God wants spiritual maturity in believers. It is an interesting fact that man focuses on outward appearance. The Lord had to correct Samuel’s misunderstanding of this when He sent the priest to anoint a new king. 1 Samuel 16:7 records, “”Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him.”

Then a principle is revealed for all of God’s people to learn—“For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Just what is spiritual maturity, anyway? Maturity is the growth point when a believer is able to apply biblical principles to all areas of his life and to help others to do the same. Hebrews 5:14 makes this clear: “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Spiritual maturity is achieved by making biblical commitments. The more you make and keep, the more mature you become. There are many evidences of maturity, including the length of time a person can wait between achievement and reward. A mature Christian can labor now and look forward to his reward in eternity. The lesson of Samuel must be learned. If we focus on outward appearance, we will determine success by the number of people sitting in the pews each week. We will judge spirituality by a person’s attendance—and be wrong! If we instead look at the heart, then we will teach biblical principles and urge believers to make commitments and follow them. We will talk with a believer and find out where he stands in his walk. i.e. what biblical principles have been applied to marriage, family life, ministry, etc. We will work for spiritual growth. “[Christ] we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Colossians 1:28)

Sin cera, Erik

Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.

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