Can I Reach Mature Faith?

It never fails. Every time the subject is breeched about Christians having spiritual maturity there are those who believe mature faith is some lofty, unattainable plateau they will never reach. What is it about a discussion of fully developed faith that flips the shut-off switch in the minds of the saints? Where does that mind-set come from? It certainly does not come from the Bible.

The scriptures emphasize, even demand spiritual maturity. Jesus' thoughts on this were covered in chapter 1. One of the reasons given for growing in our faith is because God wants me to grow, Matthew 17:14-20. God wants our mustard seed faith to grow into fully developed trees. James 1:2-8 explains how trials are actually for the good because they eventually lead to our maturity.

"But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing" 1:4, ISV

In Colossians 4:12 Epaphras was praying for the faith of the brethren in Colossae that they might reach maturity.

"...always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God" (ESV)

And the Hebrew writer was strikingly disappointed with the lack of growth he was seeing in the Christians of his time.

¹¹Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹²For 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. ¹³For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

- Hebrews 5:11-14

Throughout God's Word we are urged to strive for maturity. It is unquestionably God's desire for His children that we grow up to be mature. Now wouldn't God be a cruel God to urge us to obtain the unobtainable? If Mature Faith is unreachable for God's children, why would He tell us repeatedly to reach for it? God would not do that. Mature faith is a reachable goal or our Heavenly Father would not ask it of us.

Mature faith often appears to be out of reach because of these common misconceptions.

1. WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR OWN STRENGTH INSTEAD OF RELYING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE ALMIGHTY.

Seeing nothing but yourself, makes the mountain of progress in front of you seem beyond the realm of possibility. You feel helpless, feeble to achieve these spiritual goals. But if you can envision God working through you, there is no mountain too high to climb.

There was a man named Gideon in the Old Testament who at first did not understand the strength of God. The first time Gideon was introduced to us in Judges 6:11, he was hiding out in his winepress separating his wheat from the chaff there because he didn't want the Midianites to find it. He was fearful and intimidated, yet an angel came to him and saying, "The Lord is with you, valiant warrior." Judges 6:12. Valiant warrior? Gideon was valiant or much of a warrior. He must have thought the angel had the wrong guy, but God had a vision for this man and put him in command of the Israelite army.

When Gideon went out to fight the Midianites with 32,000 men God did not want them to think the battle was going to be won by their own strength. The Amalekites teamed up with the Midianites to defeat Israel. Even at 32,000 they were hopelessly outnumbered. When the Israelites saw them in the valley they were "as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore." Judges 7:12. Yet God told Gideon to announce to his army that anyone who was fearful could go home and 22,000 of them did.

Now down to 10,000 soldiers, God said that was still too many. He had Gideon take his men to the river for a drink and those who went to their knees and lapped water like dogs were to go home. That eliminated another 9,700 men. Then they were ready. With 300 soldiers and a timid commander, God wrought a great victory that day.

Why are these events recorded in our Bible if not to inspire us to believe God can do anything through a willing heart? This is not about you and your abilities. On your own, you will not reach mature faith. Spiritually speaking, you can accomplish nothing on your own, John 15:5. But put your trust in God and you will experience the richness of His power in you.

There is a second common misconception that causes disciples to think Mature Faith is unobtainable.

2. IT IS BECAUSE WE EQUATE MATURE FAITH WITH SINLESS PERFECTION.

"I will never have mature faith because I am only a sinful human." We know we will never be perfect, completely without sin, and we think that is what Mature Faith is, but it is not.

Think about it. Abraham had mature faith. So did Noah, Moses, Samuel, David, Paul, etc. Were they sinlessly perfect? No. That same group of men committed sexual immorality, drunkenness, lying, idolatry and murder. They were sinners, like the rest of us, but they had great faith. They reached Mature Faith, but they were not perfect. At least not in the way we mean "perfect."

The original word the Bible uses for "mature" can also be translated "perfect" or "complete." For instance: Matthew 5:48 says "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (NASB). There is also Matthew 19:21, "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, " (KJV). And Romans 12:2, "and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (ASV). Then I Corinthians 2:6 says, "However, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom," (ISV). I Corinthians 13:10 says, "but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear" (GNB). Then there's Ephesians 4:13: "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," (ESV). Finally James 1:17 adds, "Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens" (CEV).

The reason I am using several translations here is to show that the translators confirm the versatility of this Greek Word. These verses show that God wants and even expects us to have maturity/perfection/telios. There were several Christians in the New Testament who were accredited with having already obtained Mature Faith (Therefore, all who are mature, let's have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well; Philippians 3:15. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; I Corinthians 2:6). Since Jesus was the only one to walk this earth without having sinned, then maturity is something that can be obtained and it is not equivalent with being absolutely free from sin. So when we talk about having mature faith we are talking about a reachable and hopefully a desirable goal.

One final misconception that causes believers to be afraid to strive for Mature Faith is that:

SOME BELIEVE BY OBTAINING IT THEY MIGHT BECOME PRIDEFUL

There is no reason to worry about this happening to you because the one excludes the other. The very process of striving to know God in a deeper way filters all the prideful and haughty attitudes out of your heart. It is like passing through a sifter. Pride leads us away from God. Humility leads to maturity and intimacy with the Father. If and when you reach Mature Faith, you will find your pride left in the dust somewhere. To bask in pride is to forfeit spiritual maturity.

Mature Faith is certainly a plateau that you and I can reach with the help of God. Let your heart be at ease and encouraged. As a child of God you should have your sights set on the highest level of spiritual maturity you can possibly attain. Rid your thinking of the faulty ideas that hold you back. Mature Faith should be your dream. There is no reason why you cannot reach it.