Spiritual Maturity

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food." Hebrews 5:12.

There are passages in Scripture that comfort the believer, and there are passages that confront the believer. Hebrews 5:12-14 belongs to the second kind. It speaks directly to a condition that often hides quietly inside the church. The writer of Hebrews addresses people who had been exposed to the truth for a long time, yet their spiritual maturity had not grown as it should have. He writes, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food." Hebrews 5:12.

These words reveal a serious problem. Time had passed. Truth had been heard. Teaching had been received. Yet the growth that should have followed was missing. The writer does not treat the issue as a small matter. Spiritual immaturity is not simply an inconvenience. It is a warning sign that something in the life of faith has been neglected.

The Christian life is not designed to remain at the starting point. When a person comes to Christ, they begin a new life that is meant to develop and mature. Peter speaks of this growth when he writes, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation" (1 Peter 2:2). The image of an infant is appropriate at the beginning of faith, but an infant is expected to grow. A child who never develops beyond infancy would signal a serious problem. The same principle applies to the spiritual life.

The writer of Hebrews uses the language of food to explain this reality. Milk belongs to the early stage of life. Solid food belongs to maturity. He continues, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unaccustomed to the word of righteousness; for he is an infant” (Hebrews 5:13). Milk is not wrong. It is necessary at the beginning. Yet remaining at that level for years reveals a failure to grow in understanding.

This condition often appears when believers are satisfied with only the most basic elements of the faith. They may know that Jesus died for sinners and that salvation is by grace, yet they have never moved beyond those truths to understand the depth of what God has revealed in Scripture. Their knowledge of the Word remains shallow. Their thinking is easily shaped by culture rather than by the truth of God.

Such immaturity affects more than knowledge. It also weakens discernment. The writer explains that mature believers are those “who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). Spiritual maturity produces the ability to recognize truth and error. This discernment does not come instantly. It develops through constant exposure to the Word of God and through the practice of applying that truth to life.

In contrast, those who remain spiritually immature often struggle to recognize deception. False teaching can sound convincing because their understanding of Scripture is not deep enough to detect the difference. The apostle Paul cautioned against this danger by stating that believers should not remain "children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14). A shallow understanding of the faith leaves a person vulnerable to confusion.

The modern church often contributes to this problem. In many places, the preaching of Scripture has been replaced by messages designed to entertain or encourage without confronting the mind and heart with the full weight of biblical truth. Repeatedly feeding believers only simplified teaching prevents them from learning how to handle the deeper riches of God's Word. As a result, entire congregations remain spiritually immature even after many years in the church.

Yet Scripture consistently calls believers to something far deeper. The apostle Paul urged the Colossians to pursue a growing knowledge of God’s will so that their lives would reflect spiritual wisdom and understanding. He prayed that they would be "filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord" (Colossians 1:9–10). Knowledge of truth is not meant to produce pride but to shape a life that honors God.

Growth in maturity also changes the way believers approach Scripture itself. The Word of God is no longer treated as a collection of familiar verses but as the living voice of God instructing His people. The mature believer learns to read Scripture carefully, seeking to understand not only individual passages but the whole counsel of God. Paul spoke of this responsibility when he reminded the elders in Ephesus that he had not hesitated to declare “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27).

This pursuit of maturity requires discipline. Spiritual growth rarely occurs by accident. It develops through regular exposure to the Word, thoughtful meditation on its meaning, and obedience to its commands. In Psalm 1, David said that the blessed person is one who loves the Lord's law and thinks about it day and night. The result is a life that becomes stable and fruitful because it is rooted deeply in truth.

The mature believer also develops humility. The more a person learns from Scripture, the more they realize how much remains to be understood. The Word continually reveals the greatness of God and the limitations of human understanding. This realization guards against pride and keeps the believer dependent upon the Lord for wisdom.

Another mark of maturity appears in the ability to teach and strengthen others. The writer of Hebrews expected that by this time many of his readers should have been able to instruct others in the faith. Teaching does not always mean standing in a pulpit. It includes the quiet responsibility of explaining truth to family members, encouraging fellow believers, and guiding those who are younger in the faith. A mature believer becomes a source of stability for others because their understanding of the gospel is clear and rooted in Scripture.

The call to maturity is therefore a call to take the Word of God seriously. It challenges believers to move beyond spiritual infancy and to grow into a more profound understanding of the truth that has saved them. This growth does not make a person more important in the church, but it does make them more useful. A mature believer becomes someone who can recognize truth, resist deception, and encourage others to remain faithful.

Hebrews 5:12-14 stands as both a warning and an invitation. It warns against the danger of remaining spiritually immature despite years of exposure to the truth. At the same time, it invites believers to pursue the more profound knowledge of God that comes through His Word. The Lord has not revealed Himself partially. He has given His people the full riches of Scripture so that they might grow in wisdom, discernment, and obedience.

The question each believer must face is simple yet searching. After years of hearing the Word of God, has genuine growth taken place? Has understanding deepened? Has discernment sharpened? Has love for the truth increased?

The Christian life is not meant to remain at the beginning. God calls His people to maturity so that their lives will reflect the wisdom and holiness that come from knowing Him. Those who continue to feed upon the Word of God will find that over time their senses are trained, their understanding strengthened, and their lives shaped by the truth that never changes.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11:15)

Article by Jeremiah Knight

Image: Unsplash/Wix.com

Discernment

• Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This verse emphasizes relying on God’s wisdom rather than human judgment to navigate life wisely.

  
  

• Philippians 1:9-10 – “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” Discernment is linked to love, knowledge, and moral excellence.

  
  

• 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 – “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments.” Spiritual discernment comes through the Holy Spirit.

  
  

• Hebrews 5:14—"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Discernment develops through practice and spiritual maturity.

  
  

• 1 Thessalonians 5:21—"Test everything; hold fast what is good.” Believers are encouraged to evaluate teachings and actions carefully.

  
  

• Proverbs 2:6 – “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Wisdom from God is foundational for discernment.

  
  

• John 16:13—"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” The Holy Spirit guides believers in discerning truth.