1. The natural, or nonspiritual, man/woman: is not able to understand God and his ways, but instead relies on human reasoning or emotions. For they do not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them (1 Co 2:14-16).
2. The spiritual man/woman: is spiritually minded, thinks the thoughts of God (1 Co 2:11-13) and lives by the spirit of God. For they have the Holy Spirit indwelling them.
2. The spiritual man/woman: is spiritually minded, thinks the thoughts of God (1 Co 2:11-13) and lives by the spirit of God. For they have the Holy Spirit indwelling them.
Through salvation in Christ, the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature by an infusion of divine life (Regeneration), born again.
Hebrews 5:11-14
“About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
This verse encourages us not to be complacent in our walk with Christ. We are to grow & mature. Those who are weak and immature in the faith lack spiritual discernment concerning what is good and what is evil in this life, what honors God and what dishonors God. If we are living on milk we are not growing toward the full stature of Christ. But by strengthening our relationship in Christ, continuing the practice of righteousness and obedience, we are able to start eating the solid food of God’s word and grow toward the full stature of Christ. And in return we are then enabled by the Holy Spirit to see things from God’s point of view. Let us not live as children but grow up and be strong God discerning people.
Closing:
There are so many things in our lives that dishonor God and hold us back from maturing in Christ. Our child side does not want to let go of these things. So lets throw out the tinker toys and grow up.
So true! We do need to "grow up" and walk the walk of an adult and not a child. Stripping away the things of this world that hold us back from doing the things that would please our Father can be a challenge, especially if they're things you've done most, if not all, of your life.
ReplyDeleteSomething I would like to change is to have a more focused prayer life. Yes, I do pray, but not enough focused, down-on-my-knees kind of prayer. Taking more time for this and less time for TV and internet I'm sure will produce great fruit and a confidence in knowing that God will give me more "adult" wisdom and discernment.
As a young musician, (although not young in age) I can fully appreciate the call to practice righteousness and obedience in Hebrews 5:11-14. If, when I working on a song, I repeatedly practice the wrong thing, it is very hard to get that out of my head, and hands. But the converse is also true. The call to righteousness comes with some instructions – practice,(the right things)! You are right on Charlie. Spiritual maturity does not come naturally, nor without some work. Regeneration from God to make the dead, alive. Amen! And then practicing the things of God. Thanks for the reminder to practice.
ReplyDeleteBeing a believer in Christ at a public high school where many inappropriate things happen has shown me how important it is to be able to spiritually discern right from wrong. It’s much easier to give in to peer-pressure and do dishonoring things than to fight it. This type of situation, where asking God to help us “say no” to pressure and stay out of trouble, helped me to realize that maturing in faith is vital to living a more pure and God-centered life.
ReplyDeleteI would also have to say that I need to work on my prayer life and pray more often than just before meals, bedtime, etc. I have trouble finding the time to really get down on my knees before God, and I know that this would be very beneficial in further growing my relationship with Him.
We all go through different seasons in life some being high in our spiritual walk and other times being low. Right now I am struggling somewhat in certain areas of my spiritutual walk with not being sure where I fit in for church to worship God corporately. There have been incidents that have occurred for me to question where I fit in. I am praying to God continuously to show me what he wants for me in my life.
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