Archived Notes

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Growing into a Mature Man

©Chad Sychtysz

 

               Paul realized that in order to become a man, he had to give up childish things (1 Cor 13:11). These include: child-like habits, immature thinking, improper reactions, and selfish love. These things did not automatically disappear; he had to consciously “put [them] away.” Likewise, all who are “in Christ” ought to actively put away childish things and pursue spiritual maturity, both as the body of Christ and as individual believers (Eph 4:11-16). God has given us the resources and tools to accomplish this.

Just because one grows physically into a man does not mean he is a spiritually-mature man. Physical growth is natural; it is of the world. Spiritual growth is un-natural; it is from God. These two contexts are not interchangeable (1 Cor 2:12-14). Growing into a mature (spiritual) man is not an assumed, accidental, or automatic process; it takes much time and energy to become a properly-equipped disciple of Christ. Jesus’ growth from a child into a mature Man (“having favor with God and men,” Lk 2:51-52), including the submission He exercised toward His parents, did not happen accidentally. Jesus chose to grow up this way; likewise, we must choose to grow up like Him. We also are “born of God” (John 1:12-13); we also must submit to our Father; we also must make a conscious and deliberate effort to find favor with Him as “sons of God through faith” (Gal 3:26, Eph 5:1).

But even though we may all have the same objective, we are not all at the same level of growth or maturity. We all have differing measures of faith, intelligence, learning experiences, education, etc.—and there is nothing wrong with this in itself. There is, however, a difference between poor discipleship and an inexperienced disciple. One necessarily implies deliberate ignorance, negligence, and the failure to follow through with what God expects of us; the other simply indicates the lack of proper training and/or opportunity to properly exercise that training. (For example, a poor driver and an inexperienced driver are not necessarily the same thing.) We cannot fault an inexperienced disciple of Christ—unless, of course, that person has chosen to be inexperienced by his own laziness, neglect, or indifference.

A “mature man” would be subjectively defined, had the Holy Spirit not explained what He means by this. Using Eph 4:11-16, for example, we can conclude that a mature man (person) of God:

 Is well-equipped for the work for which God has called him: he does not equip himself, but has allowed himself to be properly equipped by the grace of Christ (Heb 13:20-21).

 Attains to the unity of faith: just as Jesus was “one” with the Father (John 10:30), so he is “one” with Him (John 17:20-21), that is, he adopts His mind, purpose, and intent.

 Attains to the knowledge of the Son of God: he does not just know about Jesus, but pursues Him intimately, intelligently, and aggressively.

 Is measured by (compared to) Christ: he is not compared to others, or to social or “church” expectations, or even his own preferences; rather, Christ is His standard, and he is measured by His “stature.”

 Is not “tossed here and there” by “every wind of doctrine”: he is not fickle, groundless, spiritually unstable, or caught up in every spiritual controversy (Heb 6:1).

 Is not led astray by the craftiness or deceit of men: he avoids those who pawn their opinions as doctrine, or those who knowingly violate Scripture in their teachings (because of conflicts of interest).

 “Speaks the truth in love”: he does not appeal to truth or claim to love, but practices the two together.

 Grows up in all aspects into Christ: he is well-rounded, well-balanced, and does not specialize in one godly attribute or the other, but seeks to improve upon all the different virtues (cf. 2 Pet 1:5-7).

 Fully participates in helping the entire body (of Christ) to grow and develop.

Growing old and growing into a “mature man” (of God) are not necessarily the same things. To grow into a spiritually-mature man requires prayer, study, and fellowship; it is not an incidental or accidental occurrence. To grow successfully, one must remove from his life that which hinders such growth and at the same time incorporate all that God has provided that “pertains to life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3).

 

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