But
grow in grace, and in
the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be
glory
both now and for ever. Amen.
~2 Peter 3:18
The
scriptures reveal four stages of spiritual growth in the Christian
life:
The
scriptures reveal four stages of spiritual growth in the Christian
life:
(1)
The baby stage (1
Cor. 3:1-4)
A
baby thinks only of self; and, if denied the things desired, it will
raise noise and disturbance. It seeks its own; its feelings are
easily hurt and it is often jealous. A baby lives to be served—it
never serves. It drinks milk, and cannot eat strong meat. It cries,
but never sings. It tries to talk, but never makes sense. These
infant characteristics are so prominent in the lives of many church
members. They have been born into the family of God, but have failed
to develop spiritually. They are spiritual babies-carnal Christians.
(2)
The little child stage (1
John 2:12)
Some
Christians grow to be little children spiritually, but stop there.
Here are some of the characteristics of children: they are often
untruthful, envious, and cruel. If rebuked, they become martyrs; if
crossed, they are resentful and often make a scene. They are
talebearers, repeating everything they hear (in adults, it is called
gossip). They are given to emotional outbursts, and are easily puffed
up. They love praise, and will accept it from any source. They seek
only the things that appeal to self.
(3)
The young man stage (1
John 2:13)
Spiritual
growth to that of a young man is not reached by many. He is strong
and virile and is well able to overcome his enemy. He has a vision
for the future and the faith and courage to tackle it. He is
preparing for his productive years. You, too, can become a young man
spiritually by doing “away with childish things” (1
Cor. 13:11).
(4)
The father stage (1
John 2:13)
This
stage of spiritual development can be reached by all, but so few ever
attain it. The spiritual father has peace with God (Rom.
5:1)
He knows the peace of God (Phil.
4:7).
He rejoices in his spiritual children (1 Thess. 2:19
and
1
Tim. 1:2)
He has learned contentment under all circumstances (Phil.
4:11)
He knows the only source of true strength (Phil.
4:13)
He does not brood over the past, but looks to the future (Phil.
3:13-14)
He knows that all things work together in his life for his eternal
good (Rom.
8:28)
He enjoys abundant life now and will enjoy it in the life to come
(Eph.
2:7).
May the Lord give you the grace to attain maturity in your Christian life. It is the well of God
1 comment:
This was copied almost verbatim from the Open Bible Edition of the NASB. Credit should be given.
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