We must remember that the true sign of maturity in the Lord is not in our theological understanding. I have known men who were astute in theology but their lives were full of sin. I have known men who would prepare sermons on Saturday night and then to reward themselves they would go down to the gas station and purchase pornography. To simply know theology is not to know God. To know facts about Christ is not the same as knowing Christ. To talk about prayer is not the same as praying. To talk about evangelism is not the same as actually talking to the lost about Jesus. I could go on and on.
Galatians 5:22-23 is the best measuring tool for someone who claims to be maturing in the Lord. Pride has a way of deceiving us and making us think that just because we know more than the “average” Christian (which is sadly not much) or because we read our Bibles today then we think we are doing pretty good. The reality is that we can do the motions of Christianity but miss Christ. To really grow in Christ is to be expressing the fruit of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5:22-23. The passage reads:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Are these showing in your life child of God? You can quote from the Greek text all day long but if the fruit of the Spirit is not showing in your life, what is the point? The fruit of the Spirit shows that we are in the vine (John 15:1-11). Paul the Apostle wrote in Romans 11:16, “If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” Our fruit flows from being grounded in the root of Christ.
Never confuse knowing with doing. Never confuse knowledge with a relationship with God. Never confuse knowledge with the fruit of the Spirit. As we abide in Christ by faith, the Spirit of God helps us bear the fruit but we must abide in Christ. Not in a book but in Christ. Not in the Greek text but in Christ.
This post was written by my friend, Seeking Disciple. For the original post, go to: http://arminiantoday.com/2012/09/04/the-true-sign-of-maturity-in-the-lord/
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
Galatians 5:22-23 is the best measuring tool for someone who claims to be maturing in the Lord. Pride has a way of deceiving us and making us think that just because we know more than the “average” Christian (which is sadly not much) or because we read our Bibles today then we think we are doing pretty good. The reality is that we can do the motions of Christianity but miss Christ. To really grow in Christ is to be expressing the fruit of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5:22-23. The passage reads:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Are these showing in your life child of God? You can quote from the Greek text all day long but if the fruit of the Spirit is not showing in your life, what is the point? The fruit of the Spirit shows that we are in the vine (John 15:1-11). Paul the Apostle wrote in Romans 11:16, “If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” Our fruit flows from being grounded in the root of Christ.
Never confuse knowing with doing. Never confuse knowledge with a relationship with God. Never confuse knowledge with the fruit of the Spirit. As we abide in Christ by faith, the Spirit of God helps us bear the fruit but we must abide in Christ. Not in a book but in Christ. Not in the Greek text but in Christ.
This post was written by my friend, Seeking Disciple. For the original post, go to: http://arminiantoday.com/2012/09/04/the-true-sign-of-maturity-in-the-lord/
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
RSS Feed