As for why it’s important to grow as a Christian, it’s not because spiritual maturity is a requirement for going to heaven. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Hence, a person can go to heaven as a babe in Christ or as a mature Christian. The only requirement is that the person be a genuine Christian.
So then, why is it important to grow as a Christian? The following verse underscores one important reason:
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (Hebrews 5:12, NASB).
This verse was aimed at those who had been in the Christian faith long enough to be able to teach others. The problem was that they needed to be taught again the basic principles of Christianity. Of course, God can use us in serving Him no matter where we are in our walk with Him. But the more spiritually mature we become, the more effectively He can use us.
You Won’t Grow As a Christian by Chance
A clear message in the verse above is that Christian growth is not happenstance. You don’t become a mature Christian by merely being in the faith a long time. The Christians referred to in the verse above had been in the faith long enough to be teachers but failed to grow. Christian growth comes about only through a personal commitment to the same.
Perhaps we all know people who have been coming to church faithfully for decades but who seem to never grow. Then there are those who appear to spring up in the Lord overnight. We play the key role in our spiritual development. No one else or nothing can compensate for a lack of commitment on our part.
We should view it as an anomaly when Christians fail to grow over time. If I had a son or daughter who was ten years old but could only perform as a three-year-old child, I would view that as seriously abnormal activity. I would do everything I could to find out what the problem was and how to resolve it.
Similarly, Christians who fail to grow over time should view that as abnormal Christianity. In Christ, we have everything we need for spiritual growth. Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit. God has given us His Word for spiritual edification and growth. We can also pray to God to help us to become the person He has called us to be. But none of these will help us if we don’t commit to growing as a Christian.
Moreover, every Christian who fails to grow negatively impacts the church’s ability to do the work of the church.
It’s great if you are saved and going to heaven. But God didn’t save you just for the sake of saving you. While you are here, He wants to use you to serve Him so others may come to know Christ. The extent to which He can do that is dependent upon your commitment to grow as a Christian.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.