The advance to spiritual maturity is a process that takes time as the new Christian learns and lives God’s Word on a regular basis. The world—directed by Satan and his demonic forces—is always seeking to place obstacles in front of the believer in an effort to distract him and get him to think about anything and everything other than his Christian walk with the Lord. Dr. Lewis S. Chafer describes Satan’s world system as follows:
The cosmos is a vast order or system that Satan has promoted which conforms to his ideals, aims, and methods. It is civilization now functioning apart from God – a civilization in which none of its promoters really expect God to share; who assign to God no consideration in respect to their projects, nor do they ascribe any causality to Him. This system embraces its godless governments, conflicts, armaments, jealousies; its education, culture, religions of morality, and pride. It is that sphere in which man lives. It is what he sees, what he employs. To the uncounted multitude it is all they ever know so long as they live on this earth. It is properly styled “The Satanic System” which phrase is in many instances a justified interpretation of the so-meaningful word, cosmos. (Lewis S. Chafer, “Angelology Part 4” Bibliotheca Sacra 99 (1942): 282-283.
The growing Christian must not allow himself to be distracted by the world, or by its pleasures or pains. The pursuit of worldly agendas, no matter how moral or noble they may appear, whether political or social, are a defeat to the Christian if they pull him away from his priority of learning God’s Word, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and walking daily with the Lord Jesus Christ. Though constant distraction is all around us, we are “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Bringing our thoughts into captivity means focusing our mind on God and His Word (Isa. 26:3; Prov. 3:5-6; Col. 3:1), and not allowing our thoughts to be bogged down with the cares of this world (Matt. 6:25-34). This requires spiritual discipline to learn and live God’s Word on a regular basis as we advance to spiritual maturity. There are at least seven things each believer must follow to reach spiritual maturity:
- He must have an ongoing attitude of submission to God and be willing to seek His will above all else (Rom. 12:1-2). The Christian will face temptations from the world and from his own sinful fleshly nature. The ongoing attitude of submission to God will help the Christian overcome these temptations because he will want the Lord’s will above all else.
- He must be in continual study of God’s Word, applying it to every aspect of his life (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18). At the moment of regeneration every Christian must begin the process of replacing a lifetime of worldly viewpoint with divine viewpoint. This is necessary if he’s to reach spiritual maturity and glorify God as a believer who effectively serves others (Rom. 12:2; Phil. 2:3-8). The Christian cannot live what he does not know, and learning God’s Word necessarily precedes living His will.
- He must live by faith (Rom. 10:17; Heb. 10:38; 11:6). The writer to the Hebrews states, “But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him” (Heb. 10:38), for “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
- He must be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). The Christian life is never executed in the energy of the flesh, as though the believer can fulfill God’s commands apart from God’s divine enablement. Relying on God the Holy Spirit requires a knowledge of God’s Word and daily choices to live by faith as the Christian takes God at His promises and follows His commands.
- He must learn to walk in daily dependence on God the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 21). Willfully walking with someone implies sensitivity, going where they go, staying in step with them, and being sensitive to their speed and movements. The Spirit guides us biblically and never by vague impressions. Where the Scripture is silent, the believer has freedom to exercise his will and live by biblical principles (i.e. love, seeking God’s glory, etc.), conscience, and trusting God to guide providentially.
- He must restore his broken fellowship with God through confession of personal sin (1 John 1:5-9). The confessed sin is directed to God, which is faithfully forgiven (1 John 1:9).
- He must take advantage of the time God gives him to learn and grow spiritually (Eph. 5:15-17; cf. Heb. 5:12; 1 Pet. 1:17; 4:1-2). The believer does not reach spiritual maturity overnight, and since he has only a measure of time allotted to him by God (Ps. 139:16), he must make sure his days are not wasted on meaningless pursuits, but on learning God’s Word and living His will.
Every Christian will face ongoing worldly distractions in his spiritual life which are designed by Satan to prevent spiritual growth. The Christian has choices to make on a daily basis, for only he can choose to allow these distractions to stand between him and God. The Christian experiences his greatest blessings in life when he reaches spiritual maturity and utilizes the rich resources God has for him. However, this takes time to learn, and ignorance must give way to the light of God’s revelation found in His Word. Frustration is often the handmaiden of ignorance, but spiritual success comes with knowledge of God and His Word.
Dr. Steven R. Cook
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