agrees with that statement when he tells us that no matter how much we know in this life, we still only know in part (1 Corinthians 13:12). Nevertheless the Holy Spirit confirms to us in this passage that it is possible for mature believers to know and be established in the present truth, i.e. have a clear understanding of God’s word.
1 Corinthians 14:20 “Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
To become mature in the understanding of God’s word is available to every one of the Lord’s saints, not just a select few such as ministers of the gospel. For in the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit admonishes all believers to become mature in their understanding of the word of God. And so we see from the scriptures discussed in this section, that one of the key characteristics of mature believers is their clear understanding of the mysteries of God as revealed in the New Testament.
Michael E.B. Maher
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