Over the centuries many Christian teachers have outlined what it looks like to become a mature Christian. These outlines, or guides, are helpful because they help us see what we are “aiming” for in our Christian life. In other words, they tell us what it means to become a mature Christian. The New Testament speaks many times about what it means to be “mature” or “complete” (sometimes the word “perfect” is used but it means complete in Greek.)
This idea that Christians grow spiritually and that we can describe what this looks like along the way is referred to as “stages of growth”. We could also refer to these stages as phases or processes. These stages are supposed to encourage us because they describe the good that is ahead for us. In other words, they help us know what to look forward to. The clearest descriptions in Scripture of some stages of Christian growth are in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 where Paul explains the qualifications for elders (overseers) and deacons.
One of the most famous teachers on stages of growth is Teresa of Avila who lived in the 16th century. She wrote about stages of growth as being similar to four stages of watering a garden. Each stage describes the way in which God’s grace flows into our lives so we can become a mature Christian. I have edited it and added some comments about lifestyle in each stage. As you read them, remember that growth is a gradual process, not a stair-step process so these stages are just snapshots of growth along the way. They shouldn’t be used to put others down or exalt oneself. Here are the stages for you to consider:
HONEYMOON. This is something only some people experience when they suddenly become a Christian. They experience great joy and the presence of God. They find themselves very happy and feel lifted up to another level. However, this honeymoon period wears off and then they start through the process of maturity.
STAGE ONE. In the first stage God’s grace flows into us like getting water from a well; we have to be disciplined and it feels like a lot of effort sometimes. We still have lots of pride, selfishness, materialism, pleasure-seeking, ungodly conversation, and we resist sacrifice and death to self.
STAGE TWO. In the second stage God’s grace flows into us like getting water from the rain. It is less effort but it is still not consistent. We are less proud and selfish & less materialistic. We don’t indulge our destructive desires as much. We start to learn self-control, and we learn to control our words better. We are able to help build others up in the faith. We begin to embrace sacrifice and death to self.
“Notice that Christian growth is mostly growth in relationships and how we treat people, not in great knowledge or supernatural gifting.”
OPTIONAL DRY TIME. Many believers experience a long dry time (or several dry times) in their lives at some point in the maturity process. God seems far away or just gone. This comes while they are sincerely following Jesus. This is a time when they learn to trust God in spite of the lack of feelings and lack of spiritual sight. The great benefits of this time include: a deeper faith, purification of deeper corruption, and learning to connect with God at a deeper level.
STAGE THREE. In the third stage God’s grace flows into us like getting water from an irrigation system so God’s grace is direct and consistent. We are now becoming a mature Christian. Because of our faithfulness we have “dug” channels in our life that allow God’s water to flow into us consistently. In this stage we learn true humility, and we don’t worry about our status. We learn to be loving to all people. We don’t really care about material things and we don’t indulge our flesh. We have control of our tongue and we consistently speak good words. We are disciplined and willing to sacrifice. We fully embrace death to self.
STAGE FOUR. In the fourth stage we experience God’s grace like a spring from inside us. This is the idea in John 7:38 “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” In this stage we are so Christformed that we rarely have prideful thoughts. We naturally focus on the well-being of others and do not put ourselves first. We are naturally patient, naturally kind, and naturally compassionate toward those who hurt us. Our speech is consistently pure. We are actually thankful when we can suffer for Jesus.
Notice that becoming a mature Christian is mostly a matter of growth in relationships and how we treat people, not in great knowledge or supernatural gifting. If you search scripture you will find this to be true. Hopefully, understanding stages of growth will help us accept where we are but also keep us moving forward to more maturity and Christformation. This also helps us accept where others are at, and it helps us guide those whom we influence.
What stage do you think you are in? How much effort do you put into becoming a mature Christian?
