Moving on up to maturity

“After over a quarter of century, I am convinced that spiritual immaturity is the number one problem in our churches.” This statement was made by Warren Wiersbe an internationally known Bible teacher, former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago and author of 150 books. I say all of this to say, Dr. Wiersbe should know what he is talking about when he says spiritual immaturity is our number one problem in the church today.

James authored a letter of five chapters in the New Testament. He wrote to Christians who were having personal problems and difficulties in Christian fellowship. Facing them then and us today is practicing what they preached. All of the miscellaneous problems they had could be traced back to one common cause ... spiritual immaturity.

Spiritual maturity remains today one of the greatest needs of the church. Someone called the church “A playpen for babies instead of a workshop for adults.” Paul told the Corinthians they should be on meat, but because of their immaturity they were still on milk (1 Corinthians 3).

Read the letter of James and you find problems like impatience with difficulties, talking but not living the truth, no control over their tongue, fighting and coveting. Warren Wiersbe says, “God is looking for mature men and women to carry on His work, and sometimes all He can find are little children.”

James desired for those to whom he wrote maturity and completeness. He said, “... so that you may be perfect and complete” (1:4). Perfect means “mature, complete.”

James does not mean a sinless man, but one who is mature, balanced, and grown-up (1:4, 17, 25; 2:22; 3:2).

Christians receive a perfect salvation when they become a child of God. James exhorts his readers to build on this perfect salvation and grow to be mature. It begins with the perfect work of Christ. Once God has saved us we are ready to hear “let us go on to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1).

The goal is out there before us. We always are striving and growing and seeking to be more like Christ. We do this because we have been saved and desire to please Him.