How to Grow up Spiritually

photo credit: stevegarfield via photopin cc — Glen Davis (Bottom) & Nate Robinson (Top) photo by stevegarfield

Glen Davis is a basketball player known for his nick-name, “Big Baby Davis.” According to the New York Post, “Davis was given his nickname when he was 9 years old by a youth league coach. At 5’6″, 160 pounds, he was too large to play pee-wee and played as a senior. He used to cry when playing with his older teammates, and his coach would tell him, “Stop crying, you big baby.”

Could you imagine with me if there was a Christian that had been in church for 50 years and never grown up? That would be horrible, but it is happening. So, how do Christians grow up spiritually? Some say the following:

“You need to read your Bible every day.”
“You need to fast for 5 days straight until you meet God’s requirements.”
“You need to serve God.”

Sadly, none of these will grow you spiritually. They will help you and be beneficial to you. Do not get me wrong all of those are great things. But, did you notice the one thing constant in all of these requirements? You, the one consistent factor is the word, you, it seems that we have this idea that growing up spiritually is something they have to do or earn. It is not.

Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness (Hebrews 5:13).

In the new covenant, Righteousness isn’t something we work for it is a gift. It’s called the Gift of righteousness. No longer are trying to earn God’s forgiveness, earn God’s righteousness, or earn God’s love, we have it as a gift. So if it is not something we earn and it is a free gift, how do we get it? We believe, we receive what God has already accomplished on the cross.

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).

If you do not understand that righteousness is a gift. Then you are still a baby Christian still on milk. And you have not grown up yet [Spiritually of course]. It is shocking that many people are still trying to earn God’s blessing. “Big Baby David” grew up physically, now will we grow up spiritually? Let me make a statement. You will never ever, ever, ever be able to earn or merit any of God’s grace. Because grace means unmerited favor, we cannot earn, unearnable favor. The only reason we are blessed is because on the Cross Jesus became sin that we might become the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

Righteousness is not something earned, it is something God gives us.