The Bible makes it clear that when someone is born again, he is translated from the kingdom of darkness, death, and the power of Satan, to the kingdom of life, the kingdom of God’s children and that happens immediately. When a person decides and accepts Lord Jesus in his life, this happens instantly, so he literally becomes born of God and starts having God’s hereditary genetics in his spirit and becomes living in God’s family.
Just like in one family, you will find different ages and different levels of maturity, same as in God’s kingdom; you will find different levels of maturity. Let us study together what the Word of God says about the children of God whom they are in the same kingdom (the kingdom) but have different levels of maturity and not in origin (they are from the same divine race) which means that all of them are the children of God and have equal rights, but not everyone benefits from these rights because they are not mature and they are not in the same levels.
No wonder why the Apostle John, in his first letter, speaks to each level in different teachings. Sometimes we find him saying “Children…” and some other times saying “Men…”because there is a difference in the spiritual levels and based on that, the spiritual food should be given, for every age stage a suitable food for it.
It often happens during spiritual meetings and bible studies that little food is given for mature people so they start day dreaming and unable to focus and vice versa where spiritual food for mature people is given (teachings) to spiritual infants, so they start responding but in a wrong understanding, building and drawing unbiblical assumptions and principles.
It’s like asking a little child: ”What do you think about the stock exchange today?” In no doubt, he will start answering (because little children are talkative and think they know it all) and the answer will be funny and if there is another child listening to him, he will believe him. A blind leads another blind. This is what Lord Jesus said about the spiritual leaders. They are blind in God’s sight and still need for someone to guide them, so it’s best for them to step aside instead of leading people who do not know what to do because they are still infants. Jesus talked about these leaders being infants unable to take care of those who are of the same level as them.
Before I start studying the levels of spiritual maturity, it is necessary to understand when I am talking about the mature or spiritual infant, I don’t mean the age. You may find people with a young age and born again newly but understood more things and knew God more than those who accepted Lord Jesus years ago. When I talk about the spiritual infant, he might have accepted Lord Jesus as a personal savior in his life many years and decades ago but in my words I mean his spiritual maturity which is not related to his age but to other standards which I will discuss.
The Greek word “son” has a different translation in Arabic and in English. The Greek shows different meanings of the word “son”, that’s why we will study these points:
***The levels of the children of God (the meaning of the children of God in Greek) and by what each stage is characterized.
Adoption-The role the Holy Spirit plays in the spiritual maturity.
How do you become mature? (The way that helps you move to the level of spiritual manhood).
How does God judge the mature spiritually? (Standards)
*The levels of the children of God (the meanings of the children of God in Greek).
What distinguishes the kingdom of life or the kingdom of light is that the people who are in this kingdom are considered a different type of human beings. They are called “Teknon” in Greek, which means who are personally born of God and it also means a race or descendants born of God Himself. It is translated into son or children of God in our Arabic Holy Bibles.
John 1:12 “(12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God (Teknon), even to them that believe on his name.”
Romans 8:16 “(16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” The spirit witnessed that we are “Teknon”, the descendants of God Himself.
Child or son of God, you are from this race and you are also an heir and partakerswith Christ in the inheritance that includes everything on earth and beyond.
Romans 8:17 “(17) and if children (Teknon), then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
Yes, you are an heir and you have equal rights with all the children (sons and daughters) of God.
Acts 20:32 “(31) And now, brethren, I commend to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
Romans 8:17 says that we are the children of God and his heirs. When you are born of God, your race is “Teknon” and you are just like Christ, any person born of the spirit of God is a joint- heir with Christ. In other words, anything that belongs to Jesus belongs to us and we possess it.
1 John 4:4 “(4) Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is the world.” Here he speaks about the race of the children of God “Teknon” born newly.
This race, the type of children of God, which is called “Teknon”, is divided into three levels of maturity: human, age and the level of maturity, the infant, the adolescent, and the man. No matter the level of maturity, the type is one that is the human being.
It’s the same in our topic about the “type”: born of God that is “TEKNON”, a race or descendants born of God himself, but differs in the level of the spiritual maturity.
Let’s learn more about the level of spiritual maturity in the Word of God:
*The first level “Brefos” which means a newborn baby (a person who is newly born again). 1 Peter 2:2 “(2) as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”
The Word of God urges the person who accepted Lord Jesus (and was born of God) to crave the Word of God, that is, to deal with it with hunger, because we know very well that any newborn baby needs unadulterated milk in order to be able to live in good health and to grow healthy. Likewise, a person who is born of God needs the Word of God which is presented in the right way to grow healthy and to discover what was prepared for him as inheritance from God.
This primitive stage is normal for any born again person and it is also normal not to stay long in this stage.
Ephesians 4:14 “(14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” “to receive salvation” means to grow in the knowledge of the Word of God.
Ephesians 1:17-18 “(17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
(18) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,”
The word salvation in Greek comes as: liberation, healing, prosperity, steadiness and stability, security, spiritual and physical perfection.
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (13) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: (14) That we henceforth be no more children (Nepios), tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (15) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”
God gave five services to be present in the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers and we must know the reason why God placed these services in the church. Paul the apostle gives the answer and says: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry”
Till when would these services remain in the church? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God”
Ephesians 4:13 “(13) unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”
God does not want us to stay as children being led by any word anyone says, but for the believer to reach a spiritual stability. This is what the scripture says here.
Spiritual stability means that you understood the basics which without it you cannot live a stable life, but rather an unstable life. These basics help you to walk in faith in every area in your life and learn how to live a life that God wants you to live while enjoying all your rights. This does not mean that you won’t face challenges but when you start studying the Word, stability will come because you have learned and knew that the solution is in your hands. Therefore, you will live in a reassurance that whatever you face, you will have the ability to face it because now you know the way.
There is unhealthy food (adulterated milk). These are false teachings, and these teachings deceive people and lead them astray. You will not find in the church a person who says Jesus is not the Son of God, but you will find someone who says: “God sends illness and hurts his children to teach them a lesson!!!” This is totally unbiblical and because believers do not know the Word of God and that this is wrong and dangerous, they believe it all.
This is what Peter said that they preach another Jesus. In other terms, they do not deny that Jesus is the son of God but they preach things of which He is not the real doer. 2 Corinthians 11:1-4
The release of these information starts since the stage of the spiritual childhood “Brefos”. This is why the teachings are very important at this stage because from here the foundation begins. Just like any child you can shape it in any way you want because he will go wherever you lead him to.
The teacher or the pastor must be skilled in the Word to teach the child because what he teaches will be taken and received by the child (spiritual baby) without him distinguishing whether this teaching is true or untrue, healthy food or deadly poison.
Notice with me what Peter the Apostle says is that there is unprincipled milk, in other words there is adulterated milk, meaning there are false teachings, the same thing applies to any normal child if he is presented with poisoned milk, this will affect his development and he will become mentally and physically handicapped.
Unfortunately, we find churches that do not know that there are levels in the spiritual life or they might know about these spiritual levels but they are uninterested in building a healthy spiritual body. Therefore, we find these leaders making two famous mistakes:
The first mistake: they appoint teachers who do not know the Word or they are still in the stage of the spiritual adolescence (we will talk about it later) to teach these new babies “Brefos” and this is catastrophic!!! Because when the teacher is spiritually immature, he will lead the new believer or believers to an unhealthy spiritual level and this will definitely lead to a problem in maturity.
The second mistake: to give a new believer (spiritual baby, Brefos) a position or a spiritual work in the church once he accepted Christ and this is really dangerous because the spiritual baby does not know anything about Christ. Yes, he is a descendant of God Teknon, but he needs spiritual maturity. Comparison: As if someone decided to hand over the management of a factory and the financial management of a big company to a baby! In no doubt, he will fail although he has the nature of righteousness (the ability to do things in the correct way) but he still did not grow in it.
Let us look together at Stephan in Acts 6:1-7, the apostles wanted to choose someone to be responsible to wait on tables. You will be amazed about the characteristics mentioned in the bible here:
(3) Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Not everyone who is filled with the Spirit walks in the wisdom that is within him, and that does not mean that to be filled with the Spirit is a bad experience. On the contrary, being filled with the Spirit in addition to the Word (acting by it) are the two essential ways to help a person become mature and not only being filled with the Spirit (I will discuss it later).
And the worse is when a spiritual infant (Brefos) takes on a teaching position in the church. Undoubtedly, the spiritual infant is like a physical infant, because the spiritual infant understands things in the wrong way and delivers it wrongly to the hearers. He has not yet walked by faith. Therefore, he will not understand the Word of God in the spirit but in his senses and he will preach some unbiblical experiences and teachings though it might seem biblical.
There are churches afraid of their people leaving the church, and because they are not aware of the importance of having the right people in the right places, we find them hastening to assign a position in the church to a person who just accepted Jesus and the consequences will be unsatisfactory and sometimes catastrophic.
You cannot make God responsible for the mistakes made by the church leaders who might make mistakes in these matters without understanding the Word. A day will come where they will stand in front of the throne of Christ and they will be held accountable not God because God does not work in independence of man and God cannot stop what men are doing because cooperation must be from both parties (God and man).
At this stage a person must learn about the basics in the Word of God from a skilled teacher, for example:
-His rights in Christ.
-To know that a person is a spiritual being who possesses a soul and dwells in a body.
-The sin problem has been solved.
-The old man died and now lives in a heavenly kingdom which is invisible but he is in it.
-He is in the Promised Land which is here on earth.
-That God loves him and never stands against him no matter what and that he is literally born of God and has the life of God.
In this stage (the first level Brefos), if the spiritual infant goes through a certain problem or a some challenge in his life or in illness, the leader (who is supposed to be mature) might pray for him to receive his healing counting on the leader’s faith and this is the opposite of the level of faith of the mature believer Huios, which we will discuss shortly, because when someone prays with him, a mature believer does not receive his healing (although God wants to heal him 100%), but the anointing will not work, why?
Because the mature believer is expected to receive his own healing when he practices his faith and do not depend on the faith of others. I will discuss this when we get to the Huios level.
In the “Brefos” stage, it is not right for the spiritual infantto hold any church position, nor to be promised in any by the leaders, even if he asked for it after seeing his brothers and sisters serving and holding a church position.
You will find the spiritual infant talking a lot about sin as a problem. It’s because he did not understand yet that he is the righteousness of God and this is normal in this stage which should not be long and if any healthy biblical teaching is to be found, then after this healthy teaching, he will begin to conduct himself with his truth, which is righteousness, and we also read how the Apostle John taught these children, a suitable teaching for their level, while he taught the spiritual adolescents a different teaching and taught the spiritually mature a higher and different teaching than spiritual children and adolescents.
1 John 2:12 “(12) I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.”
Do you see, here, he is teaching them that sin has been solved and this is because they are unaware of anything other than that and this is what we must understand and teach for the newly born again believers and we should teach them that the problem of sin has been solved by the work of Jesus, and that they should not allow sin to prevail over them.
Teaching: Romans 6:11-14 “11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” And there are other teachings about sin and judgment …
God’s purpose for the newly believer (Brefos) is to be “mature and adult” meaning “a man in the spiritual life”. How does this maturity happen? I will discuss it extensively in another point.
Now let us consider that this newly believer (Brefos) had obtained a healthy teaching and he matured, so he will move from one stage to another that is the spiritual adolescence called “Paidion”.
*The second level “Paidion”:
The definition in Greek is: spiritual adolescence and it is mentioned in our Holy bibles as the same word “son”. The spiritual adolescence is a believer, who started to know the Word and apply it and began to see results in his life, but he had not yet matured into spiritual manhood, but he started to understand things in the kingdom of God and he is not considered a spiritual child nor considered mature yet.
The spiritual infant “Brefos” who grows a healthy growth according to the Word of God and is mature in his thinking, hates evil and does not think ordinary and humanly personal thoughts, but clings to Words, grows and matures to move to the stage of spiritual adolescence.
1 Corinthians 14:20 “(20)Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children(PAIDION). In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.”
Here, the transitional phase appears from the first type, “Brefos“, the newly born again of God, to the second type, “Paidion“, where the growth of a person begins after knowing salvation and that he is born again of God and does not face judgment when Jesus comes again, and does not remain in his faith under the cross of Christ. Rather, moves on to the day of Pentecost, as the Lord Jesus has promised. Acts 2:4 “(4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.”
“He does not remain in his faith under the cross of Christ” means he does not blame himself as a sinner and prays and asks the Lord to accept him in every meeting in which the message of salvation is presented and he spends his life like that …. No!!! He has matured above this level and became certain of his salvation, and this is through the word that is properly explained to him.
In this stage, the person starts to practice his faith and behaves according to the teachings given to him and begins to see results in his life, but sometimes he won’t see results because his faith has not matured enough and he needs to know more about the Word of God because knowledge leads to maturity. Maturity in itself comes when you know a complete knowledge and you start to implement it.
And maybe in this stage too, he might not see results because he needs to study more about the topic he is going through, so he needs to complete the practice of his faith, study the Word and then he will definitely start to find results. This may happen at any stage of maturity (brefos, paidion), but a mature Huios has more knowledge than a paidion. You will find this believer, who is in his spiritual adolescence stage, talkative, and he may not understand things in the right way and may hasten to make his decisions, being impatient and very interested in the opinion of others with praise and slander. You will also find him talking about the devil’s defeat and that he defeated him today, while the mature (Huios) does not speak like this. Rather, you will find him speaking that he does not need victory because he realized that he is victorious in Christ and does not worry about the devil and does not give him part of his thoughts. The devil does no longer worry him, because he walks knowing that he is more than victorious because he who is in him is greater than he who is in this world and he does not need to win because he already won with Jesus.
1 John 2:13 “(13) I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is very important in all the stages of maturity because just as the second birth is a right for every person, so being filled with the Holy Spirit is for all believers, and it is not personal thoughts but it is the teaching of the Word of God. As for people who do not know the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, you will find them not understanding the spiritual and biblical truths because spiritual matters are only understood by the Spirit. And you may find them struggling in growing and being delayed in maturity and it might take them months and years to mature. But those who are filled daily with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will help them to attend and to walk in a rapid growth. And not only that, but the Holy Spirit supports those who are born again of God in all the spiritual stages and will give them the strength because the Holy Spirit will take them to the depths of God.
Acts 1:8 “(8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Also, this believer needs to build himself through speaking in tongues, not only at this stage of maturity, but in all stages.
1 Corinthians 14:4 “(4) He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.” 1 Ephesians 3:18-19 “(18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
The experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is not limited to a specific stage of maturity, it is an experience that accompanies and must be present in all stages of maturity…
1 Peter 1:14 “(14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance” As I have mentioned before, the person in this stage starts practicing his faith and acting according to the teachings given to him and declaring the Word of God in certain matter in his life, but he feels that nothing happened or nothing has changed in the invisible realm. Of course, this does not mean that no change had occurred, but in order to achieve the desired result and see change, he must continue to thank, declare the Word, and walk by faith.
The difference between the first level “Brefos” and the second level “Paidion”:
In the first level “Brefos”, it is normal for the believer to ask for prayer for him or with him for something he is going through, and it is imperative that a spiritual leader stands next to him to help him because he may make mistakes in something due to lack of experience, and this itself makes him gain experience. But concerning the second level “Paidion”, it is expected for the believer at this stage to start practicing his faith and to see results without asking from a spiritual leader to pray with him or for him. But sometimes the adolescence needs in this stage for spiritual support, prayer, and guidance from his leader and this is not wrong at all. Oftentimes, Satan wages a war against him to prove that what he believes in is not true, but if he stands on his ground firmly, he will come out with a result, because the Word is true and is never defeated no matter how big the problem is. In his faith and steadiness, he can do anything.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Mark 11:24 “(24) Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
1 John 2:18 “(18) Little children (Paidion), it is the last time…” Here, he talks about the boy or the girl who has incomplete maturity. Yes, they are in the stage of a healthy maturity but not mature yet.
When a believer takes a healthy and correct teaching applies it and prays in tongues, he must move to a new stage which is the maturity stage, HuiosThis is done by understanding and knowing the Word more and more.
Acts 20:32 “(32) And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” Your commitment in studying and learning the Word, following the Holy Spirit, walking by faith, and applying in your life what the Word says, all of these lead you to move to the next stage which is “Huios”.
*The third level “Huios”:
In the Greek language, it means: a mature person, and it means a person who has trained and became experienced and understanding, and knows how to behave in situations around him like his father, and it means that he has become like his mature father in his full image.
“Huios”, is a believer who took and learned the Word in the correct way, which means unadulterated milk, grew in it, reached the spiritual adolescence, stood against many resistances in the spiritual adolescence, and learned to set their face like a flint in front of the counterfeit reality and not being influenced by the opinions of others. His job is to know what God wants for him and to work by it. He might have many opportunities ahead of him in the service but does not pursue them, instead he pursues what the Holy Spirit is telling him and this is the opposite of the spiritual adolescence because the spiritual adolescence accepts to enter in any service in the church as long as it does not hurt to anyone… As for the spiritually mature, despite the presence of many opportunities for the service, he follows the leadership of his Spirit and not what his mind or others say, and he does not accept imposing on him a role in the service outside his vision.
The mature, “Huios”, is a person who has developed a clear vision in his spirit and knows how to rely on the Holy Spirit. This believer has trained his senses and his way of thinking to stand against the fiercest battle of faith, has accepted the faith challenge and undoubtedly, has conquered the counterfeit reality. This person might be sensitive and always driven by the Spirit of God and is aware of the work of the Holy Spirit in his life and in the lives of others, has the mind of Christ and looks at things the way God does.
A mature person is the one who knew the Father. 1 John 2:13 (“13) I write unto you, fathers, because ye have now him that is from the beginning. “
The mature people walk in their knowledge and not in their senses. You will find that the language of the Apostle Paul (and he is considered a model in being a mature believer) he speaks saying: “And we know that…” and “not we feel that…”
The mature believer is a person led by the Spirit. Romans 8:14 “(14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Huios).” Only the mature believers are led and submissive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and remember the 4 Gospels, where the word “son of God”, “Huios”, means a skilled and mature person, one you can count on.
The mature are the only ones who will make a difference in the world. The creation moans and expects the mature that will make a difference in the world. The mature are people who learned the Word, lived by it, and meditated on what the Word says about them.
The mature believer is an experienced person standing in a dry desert but turn it into green. He enters a meeting neither depending on his senses nor on the response of the hearers because he gives life to those around him through the Word of God. He is a steadfast and a stable person in his spiritual life; he knows what to do in any situation in his life. Life for him is not mysterious and no mountain can stand before him because he is firmly rooted in the word that dwells in him richly. Not a day comes where he says that he is dry spiritually because he knows how to fill himself daily with the Holy Spirit, his life is organized excluded from any laziness.
A mature person looks at matters through the eyes of God and judges everything and is not judged. In another sense, others may judge him falsely, and this is because they do not understand him, as he walks at a higher level than them. As for his point of view, he sees life from a different perspective, so he judges the matter with a divine perspective.
Adoption – the role of the Holy Spirit in maturity
Romans 8:16-19“16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Teknon):17 And if children (Teknon), then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God (Huios).”
The reader often marvels at these verses regarding the issue of “adoption”, so the believers ask whether we were born of God or did God adopt the believers?
This is undoubtedly because many understand “adoption” in a way that is applied now in this era: “a person goes to an orphanage or a shelter and asks to “adopt” a child, then this child becomes his son or daughter from then on, and carries the family name and rights like any newborn child … but in fact he is not born from the father or the mother who adopted him, this is the concept of adoption in our days.
Now pay attention to the meaning of “adoption” in the period when this letter was written, because the word “adoption” has many different uses and it used to mean the following:
When the king or the emperor has many children, he would send them to a school teaching them to “ripen, that is, to become mature.” At that time there was the Roman Empire and the father (the emperor) required all of his children to train in the arts of war and leadership…. After this training period, the teachers choose the child who became qualified and experienced (means mature) and bring him to his father the emperor and who nominates him to replace him even when he is alive, and this even if he is not the eldest. He nominates him and chooses him to lead the kingdom.
And then the father would have an “adoption” party, announces and says: This is my beloved son (Huios), and to him you shall listen … From now on, his words will be marked … even if this son who has been chosen is the youngest son, as long as he has matured, he is the one who is fit to be in the emperor’s stature.
Pay attention!!! This boy is the son of the emperor (Teknon) which means born of him, but he was not matured yet because only when his matured he is to be called “the mature son”, meaning “Huios”.
When the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, a voice came from heaven saying: “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” even though he is a son, but the Father did not say this my beloved son until after the Holy Spirit descended on him, that is, after maturity. The Lord Jesus was being prepared for 30 years and then was filled with the Spirit.
Do you know that not all the children of God are guided by the Spirit of God?
Only the mature are those who are led by the Spirit of God and know well how to take decisions, and they know how to hear the voice of God very well. This is what the bible says in this famous verse Romans 8:14 “14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Huios).”
And not only this, the bible reveals to us that the believers who will make a difference in this world and be the light is midst of darkness are the mature believers and not the immature ones.
Romans 8:16-19“16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Teknon):17 And if children (Teknon), then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God (Huios).”
In verse 19, the sons of God, “Huios”, means only the mature will make a difference. That is the creation is eagerly anticipating the Glory of God to be revealed through the mature. The status of the children of God and the nature of this creation is to grow, and the creation is eagerly waiting for the mature children of God. This does not speak about the rescuing of the creation in heaven, rather it is talking about the rescue of the creation here on earth, since the creation will not be present at the end time, so it will not need rescuing at that time, because the time for salvation is now and only the mature children of God will do it the “Huios”. They will do it with the supernatural power and through divine thoughts to save the countries and heal incurable diseases despite the evolution of medicine… the solution will be in their hands and people will turn to them because they will see the difference.
The Holy Spirit wants to work to make all the believers become mature but there are those who do not respond.
The Bible says about the Holy Spirit that he is “the Spirit of adoption”, meaning in Greek “HUIOTHESISA“.
The word “adoption” (HUIOTHESISA) is composed of two parts, one part is the same as the word Huios, meaning a mature son, and this makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is present in the lives of the believers for this purpose to make you a man and a woman of God spiritual and mature.
The second section, “Ethia”, means the work of maturity.
Ephesians 1:3-5 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
“Huios” is a person whom God can depend on. He is able to rule in teaching and discrimination for he is skilled in using his tongue.
Philippians 3:15 “15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.”
Note: The date for starting your service that God has prepared for you is not related to maturity, it is possible that you are mature, but the Holy Spirit did not indicate to you about starting to service at this time, and vice versa, meaning that God is always looking for the mature to do wonderful things through him.
That does not mean that you judge the service of others (the immature) as it is rejected by God, because God looks at their hearts, but the results and the influence of the mature in the service are double fold in impact than the results of the infant or the spiritually adolescent, and this is because the anointing finds an opportunity with someone who began to understand the Holy Spirit and cooperate with him.
And also this does not mean that God does not use the spiritual infants and adolescents, rather he uses them, but he cannot fully trust them, for example: as if you are telling your child to go and get something that is not valuable, but you cannot tell him to go and drive a car on your behalf!
The Apostle Paul confirms that God’s call to all his children in Christ is to be “Huios” which means to have a fully matured mind.
Psalm 103:7 “7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” Moses is considered one of the matured personalities in the Old Testament whom dealt directly with God to get the people out by the hand of Moses. God showed Moses how to perform miracles; this is what he meant by the word his ways. He used to perform miracles because he knew the ways of God doing miracles.
But the people of Israel didn’t want to have the knowledge Moses’ had. They were only watching what God has been doing by the hand of Moses.
Dear reader, it is necessary to know that for a believer to become mature there is a part on God and a part on human and for him to mature and become “Huios”, he needs to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and to know what is God’s plan for his life, the reason he chose him and called him His son. He must know that God’s goal in choosing him is to show the Glory of God through service because we are the work of His hands.
There are people who know how to perform the miracle in the name of Jesus and there are people who do not think of doing anything, who are only watchers like God’s people. Don’t be like them because God wants to use you.
So you must do as Moses did. You must choose to know the way and to know God while you are here on earth. Every believer is supposed to have inside of him a goal that is how to serve God and help others and if he has a true goal in his heart, he will certainly reach it in cooperation with the Holy Spirit of course.
This is how we come to summarize and define the word “Huios” as a trained and an experienced person who has reached his parent’s stage of recognition. Do not forget that God wants everyone to be mature. This is the goal of the Holy Spirit in your life, that is, the spirit of adoption, that is, the spirit of maturity that makes you mature and experienced.
Ephesians 1:3-5 “4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption (making us mature “Huios”) of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
According to this verse (Ephesians 1: 4-5) we are called to be mature.
The mature knows how to take decisions and hear the voice of God. The mature knows the ways of God through the spoken word and how to take what is his in Christ.
Hebrews 3:6 “6 But Christ as a son (Huios) over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”
The word son here is the mature “Huios”. When you grow and become mature in God, diseases and illnesses cannot affect you in the first place and God will trust in leading believers to build them.
James 5:14 “14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” The elders mentioned in this verse are mature in God. They understand Godly things, how God works and his way of work and thinking towards the things in which we live. He did not say let any person of the believers, but he specifically mentioned the elders “Huios”, the mature.
God is always searching for such a personality to deal with His people through it. Christ here in the previous issue was mature and because of that he was entrusted with the household. Lord Jesus as the Son and accepting to be the filled with the Holy Spirit by the hand of John the Baptist, the Bible tells us about him that in his childhood he was growing in wisdom, stature and grace, and the Bible also says about him that he was attested of wisdom and knowledge through the teachers of the Temple.
And the Holy Bible mentions the stage of the spiritual adolescence that Lord Jesus lived and uses the word “son” in its Greek meaning: the son who has not yet matured and is called “Paidon”. That is, spiritual adolescence.
But when the Lord Jesus grew, trained, and learned the obedience by the things which he suffered (Hebrews 5:8) and was trained by the hand of the Holy Spirit, since then God the father declared:” This is my beloved son, hear him…” wasn’t he his son before? Of course he was his son, but here he is using the word “son: in its Greek meaning which is: this is my beloved matured son and this was the adoption celebration.
And just as the son of God was, so was the son of man. He was growing and training like any other human but without sin. He is the Son of God who abandoned to walk in his abilities and chose to set it aside and be exactly like us and equal to us without any abilities higher than us, and this how he was able and had the right to redeem men. You can read more about this in the article: Jesus the son of God and how he served as the son of man.
Since then it was released, when He reached the state of maturity, we began to see the Bible calling Him by using the word “son” with the meaning of “Huios”, because since then it became so in the sight of God, began to serve and miracles and wonders happened by his hands.
Note: Even in the “Huios” stage, the spiritual maturity, there are stages within this stage as if maturity within maturity. Lord Jesus Himself after becoming “Huios” meaning mature, he said in John 5:20-21 “20For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”
At the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus spoke saying that the Father would reveal things to him and that the day would come and he will raise the dead and this is exactly what happened.
Of the traits that distinguish a mature person “Huios” is: walking in righteousness, walking and living in what he has in Christ.
The “Huios” believer, the mature, can teach others because not only does he know but he has became aware, experienced and an expert in teaching righteousness which is the doctrine of righteousness.Hebrews 5: 14 “14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
To read more about righteousness, you can go the website and read the article: Righteousness.
Also the “Huios” believer, the mature, is not provoked swiftly, because he walks in the Agape. He knows how to adapt to anyone and to any situation in the service. He is a person who knows who he is in Christ, knowing that he is not a regular human being but he became a partaker with God in the divine nature, being aware that he is always in the presence of God, not going out of it and then coming in. He knows what to do in every situation and he knows the Word of God towards every situation around him, he is loaded with the Word. He knows that the solution is in his tongue and knows how to use it.
How does the believer become mature?
The believer is born of the Word and just like is born of water and eats of the water, so is the person who is born of the Word. He lives and matures of the Word. Acts 20:32 “32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
First: Know the Word of God
The hunger for the Word motivates the person to read more and more. The Word says: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Crave mental milk which means crave to know God…
The word says: call unto me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and might things, which means ask me about things whichever walls where no one can get close except those who seek it or search for it. If you seek to know the Word, God will answer you through the spirit of wisdom and understanding, revealing everything you want to know about the things of God and this only happens when studying the Word. The Holy Spirit will not be able to reach you if you are far from the Word of God because the Holy Spirit speaks to you through the Word.
Acts 20:32 “32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” The word of God builds you, develops you, and gives you an inheritance, which is your right and all the saints, that is, the believers.
Second: Walking in the Word.
The Lord Jesus says now that you know the Word it is great but you will be more blessed if you do what you have learned: John 13:17 “17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
The implementation of the Word of God is very important. Any person practicing his faith for the healing of an illness or some sort of a situation through repeating and declaring the Word, he is then walking in the Word, that is, he is applying it in his life and this will bring results in his life. We must walk in the Word, the Word of faith and apply what we study in the Word.
Third: Speaking in Tongues.
He who speaks in tongues edifies himself. Jude 1:20-21 “20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
It comes in Greek that it builds on an earlier foundation, that is, when you study the Word (the Bible and read or hear correct teachings from anointed teachers), you have to take time afterwards to pray in tongues to build on top of what you have built.
Fourth: Walking by Faith
Walking by faith and not by the five senses means not to walk by what you see, hear or feel; instead it is walking by the Word of God. The one who was made righteous by faith shall live by faith, thus it appears in the Greek verse Romans 1:18 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” That is, you became the righteousness of God when you accepted Christ, but this just the beginning. You must complete your journey in faith as you live by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Fifth: Challenges
Hebrews 5:8 A person who stands against challenges and does not run away, and is not afraid of any situation because he walks by the Word, this person will definitely become mature. Because he says I will walk by the Word even if I failed in the past, and I will know the reasons for my past failure, and will not stand idly by because of the failure of the past, but rather I will challenge the circumstances and the situations, Satan may tempt me, but I will set my face like a flint before him.
Come on, say to the challenges: You are defeated before me, because what is in me is greater and stronger than the spirit that is in the world.
Note: The credit is not to the challenges and experiences, but to the Word of God that removes you from this situation victoriously. Take advantage of the challenges you face in your life and confront them using the Word of God.
Sixth: The Relationship with the Holy Spirit
I have already explained it in the section above under the title “Adoption” and I want to draw your attention towards worship (not singing), but rather looking at God with thanksgiving and gratitude for what He did with us and made us. Look unto God with a beautiful gratitude. Worship is the integration of tongues with the Word of God. It means while speaking in tongues, say the Word, say the promises, by doing that you worship God and you fill yourself with the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues and repeating the promises of God concerning you.
What are God’s standards for if a person has matured or not?
It is not allowed to judge and say by your personal standards that so-and-so is mature and so-and-so is immature unless it matches the divine biblical specifications… most often believers judge someone as being mature because he prays in a good way or memorized a lot of scriptures or because he preaches in a good way … Leave this aside and look unto the Word to judge things from His perspective because that is what it’s important.
In general, maturity is measured by the scale of your awareness, behavior, and the revelations of the Word of God in your spirit, the more you realize who you are and see yourself in the mirror that is the Word the more you become what you see … According to 2 Corinthians 3:18 “What you see is what you will be.” What you see about yourself in the Word of God you what become.
Let us see the standards of the Word of God about maturity:
*A believer who is not affected by the elements of the world but takes what he has in Christ. Galatians 4:3 “3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.”
If we were minors, we were in a state of bondage to the principles of the world, that is, when we were children, we were influenced by the elements of the world, the worldly kingdom, we were affected by the negative news that the world presented to us in terms of the economy or elements of the world such as diseases, epidemics, or risks….. But he who is matured realizes what he has in Christ so he is not affected by the world economy because his economy is divine and because he trusts God as his shepherd so he shall not want. He is also confident that Jesus has become poor in order to make him rich, and that he was healed by Jesus’ stripes and that he is protected by a divine protection…
*Awareness of righteousness, that is, the one who realizes that he is righteous and the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, does not condemn himself, and he is not subdue to any condemnation therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 5:13 “13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.” The believer who is aware and walks in righteousness and realizes that the life-giver and the healer dwells in him, if he feels symptoms of disease, he does not say that he is sick. Rather, he speaks the language of his kingdom, the kingdom of God, where there is no sickness or failure or poverty. Isaiah 33:24 “24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.”
*Exercised senses. Hebrews 5:14 “14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
If their senses are exercised, it means that this mature believer does not give the body what it demands, but knows very well how to control his body. When his body wants him to be angry and to snap, you will find that he is not subject to the desires of his body but rather he rests in God.
There are people who mature quickly because they have decided to walk in the Word and it is possible that you might find people who are late in maturity and become under the control of governors (the spiritual leaders) till they become mature in God and at this stage the governors cannot delegate them to anything because they have not yet matured. They are under the governors, spiritual leaders, until the time appointed of the father. Hebrews 4:2 “But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.”
It is possible for God to tell a person to refrain from a certain thing in his life. If he walks according to God’s voice, he will grow spiritually, and if he does not do so he will remain immature until he decides to obey the Word and the voice of God.
* He knows how to speak identically to the Word, he speaks as the Word of God says, and not as he sees, hears or feels.
The word “declaration” or the “ongoing confession” is a word derived from the word “echo” which means that although the person sees something in contradiction to the Word of God, he chooses to say the Word of God about the situation and not what he sees. It’s like an echo, exactly what God says about the matter.
Like Caleb and Joshua in the book of Numbers chapter 14, like the rest of the spies, they saw the giants and the fortified cities but in the spiritual realm they saw that these people are not in a covenant with God which means they are not protected from their God therefore they are their bread.
The opposite of this is the “disabled son”, meaning that he became old spiritually but does not speak correctly.
The disabled son,“Nepios”.
In the Greek language it means a son who does not develop normally, the mentality of a small child in an old body, a person who does not know how to speak well and does not match the level of thinking of his age, less than his age, a child in understanding, a child in communicating with others, mentally retarded.
“Nepios” is a person who walks by his five senses, he is one of those people who create problems in the church, who deliberately say where is God but at the same time teach the Word of God.
They are experts in talking about the five senses, and live on milk and carried away by every doctrine. You even find hardship in talking with them about the things of God. When you talk to them about movies and worldly talk, you see them answering and giving you their attention, but when you talk about the things of God, you will find a difficulty because their five senses are in control over their lives.
This person “Nepios” who has been long time born again, and although he became a son of God meaning “Teknon”, yet he is not aware of the things of God in his life and does not understand God in the first place, although he should have been mature, but he did not walk in this maturity.
This believer, “Nepios”, is in this spiritual stage because he allowed himself to talk what he sees, hears and feels. He judges things from a humanly perspective and not God’s.
The Holy Bible describes him in Greek that he does not know how to talk; his retardation and his disability are in his words and his way in communication.
Hebrews 5:11-13 “11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.”
“Nepios” is a believer who immediately says what he feels, and if he feels symptoms of an illness, he says: I am sick … I caught a cold … The economy is collapsing … I do not know how my family and I will live…. just as the spies talked when they returned from spying the land in the book of Numbers chapter 14 and chapter 15, they spoke of what they saw and did not lie … But the Word of God was for them before they went to spy in chapter 13: 2”2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel “So they should have looked at the matter in this way, which they did not, but it was done by Caleb and Joshua, and they got what they said and entered the Promised Land.
Learn to say what the Word says and not what the world says or the news or the medical reports, but speak what the Word says about your situation. This is exactly what Caleb and Joshua did, they said:”for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.”
As I have said before the word “confession” which came in the Holy Bible in the meaning of the word “declaration” or the “ongoing confession” in Greek it means to say the echo of the Word of God, you say exactly what the Word says, not what you or what you five senses tell you. Instead repeat exactly the Word of God as an echo to God’s voice. Call for what does not exist as if it does exist … Romans 4.
Start living the Word, refuse and decide not to live according to your five senses.
I have mentioned that the word ‘Nepios”, the son (disabled in his speech and communication), came in other verses 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
These verses make clear to us that they used to walk in the flesh according to their five senses, and they did not know how to speak, so they could not understand the words of teaching by Paul, which I believe is possibly the message of the Hebrews.
Note: This disabled believer, at that time, had been exposed to correct teaching that was widespread at that time in the days of the Apostles, but he did not walk by it, speak it, or live it…
Nowadays, the believer who is exposed to unbiblical teachings will be “Nepios”, that is, spiritually disabled, and he will also be a disabled child who is belated in his communication and speech, and the solution for this person is to obtain a correct education and then live by the correct teachings he hears and apply it.
Galatians 4:1 speaks about the “son of God” but unfortunately the disabled “Nepios”, he is a child in his way of thinking not being aware of what the Word says despite spending a long time with God…
Look at the danger of this believer in the body of Christ, how he lives miserably and can’t enjoy what he has in Christ. Galatians 4:1 “4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all”
Meaning that the son (the disabled) will be equal with the slave or the servants (who does not have anything), and this is because, this immature son does not know what he has in Christ and does not know how to take it, so he will not take what he has despite the fact that the inheritance and all rights are his.
To know more about the inheritance you have, read the article: Jesus’ Complete Salvation.
The inheritance you have in Christ is to live in a good physical health and to meet the need in abundance, to prevail and to be the master over the problems of life and be victorious.
You must understand the reason behind the things you suffer from or happens to you although you have been born of God for a long period of time. It’s because you are “Nepios”, though you are a partner with Christ but have not matured yet, you are still late in maturity. A lot of people who had spent years with God are still babies. Is it possible that a mother says to her twenty-year-old son, come to me, my son, to feed you myself, and brings him sweets and chocolates!!! Of course not … this can only be explained by the fact that he is “Nepios” mentally disabled.
Galatians 4 explains that the life of the servants differs from the nature and the life of God’s children. In the Word of God, an important clarification says that the heir, the one born of God, has the same advantages that all the children of God enjoy in Christ, but if he is a minor or mentally delayed, spiritually disabled, then there is no difference between him and the servant.
Galatians 4:2-3“2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.”
Here the time appointed by God expires concerning the person who is late which means God is the one who says if you matured or you are still mentally late.
The immature person is the one who is subject to the principle of the world and its elements, its problems, its diseases, its economy and its risks…
We notice that the person “Nepios” may not be born again of God; they are the servants who are not born of God. We can read about this in Galatians 4 where Paul was talking about the Israelites who were disabled and not born again of God but they became mature when they accepted Lord Jesus. We can also find believers where the word “Nepios” is applied to them. Although they are born of God but they did not walk nor grow as it was expected to reach the stage of the spiritual maturity.
Summary: the nature of the descendants of the sons of God “Teknon” is to grow in the image of their creator, God. They carry in their spirit the genes of the life of God “Zoe” given to them in the second birth, but the person who does not grow in the Word and in the knowledge of what he has in God and does not live by it, cannot walk in the blessings of God and enjoy it in his life and this pushes him to be “Nepios”. It is clearly stated in Galatians 4:1 “4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all.”
Can you prolong the period of your spiritual growth? Yes, you can delay it. But you cannot shorten it.
God has appointed a time for you and it is expected of you not to fail in anything because he looks at you positively and because he has placed His capacities in you that mean His nature, His life, and His righteousness. So cooperate with the Holy Spirit to mature, accept the correction and the discipline of God which is not by problems but by the Word… for more, read the article How God disciplines his Children.
If you are wondering how to shorten the growth period, I will tell you that it is not possible, because God who created you knows exactly how long it will take you to become a spiritual man. All you have to do is submit to the work of the Holy Spirit and be quick to learn from it, be present and study the word with eagerness and do not let the spiritual passion to fade away. And all that is in your hand. The more you think about knowing God more, and you desired and activated this desire in you, you will find yourself committed to the correct biblical study and you will grow.
If you are taking a correct teaching regularly, you will grow at the divine rate set for you, but know that there are no spiritual leaps… meaning that you have to pass through all stages: the child “Brefos” (spiritually healthy), the spiritually adolescent “Paidon”, then the spiritual maturity “Huios”.
Study and talk according to the Word of God and be aware of the righteousness, submit to the training of the Holy Spirit in all aspects in your life, speak in tongues, get rid of the unbiblical teachings which was like poison affecting your growth even it was embarrassing to you because you worked by it for years, but get rid of it now so you be and live the way God wants you to live and which you were born for it.
You may have experienced proper growth at some point in your life and then stopped for a long time…. and you may have been born of God and did not grow in the first place… Please!!! Do not be discouraged from the years that you have been behind in your growth, what matters and is easy is that the coming years are in your hand, all you need now is to know what to do.
And do not forget to depend on the Holy Spirit, to be filled with him and direct yourself to him through fellowship and praying in the spirit, that is in tongues, and because he is the Spirit of Adoption, the Spirit of Maturity, which means it is he who helps you and makes you mature. He dwells in you and is ready to build what has been demolished or not built in the first place, he is in you, realize it!!! That Christ, meaning the anointing, is in you now, and it is the glory that people sought in the Old Testament.
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