Spiritual Maturity - Humble and Open

When most people think of spiritual maturity, they tend to equate it with the number of years someone has been a Christian. We assume that the longer someone has been in the faith, the deeper their maturity must be. Yet Scripture consistently reminds us that spiritual maturity is not ultimately measured by age, time, or experience, but by humility and openness to God’s Word.

Maturity Begins With Humility

James 4:6 declares, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The spiritually mature are not those who boast of how long they’ve followed Christ, but those who daily bow their hearts before Him. Humility is the posture of a disciple—recognizing our constant need for God’s wisdom, guidance, and correction.

A person may have walked with Christ for decades, but if pride has settled in, they can become just as immature as someone new to the faith. Conversely, a new believer who trembles at God’s Word, listens intently, and obeys quickly may display remarkable spiritual depth.

Maturity Requires Openness to God’s Word

The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). True growth in Christ requires a continual openness to Scripture—allowing God’s Word to illuminate our steps, shape our thoughts, and correct our ways.

Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the Word is “living and active.” It is not something we master and then set aside; it is something that continually masters us. The mature Christian understands that no matter how much they know, they must always remain teachable under the authority of Scripture.

Leaders Who Stop Listening Become Ineffective

Nowhere is this more critical than in leadership. Proverbs 19:20 instructs, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” The moment a leader stops listening—to God, to His Word, and to wise counsel—they step onto a path of ineffectiveness.

Leaders who refuse correction or no longer submit to God’s Word risk leading others astray. This was the downfall of the Pharisees, whom Jesus rebuked for nullifying God’s Word for the sake of their traditions (Mark 7:13). They were older, experienced, and outwardly religious, but they were spiritually immature because their hearts were hardened.

On the other hand, leaders who remain humble and teachable often have the greatest impact. Consider Timothy, a younger leader whom Paul exhorted to let no one despise his youth but to set an example in faith and purity (1 Timothy 4:12). His maturity was not tied to his age but to his posture of openness before the Lord.

The Call to Lifelong Growth

Spiritual maturity is not a destination we reach—it is a lifelong journey of learning, repenting, and growing under the authority of God’s Word. No one ever graduates from being a student of Christ. The apostle Paul, near the end of his life, still declared, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own” (Philippians 3:12).

The mark of true maturity is not how many years we have walked with Christ, but whether we are still pressing on, still listening, still learning, and still humbling ourselves before the Lord.

Remember

Spiritual maturity is not about age—it is about humility and openness. Leaders and laypeople alike must guard against the pride that says, “I’ve learned enough.” As long as we walk this earth, we are called to be students of the Word, dependent on the Spirit, and willing to be shaped by God.

The most effective leaders are not those who have stopped listening, but those who, no matter how long they have served, still pray with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9).