The Evidence of Spiritual Progression

As unbelievers, we were blind to our sin and blamed our shortcomings on others. But we heard the gospel, saw our sin and our hopeless condition, and we believed. We reached for Christ and clung to Him as Savior, and then followed Him as Lord. The Apostle John describes the new Christian as a spiritual child who knows that he is forgiven and recognizes that God is now his Father, but understands little of biblical doctrine. The joy of salvation is new and fresh, but the child is still immature and struggles with impulsiveness and instability. In time, he grows into a spiritual young man whose faith has been nourished through study of God’s Word. He is strong in resisting evil and always prepared to defend the truth, but he is also sometimes given to pride. Finally, the young man ripens into a spiritual father. He has gone though many trials with His Savior, learned trust and obedience, and has become a useful instrument in the Redeemer’s hand. What about you? Are you a child? Then remember that your sins have been forsaken.Resist evil and pursue the knowledge of the truth. Are you a young man?Then press on and draw still nearer to Christ. Are you a father?Keep living like Christ in this fallen world, and spend yourself helping others to Christian maturity.