Living an Eternal Life Now Part 4: Developing Spiritual Maturity

Since you have been born again (1Peter 1:22-2:3)

                Biblical Christianity is unique in its approach to personal righteousness. Its uniqueness lies primarily in the means by which a believer is made righteous. The previous passage encouraged believers to prepare their minds for action by focusing on the value of the gospel. The truth of the gospel is that Jesus came to save us by taking our sins upon himself and dying on the cross in our place. He was then buried and was raised on the third day as promised in the Scriptures. The good news is that all who believe in him will be saved. The appropriate response to the good news is to believe that Jesus Christ has paid for your sins and to submit to his authority as Lord of your life. Salvation results in a genuine response to the truth revealed by God that results in a change in your personal focus. It is an event that has lasting consequences and can never be reversed. It is an encounter with God that transforms the soul and cleanses the heart. A purified soul is necessary before you can ever hope to have the opportunity to love and serve God. The problem is that although people are cleansed and forgiven at the moment of salvation they are not mature.  This spiritual immaturity limits our ability to love God and others. How can we grow spiritually and learn to love deeply and genuinely?

The word of the Lord remains forever

                Sin introduced death into God’s perfect creation and since then death and sin have corrupted all of creation. There is only one thing that has not been corrupted by sin; the word of God is still preserved. Some men try to explain how religion has corrupted the Bible. They say we do not really know the message God originally spoke through the prophets and the apostles. Some people deny the Bible’s divine source by saying that it is written by men.  They reduce inspiration to an elevated state of consciousness that has spawned a literary masterpiece. The denial of the doctrines of inspiration and preservation of the Scriptures begins and ends in unbelief. These doctrines are not based on a few statements in the Scriptures. They are established by the very assumptions throughout Scripture about its own divine origin. These doctrines are validated by the nature of how the New Testament writers view the Old Testament, the preaching of the early church, the testimony of the prophets themselves (“Thus says the Lord”), fulfilled prophecy, and the position Christ himself held regarding the Scriptures.  Volumes have been written throughout the centuries discussing the topic of the Bible’s divine origin and its preservation.  Nevertheless, the most powerful evidence for the divine origin of Scripture is its power to transform lives. The work of God in the hearts of men from the first day until now proves how the message of the gospel has survived because it is still effectively revealing God’s love and mercy through Jesus Christ.  Generations have come and gone but the message is still the same and working powerfully to save souls from the penalty of sin and to nourish believers supplying what is necessary for spiritual maturity.

Long for the pure spiritual milk

                There is a process of spiritual growth that should be taking place in the lives of everyone who truly believes the gospel. This spiritual maturity is evident in the capacity we have for loving others and the sincerity with which we love others.  We do not become more spiritual simply by doing more good or loving more people. Our spiritual growth is the result of something more profound than anything flesh and blood can manufacture. We grow spiritually as we encounter God himself in the person of Jesus Christ through the inspired and preserved word of God. When you read the Bible you are having a personal encounter with God. This is true regardless of whether you believe the Bible or not. God has spoken and is working to reveal himself in Scripture so that we may know him, the only faithful God and Jesus Christ. Your desire for the word of God is affected by your attitude toward God himself.  You will never develop a love for the Scriptures if you are clinging to any negative attitude or lack of reverence for God.

Open your heart to God and receive the knowledge of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  The more you know him the more you will love him. The more you love him the more you will mature spiritually as you see the evidence of his faithfulness to those who draw near to him. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!!