Spiritual Young Men (Eight Steps – Part 2)

In my early years of ministry, I served as a counsellor in a church.  One of the things I discovered in that role was that the problems people presented for advice were mostly symptoms of a deeper problem or problems.  My task as a counsellor was to discern the root problem and then help them with the presenting problem, while also cutting away at the root problem.  A desire to help these people led me to seek a greater understanding of the root causes of the problems people encounter.  Someone has said that it is not what has happened to us that is our problem, but how we reacted to what happened.  I have found this to be true, but knowing this does not in itself bring about our healing.  The process that brings about change is one of repentance and faith.

In Part 1 of this series, I listed eight steps to spiritual maturity.  The last of these is love, which according to the Apostle Paul, should be our goal (1Tim 1:5).  To reach this goal, we especially need self- control, which is the fourth quality.  Essential to obtaining self-control is the first quality, faith.  Without faith, it is not possible to please God (Heb. 11:6).  Although all eight qualities are required for our spiritual growth, the first four are what I consider the foundation steps.  They are faith, virtue, knowledge, and self-control.

Now the Bible also compares spiritual growth to the natural stages of growth. These would be childhood, young adults, and mature adults.  Infancy and the teenage years would fall within the childhood stage.  The apostle John refers to these stages in his second epistle (see 1Jn. 2:12-14).  Young men are those who are strong and have overcome the evil one.  They are strong because the word of God abides in them. 

How do we attain to the “young man” stage of growth?  We have to go through childhood.  We have to learn what spiritual children need to learn.  If you have been a Christian for a while and still struggle with some sinful habit or attitude, then you need to look at your foundation.  Spiritual children must first learn that God loves them and their sins are forgiven.  This may seem obvious and there should not be any need to discuss it, but what we know with our mind is not always established in our heart.  In counselling I would give people scriptural passages to meditate on as a prescription for healing.  One of those key words is: “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.” (1Jn. 4:16)  With our salvation experience, we have come to know that God loves us.  As we walk through life and encounter challenges, we must believe in this love.  Our hearts must become totally convinced that regardless of what we face, God loves us.  We cannot grow into manhood unless we truly believe this.  Combining this with the fact that God is Almighty, we can boldly say:  “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:6)

What else must spiritual children learn before they become young men?  They must learn that their sins are forgiven.  Again, this may seem obvious to any Christian but it takes a while for this truth to actually change how we respond to our own failures.  Our natural tendency is to punish ourselves because we think that this will change our behaviour.  Depression, for example, is often a result of anger turned inward.    But can we change ourselves, or should we trust in God to change us?  When we truly believe that God changes us, we choose to come boldly to His throne of grace and ask for mercy and help (Heb. 4:16).  We put faith in His willingness to forgive us.  Forgiveness does not mean that there are no consequences to our actions.  God disciplines those whom He loves.  As we grow in Christ, we learn to release ourselves from self-punishment as we accept His forgiveness and submit to His correction.  Because we believe in His love, we know that His discipline will not be excessive, and although it may be painful, it will yield the fruit of righteousness (see Heb. 12:5-11). 

Another way we can tell if we need to establish a stronger foundation of faith in God’s love and forgiveness is to examine how we respond to correction.  Do we blame ourselves, people or circumstances for the difficulties in our life, or do we acknowledge that God is in control and all those things are working together for our good (Ro. 8:28)?  It is never easy to rejoice when we encounter trials as James exhorts us to do (Jas. 1:2-4) but, as he says, the testing of our faith produces patience (perseverance), which is the next quality after self-control.  We have to stop blaming and start being thankful in all circumstances (1Thess. 5:18).  We need to go through the process of repentance and faith in order to grow, but how can we do that unless we recognize the areas in our lives that need to change.  We learn to discern through instruction and correction.  As we read in Hebrews, “solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Heb. 5:14). 

One more thing that spiritual young men have obtained through childhood is strength.  They have become strong in grace through faith in God and His word.  We go from faith to faith by increasing our knowledge of God’s word.  The word, when it comes with understanding, is a seed planted in us which will bear the fruit of righteousness.  We will continue to grow in knowledge throughout our spiritual life, but in order to lay a proper foundation that will allow us to overcome the evil one, we must obtain a knowledge of some basic truths.  In my next article I will expound on the main one which is the message of the cross.  I will share some insights that will bring your understanding closer to what the early Christians understood about the message of the cross.