Spiritual Maturity

  • Strength in Christ

    Philippians 4:13

    If we depend on our own power and character in the midst of storms, we will by no means find lasting peace. But when we trust in Christ and seek to do everything in Him, we can serve Him faithfully ...Read More

  • Belief and Suffering

    Philippians 1:29–30

    If we are surprised when persecution comes, then we will find it more difficult to endure it and experience the grace of God in our suffering. Yet as we remember that both belief and suffering are granted to us by ...Read More

  • The Causes of Immaturity

    Hebrews 5:11-14

    Prayerful cultivation of the knowledge of God leads to a greater love of Him. As we study the depths of God’s Word, we begin to get a better glimpse of His awesome majesty, our own unworthiness, and the immense ...Read More

  • Leaving Childhood Behind

    Ephesians 4:14

    The church’s greatest advancements in understanding doctrine have come when great heresies have threatened the church. The Arian controversy helped believers delimit the canon’s teaching on the Trinity. Crises over justification and the authority of Scripture led to ...Read More

  • Why Theology is Necessary

    Deuteronomy 6:4-9

    The passage chosen as the basis for today’s study calls the people of God to study His law diligently and, by extension, everything that He has revealed in the Bible. We are to examine Scripture systematically, looking at how ...Read More

  • Growing Up in Love

    1 Corinthians 13:11-13

    Knowledge of truth and the practice of love, as two of the chief indicators of Christian maturity, must both be emphasized in our walk with the Lord. Consistent study of the doctrines taught in the Bible is vital for our ...Read More

  • Proper Christian Growth

    Colossians 1:9-10

    It is all too easy for us to think that once we know the basics of the gospel we must then move beyond them for true spiritual growth. Yet it is not extrabiblical revelations and methods that mature us, nor ...Read More

  • Gentle Admonition

    Galatians 6:1

    Calvin writes, “Whenever we have occasion to pronounce censure, let us begin with ourselves, and, remembering our own weakness, let us be indulgent to others.” May we never forget the need to take the log out of our own eye ...Read More

  • The Devil

    Zechariah 3:1–5

    Dr. R.C. Sproul defines true repentance in Essential Truths of the Christian Faith (pp. 193–194). Authentic repentance is sorrow for breaking God’s law, not only because we fear hell. It also involves a resolve to turn from ...Read More

  • The Flesh

    Romans 8:1–8

    Learning to love the things God loves is essential to the mortification of our flesh. Aside from studying Scripture by ourselves, small-group Bible studies and accountability relationships between members of the same sex are powerful weapons in our spiritual warfare ...Read More

  • Planning to Grow

    Luke 14:25–33

    Today, let us all sit down and set a goal to help us grow spiritually over the course of the year. If our prayer lives have been inconsistent, perhaps we need to commit to a specific time of prayer each ...Read More

  • Growing Up in Love

    1 Corinthians 13:11–13

    Do you think it is more important to possess many talents and gifts or to be righteous? The emphasis in the New Testament is on the importance of personal holiness and the practice of righteous love, for if we are ...Read More

  • Transformation into Glory

    1 Corinthians 13

    Each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit—that is, each aspect of you as you are transformed—is nurtured through personal relationships. Because Christian character does not develop in a void, take the initiative to become involved regularly in ...Read More

  • The Acquisition of Wisdom

    James 1:1–12

    As has been taught, true wisdom is the combination of knowledge and practical experience. It requires involvement of people in the service of Christ’s disposal, allowing Him to deploy you in a variety of experiences where both wisdom and ...Read More