Lesson 81: What Spiritual Growth Should Look Like
Every living thing should grow.
A newborn child is expected to develop.
A planted seed should eventually produce:
roots;
a stem;
leaves;
and fruit.
In the same way, a person who has received new life in Jesus Christ should not remain spiritually unchanged.
Growth does not happen instantly.
Believers do not reach maturity in a few days.
But where spiritual life is present, there should be movement.
The disciple should gradually become:
more grounded in truth;
more obedient to Christ;
more discerning;
more stable;
more loving;
more useful;
and less controlled by the old life.
Peter writes:
“But grow in grace,
and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
— 2 Peter 3:18, KJV
Growth is not optional decoration added to the Christian life.
It is part of discipleship.
Spiritual Growth Begins With Spiritual Life
A person cannot grow spiritually merely by becoming religious.
He may:
attend church;
learn Christian language;
change certain habits;
or admire biblical morality.
But genuine spiritual growth begins with new life in Jesus Christ.
A dead branch cannot produce living fruit by being decorated.
A person must first be reconciled to God through Christ.
Spiritual growth does not save us.
Jesus Christ saves.
Growth follows salvation as the life of Christ begins producing change within the believer.
Growth Is Not Self-Salvation
Some believers examine their progress and become confused about the gospel.
When they see weakness, they think:
“Perhaps Christ will not accept me until I become mature.”
But growth is not an attempt to earn justification.
The believer does not grow so that Jesus will finally decide to save him.
He grows because he has received grace and now belongs to Christ.
The foundation remains:
Christ’s death;
Christ’s resurrection;
Christ’s righteousness;
and faith in Him.
Growth is the fruit of grace, not the purchase price of grace.
Growth Is Commanded
Peter says:
“Grow in grace.”
That is a command.
Believers should not become satisfied with remaining spiritually immature.
A Christian should not say:
“This is simply how I am.”
“I have always had this temper.”
“I do not understand Scripture, and I never will.”
“I am not the kind of person who serves.”
“I have attended church for years, so I have learned enough.”
Grace does not teach believers to defend stagnation.
It teaches them to continue growing.
Growth Occurs Gradually
Jesus described the growth of seed:
“For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself;
first the blade, then the ear,
after that the full corn in the ear.”
— Mark 4:28, KJV
The blade is not the full ear.
The ear is not yet the mature grain.
Growth occurs through stages.
A new believer may show:
genuine faith;
a desire for truth;
conviction concerning sin;
and willingness to obey,
while still possessing serious immaturity.
Do not despise early growth because it is incomplete.
Do not call incomplete growth complete maturity.
Gradual Growth Is Not Permission for Carelessness
Growth takes time.
That does not mean sin should be treated casually.
A child may not be physically mature, but he should still be alive and developing.
Likewise, a new believer may not understand everything, but he should respond to the truth he has received.
Patience with growth means allowing time for learning, practice, correction, and development.
Carelessness says:
“There is no need to change.”
Those attitudes are not the same.
Spiritual Growth Is Not Always Even
A believer may grow rapidly in one area and slowly in another.
He may become:
knowledgeable in Scripture
while remaining impatient.
He may become disciplined in prayer
while struggling to receive correction.
He may show great courage publicly
while neglecting kindness at home.
Growth can be uneven.
This is why believers must allow Scripture to examine the whole life rather than pointing to one strong area as proof of complete maturity.
Growth Is Not Measured by Time Alone
A person may have attended church for thirty years and still respond like a spiritual child.
Hebrews says:
“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…”
— Hebrews 5:12, KJV
Enough time had passed for maturity.
The expected growth had not occurred.
Years provide opportunity.
They do not automatically produce maturity.
Ask not only:
“How long have I been a Christian?”
Ask:
“What has God’s truth produced in me during that time?”
Growth Is Not Measured by Knowledge Alone
Knowledge matters.
Believers should understand:
the gospel;
doctrine;
Scripture;
and God’s will.
But knowledge alone is not maturity.
Paul writes:
“Knowledge puffeth up,
but charity edifieth.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:1, KJV
Knowledge can produce humility and obedience.
It can also produce pride.
A person may know many biblical facts while becoming:
argumentative;
harsh;
self-important;
or unteachable.
True growth does not merely enlarge what the mind knows.
It changes how the person lives and loves.
Growth Is Not Measured by Spiritual Gifts
The Corinthian church possessed remarkable spiritual gifts.
Paul said they came behind in no gift.
Yet he also called them carnal and described them as babes in Christ.
He wrote:
“For whereas there is among you envying,
and strife, and divisions,
are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
— 1 Corinthians 3:3, KJV
Giftedness and maturity are not identical.
A person may speak well, lead effectively, sing beautifully, teach publicly, or attract attention while remaining immature in character.
A gift reveals what God has entrusted.
Character reveals how the person is walking.
Growth Is Not Measured by Position
A title does not create maturity.
A person may be called:
pastor;
teacher;
leader;
elder;
minister;
or prophet
without possessing the character those responsibilities require.
Position may provide influence.
It does not guarantee spiritual depth.
The more visible the responsibility, the more seriously character should be examined.
Never assume that public authority removes the need for correction, accountability, or growth.
Growth Is Not Measured by Activity
A busy Christian is not automatically a mature Christian.
Activity may include:
church attendance;
meetings;
ministry;
travel;
posting Christian content;
or helping many people.
Those activities may be good.
But busyness can hide:
prayerlessness;
neglected family;
unconfessed sin;
pride;
or dependence upon human praise.
Maturity is not merely doing more things.
It is becoming more faithful to Christ in everything He has actually assigned.
Growth Is Not Measured by Emotion
A believer may experience powerful emotion during:
worship;
prayer;
preaching;
or testimony.
Emotion can be sincere and appropriate.
But emotional intensity is not the same as maturity.
A person may cry during worship and remain unwilling to forgive.
He may feel inspired during preaching and ignore the command afterward.
He may appear passionate publicly while living carelessly privately.
Spiritual growth is tested after the emotional moment has passed.
Growth Is Not Measured by Personality
Some people naturally appear:
confident;
calm;
friendly;
organized;
or disciplined.
Those traits can be useful.
They are not automatically spiritual fruit.
A naturally quiet person may still be proud.
A naturally outgoing person may still lack love.
A strong personality may appear mature because it is decisive.
Biblical maturity is measured by Christ’s truth and character, not by temperament.
Growth Is Not the Absence of Struggle
A growing believer may still experience:
temptation;
grief;
fear;
questions;
or weakness.
The presence of struggle does not automatically prove the absence of growth.
Growth may be seen in how the struggle is handled.
Previously, the person may have surrendered immediately.
Now he prays, seeks help, uses Scripture, and resists.
Previously, he hid sin for months.
Now he confesses quickly.
Previously, correction produced anger.
Now he listens, tests it, and changes.
The battle may remain while the response becomes more mature.
Growth Should Produce Stability
Paul describes the goal of Christian teaching:
“That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine…”
— Ephesians 4:14, KJV
Children are easily moved.
Spiritually immature people may be carried by:
new teachers;
popular trends;
dramatic claims;
fear;
or personal feelings.
Growth produces increasing stability.
The mature believer does not believe every confident voice.
He tests teaching through Scripture.
He can learn without becoming gullible and remain grounded without becoming stubborn.
Growth Joins Truth With Love
Paul continues:
“But speaking the truth in love,
may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ:”
— Ephesians 4:15, KJV
Immaturity often separates truth and love.
One person speaks “truth” without compassion.
Another speaks of love while avoiding necessary truth.
Maturity brings them together.
Truth without love can become harsh.
Love without truth can become sentimental compromise.
Spiritual growth teaches believers to seek another person’s real good through both honesty and love.
Lesson 84 will develop this balance more fully.
Growth Moves Toward Christ
Paul says believers are to:
“grow up into him in all things… even Christ.”
The goal of growth is not becoming an impressive religious person.
It is becoming increasingly governed by Jesus Christ.
Growth should affect:
thoughts;
speech;
relationships;
money;
time;
private conduct;
work;
service;
and responses under pressure.
Christ should not be confined to one section of life.
Maturity means His lordship is reaching more of the whole person.
Growth Produces a Worthy Walk
Paul prayed that believers would:
“walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work,
and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
— Colossians 1:10, KJV
Knowledge and conduct belong together.
The believer increases in knowledge.
He also walks differently.
A worthy walk does not mean earning Christ.
It means living in a manner consistent with belonging to Him.
The gospel should increasingly affect ordinary conduct.
Growth Produces Increasing Obedience
Spiritual growth can be seen when the distance between hearing and obeying becomes shorter.
An immature believer may:
delay;
argue;
make excuses;
or obey only when convenient.
A growing believer learns to say:
“God has spoken. I must respond.”
This does not mean obedience becomes effortless.
It means the heart becomes more willing to submit.
Growth Produces Quicker Repentance
A mature believer is not someone who no longer needs repentance.
He becomes more honest and responsive when sin is exposed.
Instead of asking:
“How can I defend myself?”
he asks:
“What is true?”
Instead of hiding for months, he confesses.
Instead of blaming others entirely, he accepts his responsibility.
The mature believer does not become casual about sin.
He becomes quicker to bring it into the light.
Growth Produces Teachability
Immaturity assumes correction is an attack.
Maturity listens.
This does not mean accepting every accusation as true.
A mature believer tests correction through:
Scripture;
facts;
and wise counsel.
But he does not reject it merely because it feels uncomfortable.
Growth says:
“I may not see everything clearly.”
“God may use another believer to expose something I have missed.”
Teachability is one of the clearest signs of spiritual health.
Growth Produces Discernment
Hebrews says:
“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.”
— Hebrews 5:14, KJV
Discernment develops:
“by reason of use.”
Mature believers repeatedly apply Scripture to life.
They learn to distinguish:
truth from error;
faith from presumption;
love from sentimentality;
rest from laziness;
courage from recklessness;
and correction from condemnation.
Discernment grows through practiced obedience.
Growth Produces Greater Responsibility
Children require others to carry much of their responsibility.
Mature adults learn to carry what belongs to them.
Spiritually, growth appears when a believer stops expecting others to do all the:
praying;
studying;
deciding;
serving;
and correcting
for him.
He still needs the church.
He still receives help.
But he increasingly takes responsibility for his own walk before God.
Growth Produces Concern for Others
Spiritual infancy asks mostly:
“What am I receiving?”
Maturity increasingly asks:
“How can I strengthen someone else?”
Paul describes the body of Christ as each part working properly so that the body grows and builds itself up in love.
Mature believers do not consume church life without contributing.
They pray, encourage, serve, teach, give, help, and carry appropriate burdens.
Growth Produces Faithfulness in the Hidden Life
Public conduct can be managed for reputation.
The hidden life reveals deeper maturity.
Growth should appear in:
private thoughts;
internet use;
financial honesty;
sexual purity;
treatment of family;
and behavior when no one is watching.
A person is not mature because he can perform Christianity publicly.
Maturity reaches the places where only God sees.
Growth Produces Stability Under Pressure
Trials do not automatically create maturity.
They reveal and exercise it.
A growing believer may still grieve or feel afraid.
But he becomes less likely to:
abandon truth;
retaliate sinfully;
or make impulsive decisions.
He increasingly brings pressure beneath:
prayer;
Scripture;
wise counsel;
and obedience.
The storm may remain powerful.
Its control over the believer becomes weaker.
Growth Produces Greater Dependence on Christ
Spiritual maturity should not make a person feel less need for Jesus.
It should make him more aware of that need.
As believers grow, they see more clearly:
the seriousness of sin;
the limits of human strength;
and the greatness of grace.
Immaturity may boast:
“I have become strong.”
Maturity says:
“By the grace of God, I have been helped.”
True growth produces gratitude rather than self-congratulation.
Growth Does Not Mean You Have Arrived
Paul wrote:
“Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect:
but I follow after…”
— Philippians 3:12, KJV
Then:
“I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 3:14, KJV
Paul was spiritually mature.
Yet he did not speak as though growth were finished.
Maturity recognizes progress without pretending completion.
The closer believers walk with Christ, the less interested they become in declaring themselves fully mature.
Growth Should Become Evident
Paul told Timothy:
“Meditate upon these things;
give thyself wholly to them;
that thy profiting may appear to all.”
— 1 Timothy 4:15, KJV
The word profiting refers to progress.
Timothy’s growth was to become visible.
This does not mean performing spirituality for praise.
It means real growth eventually affects conduct enough for others to recognize it.
People close to you should gradually see:
greater honesty;
greater steadiness;
greater kindness;
greater wisdom;
and greater faithfulness.
Ask Those Closest to You
Public admirers may see only a carefully presented image.
People who live or work closely with you see more.
Ask a trustworthy person:
“Where have you seen growth in me?”
“Where do I still respond immaturely?”
“Do I receive correction better than before?”
“Has my speech become more gracious?”
“Am I becoming easier or harder to live with?”
Do not ask merely to receive praise.
Ask because growth should become visible in real relationships.
Do Not Compare Your Growth Unwisely
Paul warns about people:
“measuring themselves by themselves,
and comparing themselves among themselves,”
and says they:
“are not wise.”
— 2 Corinthians 10:12, KJV
Comparison can produce pride or discouragement.
You may appear mature beside a new believer while remaining immature beside Scripture.
Another person may grow faster in one area and slower in another.
Your standard is not another person’s personality, pace, or assignment.
Your standard is the Word of God and the character of Jesus Christ.
Evaluate Yourself Soberly
Paul says:
“not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think;
but to think soberly…”
— Romans 12:3, KJV
Sober evaluation avoids two errors.
Pride exaggerates progress.
False humility denies every evidence of grace.
You may say honestly:
“God has helped me grow in this area.”
And:
“I still need serious growth here.”
Both statements can be true.
Recognizing grace should lead to thanksgiving.
Recognizing immaturity should lead to repentance and action.
Growth Requires Nourishment
Peter writes:
“As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:”
— 1 Peter 2:2, KJV
Growth requires the Word of God.
A believer cannot feed continually upon:
entertainment;
social media;
human opinion;
and worldly thinking
while expecting deep spiritual maturity.
Read Scripture.
Study it carefully.
Receive faithful teaching.
Remember it.
Obey it.
The goal is not merely finishing chapters.
It is allowing truth to nourish and transform life.
Growth Requires Abiding in Christ
Jesus said:
“Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
— John 15:4, KJV
Spiritual growth is not produced through independent self-improvement.
The branch receives life from the vine.
Believers grow through continuing dependence upon Christ.
Prayer, Scripture, fellowship, obedience, and worship are not techniques for creating life independently.
They are means through which the believer remains responsive to Christ.
Growth Requires Practice
Hebrews says mature believers have exercised their senses through use.
Reading about forgiveness is not the same as forgiving.
Learning about generosity is not the same as giving.
Studying prayer is not the same as praying.
Hearing about service is not the same as serving.
Truth must be practiced.
Growth occurs as Scripture moves from:
information
to obedience,
and from obedience
to established character.
Growth Requires the Church
No believer sees every weakness clearly.
God uses the local church through:
teaching;
fellowship;
correction;
service;
encouragement;
and accountability.
Isolation may allow a person to imagine he is mature because no one is close enough to challenge him.
Maturity learns to function as part of Christ’s body.
It gives and receives.
It serves and is served.
It corrects and is corrected.
Growth Requires Trials
Trials reveal areas that comfort may conceal.
Pressure may expose:
impatience;
fear;
pride;
self-reliance;
or bitterness.
That exposure can become part of growth when the believer responds to God.
The question is not merely:
“Did I experience a trial?”
Ask:
“What did the trial reveal?”
“What did God correct?”
“How did I obey differently?”
A trial that produces no reflection or response may leave the same immaturity untouched.
Growth Requires Time
Spiritual maturity is not produced through one conference, one book, one sermon, or one intense week.
Growth develops through:
daily choices;
repeated correction;
continuing prayer;
ordinary obedience;
and years of walking with God.
Do not demand instant maturity.
Do not waste years by resisting the means through which God produces it.
Expect Continued Growth
Paul told believers:
“We beseech you, brethren,
and exhort you by the Lord Jesus,
that as ye have received of us
how ye ought to walk and to please God,
so ye would abound more and more.”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:1, KJV
They were already walking.
Paul called them to:
“abound more and more.”
Growth has no proper stopping point in this life.
There is always room to know Christ more deeply, obey more fully, love more sincerely, and serve more faithfully.
A Biblical Spiritual-Growth Pattern
1. Remain Grounded in the Gospel
Growth flows from grace and never replaces Christ as the foundation.
2. Feed Upon Scripture
Receive truth regularly and in context.
3. Practice What You Learn
Move from knowledge into obedience.
4. Remain Close to Christ
Depend upon Him rather than self-improvement.
5. Receive Correction
Stay humble and teachable.
6. Participate in the Church
Grow through teaching, fellowship, service, and accountability.
7. Respond to Trials
Allow pressure to expose and correct immaturity.
8. Evaluate Fruit Honestly
Look for visible changes in conduct, relationships, motives, and stability.
9. Avoid Comparison
Measure growth through Scripture rather than other people.
10. Continue Abounding
Thank God for progress while pressing toward greater maturity.
A Spiritual-Growth Examination
One area where God has helped me grow is:
The evidence of that growth is:
One area where I remain immature is:
The response that repeatedly reveals this immaturity is:
The Scripture that speaks to this area is:
The correction or help I need is:
The practice I need to begin or strengthen is:
The person who can help keep me accountable is:
Discipleship Questions
- Why are knowledge, gifts, church activity, emotion, and position insufficient measurements of spiritual maturity?
- How can a believer struggle with temptation or weakness while still showing evidence of genuine growth?
- What does Hebrews 5:14 teach about the relationship between practice and discernment?
- Why should spiritual maturity produce greater dependence upon Christ rather than greater confidence in self?
- What specific response in your present life most clearly reveals an area where further growth is needed?
Closing Exhortation
Grow in grace.
Do not confuse time with maturity.
Do not confuse knowledge with obedience.
Do not confuse gifts with character.
Do not confuse activity with fruitfulness.
Do not confuse emotion with transformation.
Do not compare yourself proudly with others.
Look honestly at your life beneath Scripture.
Are you more teachable?
Do you repent more quickly?
Are you becoming more stable in truth?
Is Christ reaching more of your private life?
Are you learning to serve others?
Are you depending more deeply upon God?
Thank Him for every evidence of grace.
Do not claim that you have arrived.
Feed upon the Word.
Practice what you learn.
Remain in Christ.
Receive correction.
Stay within the body.
Respond faithfully to trials.
And continue abounding more and more.
A Prayer for Spiritual Growth
Father,
Thank You for giving new life through Jesus Christ.
I know that spiritual growth cannot save me and that I cannot earn Your grace.
My hope rests in Jesus Christ, who died for sins and rose again.
But I do not want to remain immature.
Grow me in grace and in the knowledge of my Lord and Saviour.
Forgive me for confusing knowledge, activity, emotion, giftedness, personality, or position with maturity.
Expose every area where outward appearance is hiding inward weakness.
Make me teachable.
Help me receive correction without defensiveness.
Give me hunger for Your Word and grace to practice what I learn.
Shorten the distance between hearing and obeying.
Help me repent quickly when I sin.
Make me stable in truth, useful to others, faithful in private, and steady under pressure.
Keep me from comparing myself with other believers.
Help me evaluate my life soberly beneath Scripture.
Thank You for every area where Your grace has already produced change.
Keep me from pride concerning that progress.
Show me where I remain childish, selfish, unstable, or resistant.
Help me remain close to Jesus Christ, because apart from Him I can do nothing.
Let my progress become visible, not for my glory, but so that others may see the transforming grace of God.
Continue Your work in me until the day of Jesus Christ.
In His name, amen.
Next Step
Complete these four statements:
God Has Helped Me Grow In
I Know This Because
I Still Respond Immaturely When
My Next Practice of Growth Will Be
Choose one Scripture addressing the immature response.
Read it in context.
Tell one mature believer what you are working to change.
Then practice one specific act of obedience this week.
Do not attempt to appear mature.
Submit to the process through which God produces real maturity.
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