Spiritual Math Lesson

“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in who are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

                                                                        Colossians 2:2-3

How about we start with some simple math today?  What do you think?  You in?

First a basic algebraic equation, if A=C than what is C?

If your answer is A, you are correct but does it actually tell you what A represents other than the first letter of the alphabet?

Now a spiritual corresponding equation, if maturity = perfection than what is perfection? 

I know maturity, but does that exactly tell us what maturity represents?

Can’t really answer either equation can you?  You can’t identify C unless you know what A is.  And you can’t identify perfection unless you know what maturity is.  There is a missing element.  There is something we have to know in order to solve the equation.  If your outcome to these algebraic equations was unsolvable, you are a stellar math/spiritual student and I give you permission to go reward yourself. 

A couple of posts back, I wrote a personally illuminating piece on what most commentators agree Paul was talking about when he wrote Colossian 1:28 regarding perfection in Christ.  You can read that here if you missed it.  Essentially we learned that perfection equals maturity in the original language.  So if perfection means maturity, than I am left wondering “what is maturity?”

If you were to define maturity, what would it look like?  Really ponder it a moment because the rest of this post will have all that much greater meaning if you nail this down. 

I am going to be honest.  I have no clue what maturity would look like spiritually.  I know the right answer is to look like Christ.  Well, why not suggest I climb Mt. Everest as well.  I am a simple girl who does best with concrete simple instructions.  Give me clear direction with an attainable goal and I am your woman. 

That is one of the reasons why I am crazy about Paul (I know I already said this before but redundancy is ok when you are this smitten by someone).  Paul, who I already declared as the king of run on sentences in a prior post, also has a gift for straight shooting.  I love a straight shooter. No mixed meaning for me, just keep it simple and give it to me straight.  I love the way Paul declares imperatives (commands) with succinct precision and direction.  In Colossians 2:2, he takes his straight shooting approach and clearly defines for us what Christian maturity should embody. 

WARNING** Paul is about to get real with us.  He is laying out what true Christian maturity looks like.  Be prepared to have some of your feathers ruffled.  Mine were.  Thankfully the Bible is an equal opportunity offender. 

Clarifying Christian Maturity – each explanation is succinct because of my need for succinctness.  Feel free to explore each topic on you own within the confines of Scripture.  Actually nothing would thrill me more. 

         “Encouraged in heart” – True maturity is reflected through an encouraging persona.  Since your focus is on the hugeness of God and what He has already done than the outcome of your spirituality is one of encouragement.  Not only to others but also to yourself.  Do you have an encouraging heart?  Are you in the habit of encouraging yourself?  It seems it is always easier for me to encourage others and what God is doing in their lives rather that in my own.  Ouch!

         “United in love” – True maturity calls for unity and not just unity but loving unity.  Maturity seeks to do things that make for peace and not division.  Clearly one of the toughest things we humans have to do.  How do I know this?  Because in Jesus’ last and greatest recorded intercessory prayer, one of his paramount concerns was that all believers would stay unified.  (You can read that in John 17). 

Not sure that we have achieved this in over 2000 years of Christianity from wars to divisions in the church to way too many different denominations.  There is great power in unity and the enemy knows exactly how to break that power.  Just have two people in the church disagree over carpet color in the sanctuary and there you have the makings of a church split.  (Yeah. This really happened). 

We absolutely have to learn how to get along with each other.  We spend way too much time disagreeing over non-essentials.  Its time we get over those.  However, if there are key doctrinal issues you have with a church, be honest with yourself.  You are the one who is not in unity and either you need to search out whether your theology is perhaps in error or you need to step away.  If you truly love the brethren, you will do what is necessary to promote harmony and unity even if that means you being the one to move.  Unity is supreme for destroying the works of darkness.  God rewards it as well.  (Psalm 133)

Unity = Love.  Love is the goal.  Love is paramount. 

One last note, you are not in unity if you are not exactly attending a church or spending time with the brethren.  Unity doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  Told you feathers would be ruffled. 

         “Full riches”  - True maturity knows we are rich.  Bottom line.  Do we know all we have in Christ?  Are we aware of the “full riches” that we are meant to embrace?  Remember the nasty Gnostics?  They were attempting to convince the Colossians that the full riches were outside of Christ.  There were promoting some kind of deeper wisdom and understanding apart from the Savior.  Do you really, really know who you are in Christ?  Are you aware that if you are saved, you have a new identity?  Are you aware that you have a rich inheritance?  Paul is stressing that a mature believer is one who is confident in their new skin and is fully aware of the riches available to them through Christ. 

         “Complete understanding” – True maturity knows not only who they are in Christ and the wisdom and knowledge that come with that identity, but they also know how to use it.  The word complete literally means, “to place together”.  It is one thing to know what you possess, it is another thing to act on what you possess. 

For instance, suppose I was to declare to everyone I met that I was a writer (ahem I don’t actually do this), I posted it on Facebook, twitter and every social media on the planet but I never actually wrote. Would the assertion stand that I was a writer?  There would be no evidence and I clearly wouldn’t look like one.  It is only as I step out and write that my identity is revealed.  Same holds true if you declare yourself a Christ follower but never actually learned what that meant or changed accordingly.  There is great power available to us when we start living in Christ.  Mature believers are those that know who they are and walk in that complete understanding. 

If you are finding yourself wondering, like myself, “what is this full riches?” or “what do I have already in Christ?” hang tight.  Colossians three talks a lot about it. 

How did you do?  I confess I didn’t do all that great on my spiritual math equation.  What about you?  Thankfully maturity is an unfolding process that isn’t a marked attainable goal.  It is not something concrete but rather an evolving process that grows over time.  Engage in the growth.  Growth is awesome and not to be feared.  God is for you and is helping your towards that end. 

My prayer for today’s post would echo Paul’s heart.  I pray that you might be encouraged in heart, united in love and would grow into a complete understanding of the riches you have in Christ. 

And then you might be able to identify and understand “A”.

          

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity.  It takes time to be holy.

                                                              

                                                               Erwin W. Lutzer