Saved and Mature

Title: Saved and Mature

By: Njuacha Hubert

Date: 26.10.2024

When a child is born he does not start to walk immediately, Or talk and reason as an adult. Yet it is that same child that years later might become an Engineer designing a skyscraper in London. Preaching Holiness is great but it has to be done in a wholesome manner without which it leads to even more sin defeating the original purpose. To preach Holinessness in a wholesome manner, an important element is for us to understand the difference between salvation and becoming mature in Christ.

How do we obtain salvation? From the mouth of the author of salvation himself, Jesus Christ, He says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. To buttress that salvation is by faith in Christ Jesus Saint Paul says again explicitly: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  However salvation is a birth into the kingdom and then the believer by abiding in the faith is taken through a process; eating the word, fellowship with God in prayer, trials and sufferings etc., to transform them into mature sons, looking more and more like Jesus Himself as they go through the process(2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 14:4). So while salvation is an instant, becoming mature is a process. What are some implications of this difference?

It means you don’t just preach to people to become Holy in order to enter God’s kingdom. Truly, you need to be Holy to see God. But what is the way to be and become Holy? Is it by self-efforts? Then why did Jesus die on the cross? Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Just as the opening verse says it is through believing in Jesus that we are Holy and become Holy. First as a gift(salvation) then a process(maturing). Therefore you preach Holiness as the way to God AND reveal Jesus as the only way to Holiness. If you preach Holiness without preaching Jesus who died to make us Holy, it is like challenging men to save themselves without showing them the way to it (taking them back to the past: Old Testament).

It also calls for mercy and understanding on the part of fathers in the faith for the new converts; understanding that they need time to grow. You don’t condemn and assume one is not saved because you notice an ungodly behaviour in them. However, you don’t encourage or ignore sin either because sin still has consequences on earth irrespective of your faith. Also, persistence in sin has the potential to harden your heart and stifle your faith(belief) which is what keeps you in Christ (John 15:4-11).

Salvation is by faith. Period! Works are the result of being saved. It is not by the believers’ power that He does works of righteousness lest they be works of self-righteousness and not a product of faith.

Let’s thank God for this word today. Let’s pray for the grace to grow in our understanding of the Righteousness of God.