Virtual Service April 23, 2023
The Word of Life — Spiritual Maturity P1
1 John 2:12-14 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him, Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him, Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the Word of God lives in you and you have overcome the evil one.
Believers Are Completely Forgiven As Soon As They Surrender To Jesus As Lord
1 John 2:12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His Name.
Colossians 2:13-14 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross.
Acts 2:36-39 …let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles–Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.
1 John 2:2 …He is the propitiation (satisfying the payment) for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole word.
Jeremiah 14:7 Although our sins testify against us, O LORD, do something for the sake of Your Name! For our backsliding is great; we have sinned against You!
Spiritual Children Are Immature And Need To Grow Up!
Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, by this time you ought to be teachers (mature believers) and you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again! You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Quarreling And Jealousy Reveals Spiritual Immaturity
As with physical babes, the ignorance of spiritual children makes them prone to weaknesses and highly susceptible to dangers. They are all too often motivated by fleshly desires and lack discernment to avoid what is harmful and pursue what is beneficial. They often naively attach themselves to their spiritual heroes or favorite teachers, for which Paul reprimanded the Corinthians: “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not mere men?” (1 Cor. 3:4; cf. vv. 1-3, 5; 1:12-13). Spiritual children also lack discernment and are vulnerable to the allurements of deceivers and their heretical doctrines. (MacArthur Commentary on the New Testament)
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly–mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?
Spiritual Growth For The “Children” Happens Through Bible Teaching With Oversight
Ephesians 4:11-16 It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastor-teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him Who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.