Everything's Possible - Day 23

Philippians 3:15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

Let's talk about spiritual maturity for a moment. What actually does it mean to be spiritually mature? Hebrews says it this way: Hebrews 6:1-2 says:

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

The Search Institute developed a scale from 1988 to 1990. They studied six different denominations and found that Faith maturity is not simply a set of right beliefs; rather, it is conceived more as a way of life, as a set of priorities, dispositions, and behaviors that evidence that faith is deeper, vibrant, and life-changing. A person of mature faith integrates eight core dimensions into his/her life. 

Here they are: 

1. A mature faith trusts in God’s saving grace and believes firmly in the humanity and divinity of Jesus. 
2. A mature faith experiences a sense of personal well-being, security, and peace.
3. A mature faith integrates faith and life, seeing work, family, social relationships, and political choices as a part of one’s religious life. 
4. A mature faith seeks spiritual growth through study, reflection, prayer, and discussion with others. 
5. A mature faith seeks to be part of a community of believers in which people give witness to their faith and support and nourish one another. 
6. A mature faith holds life-affirming values, including commitment to racial and gender equality, the affirmation of cultural and religious diversity, and a personal sense of responsibility for the welfare of others. 
7. A mature faith advocates for social and global change to bring about greater social justice. 
8. A mature faith serves humanity consistently and passionately through acts of love and justice. 

These 8 things show up when our faith moves from an extrinsic orientation to an intrinsic understanding. In other words, when our faith becomes ours and not someone else's. When it moves to an intrinsic faith when it truly becomes ours, we then begin to grow in faith, we begin to mature, and we begin to grow towards these 8 guideposts of faith maturity. 

Faith maturation is not necessarily tied to our maturity in the rest of our lives, although some correlation certainly exists. Faith maturity does not exist in a vacuum, disconnected from the rest of our lives. However, one can stop maturing in their faith journey for a myriad of reasons. Trauma, disconnection, isolation, and laziness are a few reasons that our faith might not mature. But when we lean into opportunities for discipleship, we have a tendency to grow naturally and organically toward a greater faith maturity. 

1. How has your faith development been growing? What are you doing to help it along? 
2. Do you use all of the resources available to you through Crosswalk Church?
3. How can your local community help you to continue to grow?