1. Yeŋö wïc Yekoba tënë ɣook?

 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. Yeŋö buk jäämic awereŋ kënë yic?

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.

YEŊÖ WƐ̈TDE YIC BÏ RAAN YA KËRTHIAN CÏ DÏT KÄK Ë WËI YIIC?

3. Yeŋö wɛ̈tde yic ba ya Kërthian cï dït käk ë wëi yiic?

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. Yeŋö Kërthian cï dït käk ë wëi yiic nyuɔɔth?

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. Ye kärɛc yïndï ë Kërthian këc dït käk ë wëi yiic yök? (Epethiei 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. Ye këdï lëu bïï dhöl ye kɔc dït käk ë wëi yiic laaric? (Tïŋ thura aya.)

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. Nadɛ̈ lëu bï Kërthiaan cï dït käk ë wëi yiic wïc ë kuɔɔny tënë kɔc kɔ̈k?

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. Ye dhɔ̈l kou cïï kɔc cï dït käk ë wëi yiic ë thöŋ kek kɔc kɔ̈k?

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.

YE KËDÏ LËU BÏÏ ƔOOK DÏT KÄK Ë WËI YIIC?

9. Nadɛ̈ lëu bï dït ë raan käk ë wëi yiic bɛ̈n yetök? Laaric.

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. Yeŋö dhil lëu buk looi buk dït käk wëi yiic? (Juda 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. Ye käŋö cïï Yekoba ke gäm ɣook bïk ɣok kuɔny buk dït käk ë wëi yiic? (Epethiei 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.

YEŊÖ LON Ë KUÏN Ë WËI RIL KƆ̈U?

12. Ye piööc “tueŋ no ye raan kaŋ ŋic ë biäk Kërtho”?

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. Yeŋö dhil ku looi buk käpiɛth yök ë kuïn ë wëi ril kɔ̈u cï lueel ë buŋ Ɣeberuu 5:14? (Tïŋ thura aya.)

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. Ye këdï cïï Paulo kɔc ë Kolothai kony bïk dït käk ë wëi yiic?

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. Ye këdï cïï Paulo Kërthiaan tɔ̈u Ɣebruu kony bïk la tueŋ käk ë wëi yiic?

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.

PÄL JIƐT Ë ROT NHIAL

16. Ku buk la tueŋ ke ɣok diët käk ë wëi yiic, yekë dɛ̈t no wïcku buk looi?

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. Ye këdï ya awereŋ cïï Paulo gät kɔc ë Kolothai ye nyuɔɔth nɔn piɛɛth en buk la tueŋ ke ɣo diët käk wëi yiic?

 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. Yeŋö lëu bï rot luɔ̈ɔ̈i raan cï dït käk ë wëi yiic dhaman däŋ? (Tïŋ thura aya.)

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. Yeŋö buk tääu ɣonïïm buk looi?

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.