Lesson 21: We Grow from Infancy to Maturity at the Cross
Question 1
Marco Polo of Mike’s teaching: Monday 24th May 2021
“Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” Galatians 3:23-25 NIV
“This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people." Ephesians 4:8 NIV
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:11-14 NIV
“Do you see how the message of the cross, accompanied by the work of the Spirit, and the fruits and the gifts of the Spirit, stabilizes and matures us? It actually keeps us from believing wrong doctrines from being blown about by new teaching. It matures us into adults. Putting faith in the gospel, receiving the work of the Spirit, brings maturity and stability.
That is not a function of the Law. You will never become mature and stable if you focus on your obedience. But if you focus on Jesus’ obedience in your place, His death that has covered and atoned for your sin and has removed your shame, and has made you right with God - you put your faith in that message, and you keep hearing it and believing it, you will mature. You will become very stable, not that you’ll become sinless. We are not talking about that. We are just talking about growing and maturing and becoming stable.
It all has to do with hearing the message that Christ loved you and gave Himself for you. That He shed His blood for you out of love and that He went to a grave to bury your sin and that He rose from the dead and you rose in Him with a new heart and a new life and now you begin to live out of that experience. And as you hear that message and put faith in it daily, you mature. And you no longer need a guardian. You no longer need to focus on rules and steps and laws and obedience. That’s all for infants, that’s all for toddlers. You are believing the gospel and becoming mature.”
Question 1: How can you know that you are being matured by putting faith in the gospel? What evidence do you see that you are growing?
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