God seems to be taking me through a theme of maturity. It just keeps coming up. I’m growing more and more convinced that as a society we don’t know what it really means to be mature. When we turn 21 we are “allowed” to drink alcohol; we call sensual media adult content; video games with extreme violence are rated “mature”. But, that’s not maturity! And, I think we may have come to the point that we’ve let that distract us and we forgot what real maturity is.
I have been reading Mark Batterson’s Play the Man book about growing from boyhood to manhood. While that’s been a great read and very inspiring, it’s leaving me challenged to dig more into what the Bible says about maturity. In a conversation with Clay, we asked Google for a list of Bible verses about maturity. Ephesians 4:14-15 was in that list. This is my study by trying to verbalize my thoughts going through the verse and context.
No More Children
Paul calls us to be “no more children”:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:14)
The rest of the verse goes on to define what being a child means. “Tossed to and fro” sounds like following fads. We aren’t supposed to jump on every bandwagon and tire ourselves out trying to keep up with every new thing that comes out. Looking to the inverse, maturity is characterized by steadiness and confident consistency.
We laugh at the way kids talk. You can hear a kid using words like “No cap” and “Rizz” and “Aura”. Parents have to get lists of these new words from companies like Bark just so they can keep up and understand this new language. We laugh when a teacher or parent who uses the words and tries to act cool. Why? Because following the fad is immature and silly.
I don’t think this is referring to our vocabulary though. It says every “wind of doctrine”. That means we shouldn’t be chasing the latest and greatest trends of worship. The goal is not how hip and up to date your church is but how close your church is to God. So, maturity is less about staying current and more about staying close to Christ.
Many Parts
Our verse starts with “That we henceforth”. That means it is building on something. We need to look back in the verses before to see the context. What is causing us to “be no more children”?
This passage/context is all about the different gifts and roles that church members are given.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)
Paul compares these different roles to the different parts of the body coming together. Just as a body needs hands, feet, eyes, and mouths, a church needs pastors, teachers, and evangelists.
So, I would argue that knowing how you fit into the church is part of maturity. Confidently doing your part and letting others do what they were called to do is a sign that we have grown. Think about it. Who is more mature: the kids and the new members who just sit in the service and get ministered to or the ones who take on responsibility and keep the church running? It’s not based on age because the kids and the teens can take on ministry and contribute sometimes more than the adults. Is it any different in the workplace? Who would you rather go to, the new hire or the one who consistently gets things gone? Is it always based on the length of time a person has been at the company?
Unity
Tied firmly into all of this body part stuff is the requirement to be in unity. When we are each doing our part that God called us to, we are a lean, mean machine accomplishing things for Christ. When we are jealous and trying to do each other’s parts, our body is handicapped and dysfunctional.
The verse directly before our call to not be children speaks to unity:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:13)
So, I would argue that not just knowing our calling, but working together with others in harmony is part of maturity. Being an active peacemaker and a team player is both mature and Christlike.
Worthy of the Vocation
The very first verse of this section talks about walking “worthy of the vocation”.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (Ephesians 4:1)
I think of work and secular employment when I think of vocation. As best I can tell, the word just means a calling. So, the important part is knowing what God has asked you to do with your life. And, the whole point of this passage is that it is not some generic thing we are all asked to do like sharing the gospel or ministering to the poor. This is a specific calling to use gifts and talents uniquely given to you by God.
So, while I’m wanting to also apply this work, the intent is the church body. Therefore, is part of maturing the plugging into a church? This doesn’t mean faithfully attending a church, but actually plugging in and becoming the body part that God has uniquely equipped you to fulfill.
With High School and College age kids, selecting a major for college emphasis has become a regular topic. I’m learning though that maybe we should select more than just a major. What about taking classes that prepare you for ministry outside of work? Kent feels the call to work with Math because he immensely enjoys it. But, he’s minoring in Music Composition because he’s hoping he can help our church or a church with arranging music for worship. That’s the body part God is preparing him to be. I think that’s maturing!
Love and Empathy
Maturity is characterized by love.
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:16)
Love is mentioned several times as important for having a body made up of different parts. This verse says the body is “built” by love.
On the biggest challenges is the ability to speak the truth in a loving way. For most of us, it’s hard to confront and say things to people, especially friends. Learning to communicate the message with a tone of love is a mark of maturity.
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4:15)
Wearing the New Man
Another part of maturity is putting off our sinful nature and putting on the new nature given to us by Christ. Having the Christ-like qualities are important for the all of the body parts in the church to work well together.
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)
The rest of the chapter seems to list out some of the important qualities of this “new man” that we should attain to. So, can we say the more Christ-like we are, the more mature we are?
No More Children But Children
Contrasting Ephesians 4:14 with Ephesians 5:1 is a bit confusing. At first, it says we shouldn’t be children any longer, but then it says we should be followers like children.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:14)
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; (Ephesians 5:1)
So, which is it? Well, using my Strongs Concordance, those are two different words. Ephesians 4:14 talks about immaturity or unskilled: “figuratively, a simple-minded person, an immature Christian”. On the other than hand, Ephesians 5:1 talks about relationship: “child, daughter, son.” If I understand it right, that could be an adult son but called a child only because of the relationship.
The distinction calls us to be mature in our character but following God like a son or daughter would follow a father.
What Next?
Did I miss anything? What verse should I explore next to see what God says about maturity? Is there a difference between spiritual maturity and regular maturity?