1. What does Jehovah require of us?

 FEW events bring more joy to a married couple than the birth of a healthy baby. Yet, even though parents love their precious newborn, they do not want him to remain an infant permanently. In fact, they would be seriously concerned if he did not grow. Similarly, Jehovah is happy when we take our first steps as followers of Jesus, but He does not want us to remain spiritual toddlers. (1 Cor. 3:1) Instead, he asks us to “become full-grown” Christians.​—1 Cor. 14:20.

2. What will we consider in this article?

² What does it mean to become a full-grown Christian? How do we grow to Christian maturity? What role does solid spiritual food play in our growth? And why should we avoid overconfidence? In this article, we will consider the answers to these questions.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BECOME A MATURE CHRISTIAN?

3. What does it mean to become a full-grown Christian?

³ In the Bible, the Greek word translated “full-grown” can also mean “mature,” “perfect,” and “complete.” a (1 Cor. 2:6) We become full-grown, or mature, as Christians when we grow out of spiritual infancy and become spiritual men or women. Of course, even when we have reached that goal, we should never stop advancing spiritually. (1 Tim. 4:15) All of us, including those who are physically young, can be spiritually mature. But what indicates that a Christian has grown to maturity?

4. What identifies a mature Christian?

⁴ A mature Christian is someone who lives by all of God’s requirements, not picking and choosing the ones he wants to follow. Of course, being imperfect, he will make mistakes. Still, he shows by his daily life that he thinks and acts in harmony with God’s will. He has put on the new personality and constantly strives to bring his thinking closer to God’s thinking. (Eph. 4:22-24) He has trained himself to make wise decisions based on Jehovah’s laws and principles, so he does not need a lengthy list of rules to govern his behavior. When he makes a decision, he has the self-discipline to follow through.​—1 Cor. 9:26, 27.

5. What dangers does an immature Christian face? (Ephesians 4:14, 15)

⁵ On the other hand, a Christian who remains immature can easily be misled by “trickery” and “deceptive schemes” and be taken in by conspiracy theorists and apostates. b (Read Ephesians 4:14, 15.) He may be prone to being jealous, creating strife, taking offense, or yielding to temptation.​—1 Cor. 3:3.

6. How can the process of growing to maturity be illustrated? (See also picture.)

⁶ As mentioned earlier, the Scriptures compare the process of growing to spiritual maturity to the process of growing to adulthood. A child lacks insight, so he needs the protection and supervision of an adult. To illustrate, a mother might ask her young daughter to hold her hand while crossing the street. As the girl grows older, the mother might allow her to cross the street on her own but will still remind her to look both ways for traffic. When the child becomes an adult, she avoids such hazards on her own. Just as young children need help from adults to avoid danger, immature Christians often need help from mature Christians to avoid spiritual dangers and to make wise decisions. By contrast, when mature Christians have to make a decision, they reason on Bible principles to get Jehovah’s thinking on the matter and then follow through accordingly.

7. Do mature Christians need the help of others?

⁷ Does this mean that a mature Christian never needs help from anyone? No. Mature ones also need to ask for help at times. But someone who is immature may expect others to tell him what to do or to make a decision that he himself should make. A mature Christian, on the other hand, will draw on the wisdom and the experience of others while recognizing that Jehovah expects him to “carry his own load.”​—Gal. 6:5.

8. In what ways do mature ones differ from one another?

⁸ Just as adults differ in physical appearance, mature Christians differ in spiritual qualities, such as wisdom, courage, generosity, and empathy. Further, when two mature Christians face a similar situation, they might come to different conclusions that are both Scripturally acceptable. That is especially true in matters of conscience. Recognizing this, they avoid judging each other over such differences. Instead, they focus on remaining united.​—Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 1:10.

HOW DO WE GROW TO CHRISTIAN MATURITY?

9. Do we grow to spiritual maturity automatically? Explain.

⁹ We may grow to physical adulthood naturally over time, but no one grows to spiritual maturity automatically. For instance, the brothers and sisters in Corinth accepted the good news, got baptized, received holy spirit, and benefited from the personal instruction of the apostle Paul. (Acts 18:8-11) Yet, some years after their baptism, many were still immature. (1 Cor. 3:2) How can we avoid slowing down in our spiritual growth?

10. What must we do to reach maturity? (Jude 20)

¹⁰ To reach maturity, we must first cultivate the desire to become mature. Those who “love inexperience,” preferring to remain as spiritual infants, will fail to make progress. (Prov. 1:22) We do not want to be like those who are fully grown physically but continue depending on their parents to make decisions for them. Instead, we want to take responsibility for our own spiritual growth. (Read Jude 20.) If you are still working to reach maturity, pray that Jehovah will give you “both the desire and the power to act.”​—Phil. 2:13.

11. What help is provided for us to progress to maturity? (Ephesians 4:11-13)

¹¹ Jehovah does not expect us to grow to maturity on our own. Those who serve as shepherds and teachers in the Christian congregation are prepared to help us in becoming “full-grown” in a spiritual sense, “attaining the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ.” (Read Ephesians 4:11-13.) Jehovah also provides his holy spirit to help us have “the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:14-16) Further, God inspired the writing of the four Gospels to show us how Jesus thought, spoke, and acted during his earthly ministry. By imitating Jesus’ way of thinking and acting, you can reach your goal of Christian maturity.

THE ROLE OF SOLID SPIRITUAL FOOD

12. What is “the primary doctrine about the Christ”?

¹² In order to advance to maturity, we must also move “beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ,” that is, basic Christian teachings. Examples of such basic teachings include repentance, faith, baptism, and the resurrection. (Heb. 6:1, 2) Such teachings form the foundation of Christianity. For this reason, the apostle Peter spoke of them when preaching to the crowd at Pentecost. (Acts 2:32-35, 38) We must accept these primary teachings to become disciples of Christ. For example, Paul warned that any who deny the teaching of the resurrection reject the entire Christian faith. (1 Cor. 15:12-14) However, we must not be satisfied with just a basic knowledge of the truth.

13. What must we do to benefit from the solid spiritual food mentioned at Hebrews 5:14? (See also picture.)

¹³ In contrast to the primary doctrine, solid spiritual food includes not only Jehovah’s laws but also his principles, which help us to understand his thinking. To benefit from such food, we must study, meditate on, and carefully apply God’s Word. As we do so, we train ourselves to make decisions that please Jehovah. c​—Read Hebrews 5:14.

14. How did Paul help the Corinthians grow to maturity?

¹⁴ Immature Christians often struggle when faced with situations that call for reasoning on Bible principles and applying them. If no Bible law exists, some might feel that they can do whatever they want. Others might ask for a rule when no rule is required. For instance, Christians in Corinth apparently asked Paul for a rule about whether they could eat food that had been offered to an idol. Rather than tell them what to do, Paul acknowledged the role of the conscience and the fact that each person has a “right to choose.” He reasoned on principles that would allow each individual to be at peace with his conscience while not stumbling others. (1 Cor. 8:4, 7-9) Paul was thus helping the Corinthians to grow up spiritually so that they could use their own powers of discernment instead of depending on someone else or simply looking for rules.

15. How did Paul help Hebrew Christians make spiritual progress?

¹⁵ We learn a valuable lesson from what Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians. Some had not continued to grow spiritually; they had actually “gone back to needing milk, not solid [spiritual] food.” (Heb. 5:12) They had failed to keep up with the truth, which was being progressively revealed through the congregation. (Prov. 4:18) For example, many Jewish believers were still promoting the Mosaic Law even though some 30 years earlier the Law had been done away with on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice. (Rom. 10:4; Titus 1:10) Surely it was not too much to ask Jewish Christians to adjust their thinking over a period of 30 years! Anyone who has read Paul’s inspired letter to the Hebrews can confirm that this book contains solid spiritual food. It was just what those Christians needed to strengthen their faith in the superiority of the Christian arrangement for worship and to give them the courage to keep preaching in spite of opposition from the Jews.​—Heb. 10:19-23.

AVOID BEING OVERCONFIDENT

16. In addition to progressing to maturity, what must we do?

¹⁶ We must exert ourselves not only to reach maturity but also to maintain it. This requires that we avoid overconfidence. (1 Cor. 10:12) We should “keep testing” ourselves to make sure that we are continuing to make progress.​—2 Cor. 13:5.

17. How does Paul’s letter to the Colossians show the need to remain mature?

¹⁷ In his letter to the Colossians, Paul again highlights the need to remain mature. Even though they had become full-grown Christians, Paul warned them against being ensnared by worldly thinking. (Col. 2:6-10) And Epaphras, who evidently knew those in the congregation well, prayed constantly that they might “finally stand complete,” or mature. (Col. 4:12) The point? Both Paul and Epaphras understood that maintaining maturity requires personal effort and God’s support. They wanted the Colossians to remain mature, or full-grown, Christians despite any challenges they were facing.

18. What could happen to a mature Christian? (See also picture.)

¹⁸ Paul warned the Hebrews that a mature Christian could permanently lose God’s approval. A Christian’s heart could become so hardened that he is no longer able to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. Thankfully, the Hebrews had not fallen away to that extent. (Heb. 6:4-9) What about those today who become inactive or are disfellowshipped but later repent? Their humble repentance shows that they are different from those whom Paul wrote about. However, when they return to Jehovah, they need the help that he provides. (Ezek. 34:15, 16) The elders may arrange for an experienced Witness to help them regain their spiritual strength.

19. What goal should we have?

¹⁹ If you are pressing on to Christian maturity, you can reach your goal! Continue to take in solid spiritual food and align your thinking ever closer with that of Jehovah. And if you have already become mature, remain steadfast as a full-grown Christian.