Salvation Is An Event, Growth Is Progressive

By Ed Henderson (2017)

I can remember like yesterday the day and time I gave my life to Jesus. I was born-again on April 15, 1982 in Washington DC in a motel room. Anybody that has experienced being born-again will never forget that transforming experience. However, what we need to realize is that when you are born-again you are a spiritual baby. You need to grow and mature just like a natural baby.

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1 Peter 2:1-3)

Salvation is just the beginning, not the end. We were not born spiritually mature. We need the milk of the Word as a baby and then we need to move on to more substantial food like meat. It’s kind of like going from kindergarten to elementary school to middle school to high school and then to college. The sad fact of the matter is that a large portion of the Body of Christ stays at the kindergarten level and never moves on to higher education.

There is a word that is used throughout the New Testament to describe the goal Jesus wants all of us to reach. That word is “perfect”. Now, I know that we all recoil at that word and say no one can be perfect. Hold on! Let’s look at the definition of the word “perfect”. The Greek word used for perfect is “teleios” which means complete, of full age, or mature. God has put in place a plan for all of us to receive a spiritual doctorate degree. All we have to do is follow the plan.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11-13)

There is a very important key in going from milk to meat. Jesus said in John 4:34 that His meat was to do the will of the Father.

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34)

That is the key to meat. You have to do the will of the Father. It is not enough to just be a hearer of the Word. You have to be a doer because that is the only way you really learn. It’s kind of like homework. If you don’t do your homework, you fail the class. His homework is much more important though because once you do the Word, and see the results, no devil in Hell can steal it from you. It has now been elevated from a theory to a reality that is written on your heart forever and that is what brings about maturity.

 

 

 

 

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