How Old Are You?

Hebrews 5. Hebrews contains five warning passages and the close of chapter five begins the third warning (5:11-6:20). As we'll see tomorrow, this is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture. Today we look at the first part of it, which deals with spiritual immaturity. Here the writer of Hebrews gives us the marks of spiritual immaturity:
1. Dullness Toward The Word 5:11
The first word in this phrase can mean "sluggish, dull, dimwit, negligent or lazy." One of the first symptoms of spiritual immaturity and regression is dullness towards the Bible. Sunday School class is dull, the preaching is dull, anything spiritual is dull. But the problem is not with the Sunday School teacher or the pastor, but with the believer himself. He is lazy and neglects the Word, thus he has no passion or desire to learn and grow.
2. Inability To Share 5:12a
The ability to share spiritual truth with others is a mark of maturity. Not all Christians have the gift of teaching, but all can share what they learn from the Word. But instead of sharing what they have learned, these Hebrew Christians were in need of learning again the simple teachings of the Word of God.
3. A 'baby food' Diet 5:12b-13
Milk is a predigested food, and it is specially suited to babies. But only those who have teeth can enjoy meat. The writer defines the "milk" as the "first principles of the oracles of God". The "meat" of the Word is the teaching about our Lord's ministry now in heaven as our High Priest. The writer wanted to give this "meat" to them, but they were not ready for it.
4. Unskillful In Using The Word 5:14
As we grow in the Word, we learn to use it in daily life. As we apply the Word, we exercise our "spiritual senses" and develop spiritual discernment. It is characteristic of little children that they lack discernment. The ability to discern good and evil is a vital part of Christian maturity. The absence of this kind of discernment is a mark of spiritual immaturity.
Application:
Do you see a pattern of growth in your own life by which you are moving from the need of "milk" to the spiritual intake of "meat"? Would you say that in the past year that you have progressed in your spiritual walk with Christ? Do you have a desire to learn and grow, or are you lazy and neglectful when it comes to the things of God and His Word? How long have you been a Christian? 10 years? 15 years? 20 years? If you have been a Christian for 20 years then your spiritual maturity level should be 20 years of growth in Christ, and you should not be behaving like a 1 year old baby Christian. How old are you in Christ, and how old do you behave?