1 Cor 3:1-4 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? NKJV

Paul struggled with getting Christians beyond infancy to maturity. Likewise, the Hebrew writer struggled as well, as we see in Hebrews 5:12-14, “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.” NKJV

Trying to determine what makes a Christian mature is sometimes hard to define. One man wrote,
“A definition of a mature Christian is lacking. Best to say that you know a mature Christian when you see one. They're in the New Testament. Barnabas is one. Aquila and Priscilla are others. Onesiphorous impresses me. And so is the mother of Rufus of whom Paul said, "she has been a mother to me." That's a short list. . . . The marks of maturity? Self-sustaining in spiritual devotions. Wise in human relationships. Humble and serving. Comfortable and functional in the everyday world where people of faith can be in short supply. Substantial in conversation; prudent in acquisition; respectful in conflict; faithful in commitments.” (Gordon McDonald, Leader’s Insight: So Many Christian Infants, Leadership Magazine, October 1, 2007).

So, how do we define Christian maturity? We are very well aware of immaturity as it rears its ugly head and shows itself. But defining what makes a Christian mature is another matter, as we all have ideas, and “know one when we see one.”

Realizing that defining Christian maturity is hard, it is even harder to work at getting that way. If we are not sure what makes a Christian mature, then how do we get there?

As always, I believe that Christian maturity is defined, and must be defined, by what the Bible says. Hence, I go to Scripture to see examples of Christian immaturity (as evidence in 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 5) and I also go to Scripture to find examples and instructions on Christian maturity. We will look at many of these in the next few weeks, but suffice it to say here that Christian maturity comes from three major steps:

1. A HUNGER FOR THE WORD OF GOD, evidenced by our studying His word on a day by day basis. We remember Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”

2. A CONFIDENCE THAT COMES FROM STUDYING AND KNOWING GOD, and manifests itself in daily prayer and communion with God.

3.A LOVING OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMANDS OF GOD, realizing that God knows what is best for me and encourages me to become more like him by doing what he says. We put into action what he has told us to do, and we gain experience and confidence in ourselves as we know we are doing his will. It is this part that so many Christians struggle with, as many times we do not know how to apply what God has said, or our flesh takes over and we react in ways that are far from being Christ-like.

As a major goal in 2008, South Cobb needs to encourage one another toward Christian maturity. Will you commit to growing in Christ? I hope so!
MORE NEXT WEEK