Rooted and Built Up: The Journey of Spiritual Maturity
We have been looking at a theme for this month: Rooted and Built Up in Him. The gospel is one message—the message of Jesus—and that is why we keep hearing His name. We have seen that salvation is the beginning of the journey for every believer. Once a man hears the gospel for the first time and believes, he begins his journey. This is the essence of the salvation message: that all men place their faith upon what God has accomplished in Christ Jesus.
However, after you are saved, when you begin to hear the gospel again and again, it is no longer for salvation; it is for spiritual growth. Our journey begins with salvation, but it does not end there. There is a call and a responsibility for every believer to grow. The beauty of a new man in Christ is found in his spiritual growth. You cannot fully appreciate what God has done in salvation if you do not grow. Apostle John noted that while we are already sons, our full maturity is a process of revelation.
1 John 3:2 KJV
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
There is a necessity for that which is already in your spirit to come out; that is where spiritual growth (epignōsis) comes into play. Many people have the mentality that being saved is the ultimate end because they do not want to be held accountable or responsible. But spiritual growth is captured inside the plan of salvation. We are born as children in the spirit, and we are meant to grow into adults. You grow in the same message that saved you. This growth introduces you to your reality and what God has made available for you in Christ so that you can function in your true identity.
Every believer, as long as you are born of God, needs to grow. There is no state that marks the “end” of growth; you keep going until Jesus comes. The saved man does not need to be saved again, for the salvation God offers is complete and eternal.
The Faith and Walking Knowledge
We grow by giving ourselves to the knowledge of Christ. Throughout this series, we have seen that this knowledge is called “the faith” (pistis). This refers not to faith for obtaining things, but to the message of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The increase for the believer is an increase in knowledge (epignōsis). This is not a “talking” knowledge—it is a “walking” knowledge. While confession has a part in our journey—helping us stay conscious of who we are—the knowledge we receive is intended to make us walk in the life of God. The life of God is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We are God’s workmanship (poiēma), created for good works. The believer should not just exist as one who is saved but should walk in the reality of that salvation. This grace teaches us how to live.
Titus 2:11-14 KJV
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Salvation redeems us from sin and death to establish us in the fullness of God. This increase in knowledge is not identified by how many verses one can quote, but by the fruit seen in one’s walk with the Lord and how one handles the issues of life. In this church, we “do life” with the Word; we do not just accumulate information. We must be intentional about hearing the gospel so that our lives are profitable to the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
Every believer is given the ministry of reconciliation at salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 KJV
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
We are ambassadors—heaven’s government on the earth. This ministry served us first when someone preached to us, and now we mature in this reality to serve others. Maturity is not just a cliché; it is the real substance of salvation. If the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. Many live without kingdom consciousness because of the doctrines they have heard, but we must pay attention to the gospel, which entrusts the work of the ministry to every believer. We grow so we can attend to the issues of life and bring God’s authority over them, ultimately ensuring other men receive eternal life.
The Renewed Mind and Spiritual Persuasion
To grow, the mind must undergo a renewal (anakainōsis).
Romans 12:1-2 KJV
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Transformation (metamorphoō) happens through renewal. If your mind is not renewed, it will be occupied by the world. Conformity to the world is tied to worldly knowledge, but the Word of God has a restraining and constraining power over us. Hearing the gospel is never a waste of time; it brings us into alignment with God’s will. We begin to think what God thinks and plan what God plans.
A man established in the faith has deep spiritual conviction and persuasion. Stability means that when things come to shake you, you remain unmoved.
Romans 8:31-32, 38-39 KJV
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul had firsthand experience with persecution and prison, yet he remained persuaded. This persuasion is built on the message of Christ’s sacrifice. God’s love is constant; it does not change with circumstances. When a believer doubts God’s love, they lose their persuasion, which is the beginning of failure. We must keep our eyes on the Lord and what He has done. Abraham is another example of this; he was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
Identification and Consciousness
Spiritual growth increases our consciousness of our nature and identity in God. We are meant to live from our identity, not just from ideas. The way you think determines how you act, talk, and live. When Jesus died, was buried, and rose again, He did it as a man, for man.
Psalm 2:7 KJV
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
This “begotten” state is our reality through His resurrection. By believing the gospel, we identify with Christ’s resurrection.
Romans 6:3-4 KJV
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Our reality today is the newness (kainotēs) of life. The gospel is the power of God because it brings man from death to life and puts him in God’s class. God gives birth to His kind. We are God’s children with His divine ability and life.
A Conformed Will and Abounding Service
As we are built up, our will and desires conform to the Father’s will.
Philippians 2:12-13 KJV
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
A believer who constantly hears the Word finds that their thoughts become aligned with God’s thoughts. We see the example of Christ’s humility and obedience.
Philippians 2:5-8 KJV
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
This mind of Christ should be in us, governing how we conduct ourselves in the community of believers. When love abounds, it proves we are in alignment with the Father. We do not struggle to obey; we run with God’s will because it has become our own.
Finally, a rooted believer is ever-abounding in service. Service is central to God’s plan because God served us in salvation. We are saved to serve. The ministry gifts are given for the perfecting of the saints and the work of the ministry.
Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
We grow so we can serve. This knowledge equips us for that service, increasing our openness to God’s Word and our willingness to obey. Like a tree planted by the rivers of water, our roots in Christ produce godly conduct, character, and the demonstration of faith. We live a responsive kingdom life, abiding in Him, for without Him we can do nothing.
John 15:5 KJV
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
In summary, a believer established in the faith possesses:
1. Deep spiritual conviction and persuasion.
2. An increased consciousness of their nature and identity.
3. A will and desire conformed to the Father’s will.
4. An ever-abounding commitment to service.
5. A responsive Christian life.