![]() I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.īasil the Great recognized three stages of growth in the Christian life by reflecting on the patterns of language across the canon of Scripture: “We have been taught in many passages of Scripture that there is one state of the soul which is like a child, another which is like a man in his prime, and another which is like a man who is already old and venerable” ( Prov. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. ![]() Noble notes that in 1 John 2:12–14, “John gives us the earliest passage in Christian literature referring to distinct stages in growth in the Christian life, those of infancy, youth, and parenthood (2:12–14)”:ġ2 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. Unless they understand what it means to be a spiritual adult, they are likely to rely completely on their pastor as teens rely on their mom to do the laundry, never realizing that God has something more for them. When they do not feel as though their Christian life is headed somewhere-when they think about themselves as just “saved and sanctified and waiting for heaven”-they are likely to end up like teenagers who never move out of their parent’s basement. Disciples need goals, or they tend to get stuck. The same is true for spiritual growth.įor centuries, Christian teachers have conceptualized the Christian life in terms of clear stages of spiritual growth. ![]() ![]() But every few months, I wonder, “How did you grow up so fast?” I’m already lamenting, “You’re not a baby anymore!” While there is not an exact point at which a child passes from infancy into youth or adulthood, growth is typically measured in stages. From day to day, I don’t notice my son growing. Sometimes we have growth spurts, but growth tends to be slow and gradual. Christians are called to “grow up” that is, we are to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. ![]()
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