Do you want to become a Christian with a mature faith? What does mature faith look like? The Bible gives us many examples of characteristics of a mature Christian. Here are just a few.
A Mature Christian and The Word
- Believes in the authority of the Word
- Understands how to find passages or themes in the Bible
- Helps others learn how to study the Bible
- Can learn on their own vs. being totally dependent upon others
- Has developed a consistent habit of reading the Bible
- Consciously applies what the Bible says to his or her life
A Mature Christian’s Prayer Life
- Daily confesses personal sin in prayer time
- Regularly prays in groups
- Spends time worshipping God in prayer time
- Can confidently assist others with determining if a request is within God’s will as per the Bible
- Trusts that God is the primary way to affect an outcome and\or answer
A Mature Christian’s Personal Growth (Character development, balance in life, dealings with adversity & temptation, pursuit of holiness, knowing God’s will, etc.)
- Relationship with God his top priority, which results in continued growth
- Manages time well
- Gracious in speech
- Willing to endure hardships for others
- Merciful
- Forgiving of others
- Self-disciplined
- Compassionate
- Honest
- Willing to suffer wrong for Christ’s sake
- Returns good for evil
A Mature Christian and His Family, Friends & Relationships
- Committed to maintaining a long-term, loving family unit
- Seeks harmony & unity
- Sensitive to individual’s needs
- Loves, honors, respects, encourages, and cares for parents and in-laws
- Loves, honors, respects, encourages, and cares for other family members
- Is conscientious of family’s financial needs and adheres to not spending more than income
- Is discipling children through consistent, long-term plan
A Mature Christian and Body Life (Evangelism, Ministry, & Fellowship)
- Disciple-Maker: Takes care of spiritual babies
- Responsible Worker
- Desires the company of other Christians
- Develops and uses gift
- Sensitive and aware of needs of others
- Is committed to sharing the Gospel when given the opportunity
- Encourager
- Need meet-er
- Builds and pursues unity
- Has an increasing burden for the lost
- Actively seeks opportunities to share the Gospel
I know that I fall short in many many of the areas. But, I’m committed to work on the characteristics one after another!
(The above characteristics come from a variety of Bible passages. Predominantly from: John 15, 1 Corinthians 13, 2 Corinthians 4, Galatians 5, Ephesians 5, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy 4, 1 Peter 1, 2 Peter 2, and 1 John 4.)
