My mother was very interested in my physical growth. Every time I would be back home for holidays she would make me stand against the wall and make a mark on it, indicating my height. She would rejoice upon seeing that I had grown a few centimeters more from my previous height. Just as natural parents are interested in the physical growth of their children, our Heavenly Father is interested in the spiritual growth of His children. God’s great desire is to see every one of His children, “grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Every born again believer is a son or daughter of God the Father. However, not all born again Christians are at the same level of spiritual growth. The levels of spiritual growth are subdivided into three categories as Apostle Paul wrote to three types of Christians at Corinth, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto SPIRITUAL, but as unto CARNAL, even as unto BABES in Christ”(1Co 3:1). These three categories are the baby Christians, the carnal Christians and the spiritual Christians.
The baby Christians are those who have just given their lives to Christ and are just discovering the promises of God and applying them in their lives for the very first time. Let me make it clear here that these categories have nothing to do with age, since we can have a spiritual Christian who is 15 years old with a grandfather of 70 years who is a baby Christian, both in the same church. Spiritual maturity is not measured in natural years (Job 32:7-9). The baby Christian is similar to a physical baby since they are only able to feed upon the milk of God’s word. These are the foundational doctrines of Christianity that are mentioned in Hebrews 6:1-2. The Bible says that these baby Christians “have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillfull in the word of righteousness: for he is a BABE” (Heb 5:12-13). The baby Christians come to church when they feel like and most of their friends are unsaved people.
We then come to the carnal Christians, who have advanced in maturity beyond the baby hood stage and can now take a little bit of the stronger meat of the Word of God. These can be compared to teenagers; they are still under the careful scrutiny of their parents but have gained a greater level of independence. These have been exposed to the five-fold ministry of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. They have been equipped with the Word and the Power of the Holy Spirit. They speak in tongues regularly, exercise spiritual gifts in a limited measure and can fairly hear the voice of God. However the carnal or soulish Christians have not yet tamed the flesh and are subject to a host of worldly vices. They can be singing Hallelujah on Sunday but can be busy gossiping, boasting and lying on Monday.
The final category are the spiritual Christians, these have attained a firm grasp of the scriptures and have memorized large portions of it. They have a regular diet of the strong meat or food of God’s word, “But strong meat belongeth to them that are OF FULL AGE, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. They have been fully equipped by the five-fold ministry of the Apostles, Prophets, Pastors and Teachers (Eph 4;11) since these ministry gifts are given, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11-12). These spiritual Chrisitians fully do the work of the ministry for which they have been equipped. This does not mean that they are full-time ministers necessarily, but they could be. This could be a professional lawyer, a farmer, student, businessman or evangelist. These Christians understand the righteousness of God and walk in it by faith. They have a constant communion with God and have developed their faith over time to believe God for answers for themselves and others. They hear the voice of God accurately and are led by the Holy Spirit in what they do. These operate in the gifts of the Spirit at will and go ahead to teach other believers the Word of God, “For when for the time YE OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS “ (Heb 5:12). These spiritual Christians are ready and cheerful givers, they win the lost and facilitate those going out to reach the unsaved. They are loyal and committed to the church or ministry and the leaders can always rely on them.
God’s perfect will is to bring you from being a baby Christian to a carnal Christian to a mature spiritual Christian. For a Christian to grow up spiritually they need to study God’s word regularly, obey the Bible, commit themselves to receiving Apostolic doctrine in a New Testament church, seek God in prayer and have godly associations. When you cooperate with God and put in your time and effort, you will surely grow up into a mature Christian who is just like Jesus Christ.