Childish Behavior
My youngest son has Down Syndrome. He recently turned 18 and is legally an adult, but he still mostly thinks and acts like a child. He so badly wants to be thought of as an adult and get the privileges of an adult, but he does not have the responsibility of an adult and can’t respond calmly and wisely to things like an adult.
The Bible talks about Christians who should be spiritually consuming God’s word and living it, but are instead like a young, foolish child who isn’t willing to put in the effort to study His word and isn’t willing to submit and obey Him.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Our only part in salvation is faith, and even that is prompted by the Holy Spirit. At the same time, if we have truly trusted Jesus as Savior, we are a new creation. We should be different than we were before becoming saved. We should be so grateful for the forgiveness given to us that we should wish to seek and to please Him, who cleansed us from all unrighteousness. We should seek His presence through prayer and Bible study. We should seek to know Him better, so we can obey and serve Him. If we aren’t exceedingly grateful for what He has done for us, we need to consider whether we truly have salvation. “… the demons also believe, and shudder.” (James 2:10b) The belief that demons have is not saving belief. They know Jesus is who He said He is, but they have not repented, nor have they submitted. The Bible also warns, “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:4)
We should see growth over our years after being saved. Yes, many times growth comes in spurts with periods of relatively low change in between, but we should be continually becoming more and more like Jesus if we have the Spirit within us. We should be grateful for what He has done for us and work to seek to know Him better through Bible Study, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.
When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:11)
Too many people who call themselves Christians (only God knows whether they are or are not true Christians) don’t ever proceed past childhood. Their lives look almost identical to non-Christians. They never read the whole Bible, not even over decades. They rarely pray, maybe only when they get in a bind or when led at church. They may only attend church and fellowship with other believers on occasions.
We are called to grow in maturity and faith. Just as it is unseemly when an adult acts and thinks like a young child, it is equally unseemly to see a Christian who has supposedly been saved for decades, but lives like unbelievers and doesn’t know God’s word.
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:11-13) {emphasis mine}
We are not called to belief in order to just continue living as we did before knowing Jesus. We should seek His presence and His leading. We should be growing in knowledge and faithfulness. We should go from just consuming what others teach to teaching new Christians to know more about Jesus and introducing unbelievers to Jesus. We should learn God’s word and “practice” living it. We should study God’s word so we are “trained to discern good and evil.”
Some people may grow in faith and knowledge faster than others, but all Christians should be learning about Jesus and serving Him. Refusing to do so is like a slap in the face to Jesus who suffered so much for us all. Someone who considers themselves to be a Christian, but lives the same as unbelievers and has no interest in the Bible, prayer, church, and fellowship with other believers, needs some self reflection. Why do they have no interest in their Savior? Are they unsaved? Have they been so unfaithful that they have hardened their hearts? If the latter, it is important to really make an effort to read the Bible daily, to pray continually, and to fellowship with believers (usually including attending church). The more you neglect the word and prayer and fellowship, the less interest you have in them. The more you study the word, pray continually, and fellowship with God and other believers, the more you will crave them.
With most books, I read them once. They may be good, but I’m not interested in reading them again. A really good book, I might read 2-3 times. I’m pretty sure I’ve read the Bible cover to cover more than 30 times, and my desire to read it keeps growing stronger. I love reading the Bible and seeing the connections. Every time I read, I see something new or a new way I can live out God’s commands and Jesus’s examples. I don’t know of any other book that draws you in so much, so you want to read it again and again. This hunger for God’s word is one of many signs of true salvation.
Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11) {emphasis mine}
This verse refers to the Bereans, who were “examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” They didn’t just believe. They didn’t just read the Bible. They didn’t just listen to Godly teachers. They studied the Bible to make sure that they were being taught accurately and that their beliefs were in line with Scripture. They didn’t read the Bible to check off their to-do list, they read with “great eagerness.”
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32) {emphasis mine}
Jesus called believers to “continue in My word.” This means we need to study His word, so we can obey and live out our lives according to His word. If we do this, we can know that we are “are truly disciples of” His. We shouldn’t ignore the knowing His word, nor should be ignore the living out His word.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. … (2 Timothy 2:15-17a) {emphasis mine}
We are not called to be passive followers, but “workmen.” We should be speaking God’s truth, not “empty chatter.” We should know God’s word so well that we are “accurately handling the word of truth.” None of this happens instantly. It happens over time when we choose to obey and serve our Savior.
I can’t remember where I read it recently (I’d like to attribute it to its author), but one of the Substack writers made the comment that when we believe in Jesus, we become children of God and being part of the family, we should be involved in the family business. We should be involved in winning souls for Christ and growing the faith, knowledge, and godliness of believers. I want to be involved in the family business. How about you?
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
Unlike a book written from the mind of man, the God breathed Scriptures really do change hearts, minds, and souls. The Bible truly can help us to become more like our Savior, Jesus.
For so much of history, most people have not had access to God’s word. They either couldn’t afford a hand copied version, and/or it was only available in language that they couldn’t read. Today, Bibles are readily available. You can get a Bible app on your phone or computer for free. You can buy a physical Bible for as cheap as $20. You can read it in English in at least 64 different translations. You can get a text only Bible, a study Bible, a chronological Bible, a notetaking Bible, and more. Many Godly men were willing to die in order to translate and make available Bibles that we can read today. I almost think that the Bible is so freely available that we take it for granted. When it took a years salary to buy a hand-copied Bible, that Bible was read regularly, treated reverently, and handed down from generation to generation as a most treasured possession. Today, a Bible is so cheap and available that it may be collecting dust on a book shelf or desk, unopened and and unread.
We need to be more grateful for the men who meticulously copied Bibles, checking every line and every page for the right number of words and letters, and be grateful for the men who risked everything to translate God’s word into our language so we could be like the Bereans and verify if what we were being taught was so.
I say to you as Solomon said to his son:
My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord
And discover the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones.
Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.
For wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; (Proverbs 2:1-10)
May God give you a hunger for His word, joy in obedience, faith in His truth, and love for fellow believers. May you grow to be more and more like Jesus and not linger in spiritual childhood. May your life so resemble God that you shine the light of Jesus on those around you, attracting unbelievers to Jesus like a bright light attracts bugs in a dark night.
Trust Jesus
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