Christian Living

LET US GO ON TO PERFECTION

by Chi Onwuchekwa
06/20/18
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‘Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement.’   Hebrews 6:1-2 (NKJV)                                                    

Welcome to the REVIVE Journal. This week I wish to share a word on the need for spiritual growth and also resonate the plea in Hebrews 6:1 that we go on to spiritual maturity.

The heart cry of parents is that their children, from conception to adulthood, will develop and grow physically, mentally and emotionally - showing the right signs of normal growth at each phase of their growth stage. It is a joy for parents when their children belch out a cry at birth, it is a joy to see their children smile for the first time, and oh the awesome joy of the parents when they get to see their children take their first step and speak their first word! The truth is, the same is the heart cry of God the Father.

Our spiritual birth happens when we give our lives to Christ and accept Him as Lord and Saviour. Given that our new birth is spiritual (John 3:6), we therefore begin our journey to spiritual growth and maturity.

It is common knowledge that babies start their growth process by feeding on milk. The same goes for new believers. Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:2:

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby;”

By making reference to the newly saved as ‘newborn babes’, 1 Peter 2:2 acknowledges that there are growth stages in the life of the believer. The very basic being that growth for the new believer will take place as he studies and receives the Word of God in faith. But then, he is expected to grow beyond the ‘milk’ and at some point include ‘strong meat’ in his spiritual diet. Hebrews 5:12-14 states:

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of  righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

These scriptures affirm the truth that just as it is in the natural world, so it is in the spiritual - there are signs that indicate how much and how far we have grown spiritually. The only challenge with spiritual growth is that lack of or abnormal growth is not easily detectable even by the very spiritually mature.

So how can we determine if we or those whom we bear responsibility for are growing appropriately, spiritually?

Hebrews 6:1-2 gives us a guide. It clearly states that certain teachings are basic to the faith and the new convert must be encouraged to accept these as foundational and grow beyond it to more mature teachings. The New Living Translation of Hebrews 6:1-2 puts it this way:


“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again  and               again.  Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.             Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of          repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need             further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the                           resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.”

How does Hebrews 6:1-2 help in determining if spiritual growth is normal and taking place? Well, if we find a believer who has been in the faith, say for 3-5 years, still needing to be persuaded that repentance from evil deeds is essential for true christian living; if we find one who has no faith (no matter how little) in God and struggles to trust Him; if we find one who does not believe in baptism (either of the Holy Spirit or by water); if we find one who does not believe that healing or impartation can take place by the laying on of hands or one who does not believe in eternal judgement or that the dead will be resurrected - then we find one whose spiritual growth is not as it should be.

This in no way debunks the truths that we grow at different paces and that no matter how foundational “milk” is, it will always be an essential part of our spiritual diet.

We must recognise that beyond the ‘milk’ diet, there is also the solid food and the strong meat. We know from knowledge and experience that the ‘infant’ who is solely on a diet of milk is limited in capacity to what he can do - he cannot for example be entrusted with taking the bin out, or of washing the car or of doing the grocery shopping. The same applies in spiritual things. The ‘infant’ in Christ is limited in capacity - there are dimensions of Kingdom life, power and responsibility he cannot take up. He might struggle to successfully engage in spiritual warfare, he cannot be easily released into the mission field, he will struggle to carry his cross and follow the Lord, he will struggle to travail in birth until Christ is formed in others. Why? Because an ‘infant’ who is basically still a dependant lacks the capacity to take responsibility for others? Galatians 4:1 states:

“Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;...”

A church or ministry full of spiritual infants will struggle - Ecclesiastes 10:16 states:

“Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child…”

So, what are some of the signs of spiritual immaturity:

a. Envy, Strife & Divisions - 1 Corinthians 3:1-3:

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

b. Inability to stomach ‘meat’ - the hard teachings of the faith

There are some who after years in the faith struggle with accepting the whole person of God. They are only comfortable with seeing God as a God of love but refuse to see or accept the other aspect of Him - the God of wrath and judgement. They resist strong teachings against sin and define the fear of God in the context only of reverential fear and not the fear of His judgement against the disobedient and rebellious.

c. Unstable, Unfocused & Easily Deceived - Ephesians 4:14:

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;...”

Sadly, there is so much of this going in the Body of Christ. We have seen entire congregations, leaders, Elders swept off the Way by some new revelation that contradicts scripture. We must mature to a place where we accept the Bible as the only infallible road map to the true Christian life. To elevate the words of a man above scriptures is not only immature but dangerous.

d. ‘Walking’ as men as opposed to spiritual men - Ephesians 4:14:

‘For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions,are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

God wants us to ‘walk’ - to think and live not by worldly standards but as His sons, joints heirs to His kingdom and a reflection of His glory on earth. We walk as men when we think, judge and take decisions as men whose sight are set on earthly things. An example is Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:19-20. So, while ‘men’ invest in storing up treasures on earth, the mature believer knows the importance of investing in things of eternal value.

See also Matthew 20:26. While ‘men’ see greatness in their ability to lord it over others and flaunt their authority, we must see true greatness in our ability to humbly serve others.

e. Not repenting from the works of flesh - I Peter 2:1 (NLT) states -

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.”

It is near impossible to grow or have the full experience of salvation if we do not “... put off, concerning {our} former conduct, the old man who grows corrupt…”. Ephesians 4:24-32 and Colossians 3:5-10 exhorts us to put away lying, anger, stealing, filthy language and evil speaking, bitterness, wrath, malice, fornication, uncleanness, covetousness -  works of the old man who is now crucified in Christ.

The sad reality with spiritual immaturity is that the spiritually immature Christian, though an heir of God, is left unable to access and possess all of his inheritance in Christ because his immaturity has left him with a mind that is hostile to God (Romans 8:7) and one that is unable to accept the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14).

I end this piece with the plea in Hebrews 6:1 confident that it is also a plea the Father is making to us as His children - and that is that we move beyond the growth phase where we struggle to believe and live out the elementary principles of the faith on to maturity, and perfection - Matthew 5:48.

Shalom!

Chi Onwuchekwa © 2018