Growing up in liberty

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  1 Corinthians 13:11

Somewhere along the way, I began to picture parenting as a figurative rope that we slacken over time.  When our children choose selfish or disrespectful ways, we pull them closer, exerting our authority and guiding them toward wiser paths.  And as their behavior matures, we loosen our grip and watch them flourish in newly found dimensions of freedom.  While there are times of tightening our grip or even pulling back, overall, parenting is a process of recognizing maturity and celebrating it with liberty.

When we are born of the Spirit, we begin new growth, much like children.  It is a steady process of walking away from our sin nature and its preoccupation with self, sojourning ahead in our new nature, which is Christ in us.  As Paul tells the church in Corinth, spiritual immaturity looks a lot like envy, boasting, pride, rudeness, self-centeredness, and unforgiveness (see 1 Corinthians 13).  These are the ways of our "childish" sin nature, which can never be anything more than these.

But God calls us to grow up in our new nature, which is Christ living in us.  And what does this maturity in him look like?

Knowing the peace of our salvation, we leave behind useless attempts at self-righteousness and trust completely in the sufficiency of Christ, who is our life.

Knowing eternal life for us has already begun, we rest in the hope of Christ who creates new "today's" forever.

Knowing forgiveness and newness of life, we mature in the love of Christ and celebrate him in the liberty that is ours in him.

Spiritual maturity looks a lot like faith, hope and love.  And the greatest of these is love.