Let us . . . go on to maturity.
Hebrews 6:1
God's revealed purpose is to produce disciples who will
reflect the perfect humanity of His Son in both personal life
and Christian service. This is an alluring prospect; yet the
example of our Lord's life is so far above the level of our
attainment that it is not difficult to become discouraged at
the slowness of our progress.
The maturity He has in view is not confined to the
spiritual life, for it must be lived out in the context of the
body. This means more than the popular motto Let Go and
Let God, for moral effort on our part is involved-moral
effort, but not purely self-effort.
Bishop Westcott, in his commentary on Hebrews, brings
out that point. He suggests that "Let us . . . go on to
maturity" is capable of three translations, each of which is
a warning against a peril:
We May Stop Too Soon. We may feel we have
arrived. But the writer rules out complacency as Paul did-"Not that I have
already attained" (Philippians 3:12). No!
"Let us go on." There are further heights to scale.
We May Succumb to Discouragement and drop our
bundle as John Mark did. No! "Let us keep pressing on."
We May Feel We Have to Achieve It Alone. No!
"Let us be borne on." In our pursuit of spiritual maturity,
we have the cooperation of the Triune God. We are not
left to our paltry efforts but have the promised working of
the Holy Spirit to enable us to do His good pleasure.
It takes all three meanings to convey the rich message
of the text. Maturity in the spiritual realm is not attained
overnight, any more than it is in the physical. It is a
dynamic process that continues throughout life.
Aids to Maturity
The aspiring disciple should, like a student, be prepared
to work through his courses. There is no such thing as
instant maturity. It will involve the same diligence and
discipline as does a college course if we are to graduate in
the school of God.
There are certain things we must do for ourselves; God
will not do them for us. While the motto Let Go and Let
God emphasizes one aspect of truth, it can be a dangerous
half-truth and induce an unwholesome passivity. Self-
discipline and perseverance are essential ingredients.
Excellence in the realm of the intellect or music or sport
is not alone the work of the teacher; it involves the active
cooperation of the student and cannot be achieved without
strong motivation and deliberate self-denial.No rapid growth in Christian
maturity will be attained
until the first indispensable step of submission to the
lordship of Christ has been taken. The key question that
determines whether or not He has been given that place of
authority in the life is, "Who makes the decisions?"
What dynamics will bear us on to maturity? "We, who
with unveiled faces all reflect [or behold] the Lord's glory,
are being transformed into His likeness with ever-
increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The objective means, "beholding the glory of the Lord,"
produces a subjective result, transformation in the disciple
who practices it. We tend to become like those we admire.
Robert Murray McCheyne used to say, "A glance at Christ
will save, but it is the gazing at Christ that sanctifies." This
necessarily means that time will be set aside to enable the
Spirit to effect the transformation.
While we spend time gazing at the Christ who is
revealed in the Scriptures and long to be more like Him,
the Holy Spirit silently effects the progressive change. He
achieves that by increasing our aspiration, and revealing
and imparting the graces and virtues of our Lord in
response to our trust.
Accepting External Disciplines
Some experiences of life will greatly accelerate the
maturing process. Although the three Hebrew youths
(Daniel 3:16-29) must have been mystified by God's
failure to intervene on their behalf, they matured rapidly in the fiery furnace
experience. And so can we in our trials.
Our attitude will determine whether God's disciplines are
bane or blessing, whether they sweeten or sour.
Samuel Rutherford wrote, "O what I owe to the furnace,
fire and hammer of my Lord!" God orders the
circumstances of our lives with meticulous care. He never
makes a mistake.
The presence or absence of spiritual maturity is never
more noticeable than in one's attitude to the changing
circumstances of life. Too often they generate anxiety,
anger, frustration, or bitterness, whereas God's design is
always for our spiritual growth. "God disciplines us for our
good" (Hebrews 12:10). Someone said, "There is
something about maturity that comes through adversity. If
you don't suffer a little, you will never stop being a kid!"
Paul's testimony to that truth was hammered out on the
anvil of tough experience. Read the catalog of his trials in
2 Corinthians 11:23-28, and then hear him say,
I have learned to be content whatever
the circumstances. I know what it is to be
in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of
being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living
in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:11-12;
emphasis added)That is spiritual maturity. Needless to say, Paul did not
reach that victorious position overnight. It was a costly
learning process, but through dependence on the Holy
Spirit, he mastered that very difficult lesson. The same
Spirit and the same grace are available to us.
At a gathering of aging Christians, the speaker startled
them by saying, "It is not your arteries that are your
problem, it is your attitudes." There is more than a grain
of truth in his assertion. William Barclay tells of a woman
who had recently lost her husband. A sympathetic friend,
in trying to be comforting, said, "Sorrow does color life,
doesn't it?"
"Yes, indeed it does," was the response, "but I intend to
choose the colors!" She was well along the road to
recovery from her grief. The colors she chose were
neither black nor purple.
In the days of the early church, there were four
attitudes that people adopted toward the trials and
sufferings of life.
The fatalist regarded whatever happened as inevitable
and unalterable, so why fight against it? Why not ignore it?
The Muslim fatalist dismisses it with: "It is the will of
Allah!"
The Stoic's outlook was that, since you can do nothing
about it, harden yourself, defy the circumstances, and let
them do their worst.
The Epicurian's attitude was, "Let us eat, drink, and be
merry, for tomorrow we die." Let us ameliorate our
sufferings by indulging in the sensual pleasures of life.The mature disciple,
however, goes far beyond grimly
submitting to the inevitable and unalterable will of God. He
or she not only accepts the will of God but embraces it
joyously, even though it be through tears.
Regarding Paul's mastery of his circumstances, note that
it was a process, not a crisis. His mastery covered every
type of circumstance from plenty to want. The secret of
which he spoke is found in Philippians 4:13: "I can do
everything through him who gives me strength." It was
because of his vital union with Christ that he was able to
triumph and be content. He did not run away from the
difficult circumstance but embraced it and made it
tributary to his spiritual growth. Because he was so
dependent on Christ, he could be independent of circumstances.
Developing Right Attitudes Toward Temptation
God uses even the temptations that come from Satan to
produce strong and mature character. As used in the King
James Version, the word temptation is applied to the
activity of both God and Satan. In the original languages,
two parallel Hebrew and Greek words are used, but each
in a different sense. Their meaning is: (1) to test, as seen
in the refining process that separates the dross and alloy
from the pure gold. This testing is sent from God and is
always employed in a good sense; (2) to tempt or probe,
in order to find a weak spot that is open to attack. It is
almost always used in a bad sense. Since God never
tempts man to evil (James 1:13), this is the activity of Satan.
In the experience of Joseph, both aspects synchronized,
and the two conflicting experiences can be traced. Joseph
himself, in reviewing his past, was able to say to his
brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it
for good" (Genesis 50:20).
Satan tempts and seduces the disciple to sin. God tests
the disciple to produce the gold of proved character and
lead him to greater spiritual maturity. James tells us the
correct attitude to testing: "Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because
you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. . . . Blessed is the man who perseveres
under trial" (James 1:2, 12). The classic text on
temptation is:
God is faithful; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also provide
a way out so that you can stand up under
it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
That passage is full of comfort for the tempted soul. It
tells us four things about God that will provide a mainstay
in temptation's hour.
He Is Faithful. He will not abandon those who trustfully
look to Him for help and keeping. He will be unfailingly true
to His Word.He Is Sovereign. He controls the circumstances of life
and will limit the strength of the temptation, for He knows
our individual "load limit." That gives us assurance that we
will be able to stand the strain.
He Is Impartial. He allocates tests that are "common
to man." In the heat of temptation, many feel that they are
the only ones to experience such a trial, but it is not so.
Although the exact temptation may be different, the same
principles and escape hatches are open to all alike.
He Is Powerful. He has an escape route from every
kind of temptation. The key to the door is hanging nearby.
Defeat is avoidable. The word translated "stand up under
it," or "endure," means "to pass through unscathed." We
must, however, be watchful for the Enemy's snares and
wiles, for he is subtle and underhanded in his methods.
Our Enemy chooses his timing shrewdly. The temptation
to discouragement and flight came to Elijah when he was
totally exhausted both physically and emotionally. Joseph
was tempted by Potiphar's wife when there were no men
in the house and nobody else would have known. Jonah
found the ship to Tarshish ready and waiting when he was
disobediently running away from the divine command.
David was tempted when he was neglecting his kingly
duties and indulging in illegitimate relaxation. Jesus was
tempted by Satan when He had fasted for forty days and
was under intolerable spiritual pressure.
Satan chose the occasion in each case with diabolical
skill, so that it would come with maximum impact. How
important, then, is Peter's warning: "Be self-controlled andalert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Cultivating Right Habits
In one sense, life consists largely of making habits and
breaking habits, for we are all creatures of habit. We are
unconsciously forming and fracturing habits all the time,
and for that reason this area of life must be brought under
Christ's control. It is an essential part of the soul's
education.
It is helpful to remember that after conversion we are
no longer unregenerate personalities. As Paul wrote, "If
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone,
the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are now
indwelt by the Holy Spirit, whose supreme desire is to
make us like Christ. To that end, God has promised to
supply both the impulse and the power.
"It is God who works in you to will and to act according
to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). Our task is to
relate these truths and promises to our making and
breaking of habits.
We all have bad habits, some of which may be patently
wrong. Others may not be inherently wrong but are
unhelpful. Take, for example, the habit of not being
punctual. Some people are always late. They seem to
have no concern about the amount of other people's time
they waste. It has become an ingrained habit. Such people
should seriously face the consequences to others of their
delinquency, for it is that. They should form an inflexible purpose to
push their program ten minutes earlier, break
the old habit, and form a new one. The aid of the Holy
Spirit is always available in the forming of a new and good
habit, but it is we who must do it. God does not act instead
of us: it is a partnership.
God gives the soil, the seed, the rain. Man supplies the
skill, the toil, the sweat. In other words, the disciple must
work out what God works in (Philippians 2:12).
In the culture of the soul, no habit is more crucial and
formative than maintaining a consistent devotional life-a
regular time reserved for fellowship and communion with
God. Not everyone finds that easy, but its importance and
value cannot be exaggerated. Since that is the case, it is
only reasonable to expect that the habit will be the focus
of relentless attack from our adversary.
Although it may not always be possible, there is both
logical and spiritual value in observing the first hour of the
day.
Or e'er a word or action
Has stained its snowy scroll,
Bring the new day to Jesus
And consecrate the whole.
Then fear not for the record
He surely will indite,
Whatever Jesus doeth,
It shall be, must be, right.
Later hours of the day have routine duties that must be
performed. Interruptions often break the routine, but in spite of these,
it is most helpful to establish a regular
routine that enables one to breathe the incense of heaven
before inhaling the smog and fog of earth.
In the quiet hour the mind can be adjusted before
meeting people or facing difficult problems. The day's
duties and responsibilities can be committed to God. We
can memorize a Scripture verse to chew on during the
day. We should be alert to look for some special thought
or message in our reading.
We can relate the principles of Scripture to the details of
daily life, remembering that the Bible contains principles to
guide, commands to obey, warnings to heed, examples to
emulate, and promises to claim.
With regard to prayer in the quiet time, we should first
seek to realize the presence of God. He encouraged us
with the words "Draw near to God and He will draw near
to you" (James 4:8 NASB). Communion has two sides, so
silence is sometimes appropriate in order to hear the voice
of God.
Pray audibly if that helps in concentration. If privacy is
difficult to find, retire into the inner part of your being. In
the evening, review the day with confession and
thanksgiving, and let your last thoughts be of God.