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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Eddie Lawrence.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

Christian maturity isn't something that happens overnight. Just as physical growth follows predictable stages—from rolling over to crawling to walking—spiritual growth also involves a process of development that every believer must navigate.

What Are the Three Types of People in Scripture?

The apostle Paul identifies three distinct categories of people in First Corinthians, each representing a different spiritual state:

The Natural Man

Paul writes, "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). The natural man represents someone who has never been born again. They may be highly intelligent, skilled, and creative, but they remain spiritually dead.

This person might possess extensive knowledge about the Bible or even about Christ, but they don't actually know Christ personally. They can only understand spiritual matters through their natural senses and intellect, which leaves them unable to comprehend the deeper truths of God.

The Carnal Man

The carnal man is someone who has been saved but is still controlled more by their old nature than their new nature. Paul addressed the Corinthians as carnal because of the divisions and disputes in their church—some boasting about being baptized by different leaders, creating factions and strife.

Carnality isn't just about obvious sins; it includes sinful attitudes, judgmentalism, prejudices, and wrong motives. A carnal Christian lacks victory because they're not yielding to the Holy Spirit's conviction and direction.

The Spiritual Man

The spiritual man represents the believer who has learned to submit to God and yield their time, talents, and treasures to the Lord. This person is growing in wisdom and reflecting more of Jesus in their daily life. They've learned to walk in the Spirit and are producing spiritual fruit.

Why Growth Isn't About Human Effort

Christian maturity isn't achieved through willpower or human effort—it's about yieldedness. Paul explains this principle in Galatians 5:16: "If you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

The key difference between these three types of people lies in their level of surrender:

  • The natural man has never yielded to God for salvation
  • The carnal Christian isn't yielding to the Holy Spirit's guidance
  • The spiritual man has learned to submit and surrender to God's will

When we resist yielding, it's often because we're unwilling to let go of certain habits, attitudes, or behaviors. We make excuses like "that's just the way I am" or "that's how our family is," but the real question should be: "What's the Jesus way?"

The Myth of Microwave Maturity

In our instant-gratification culture, we might expect spiritual growth to happen quickly—like heating food in a microwave. However, there's no shortcut to Christian maturity.

The writer of Hebrews addressed this misconception: "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food" (Hebrews 5:12).

These believers should have been mature enough to teach others, but instead they needed to relearn basic spiritual truths. This shows that time alone doesn't guarantee growth—it requires consistent yielding to God's Spirit and applying His Word to our lives.

Why Spiritual Leaders Sometimes Slow Us Down

When spiritual leaders encourage patience or suggest we're not ready for certain responsibilities, it's usually not because they feel threatened by our potential. Instead, they're being protective of our souls.

Just as we wouldn't give car keys to a five-year-old who thinks they're ready to drive, spiritual leaders recognize that certain levels of maturity are needed before taking on greater responsibilities. The more we're promoted spiritually, the more intense spiritual warfare becomes.

Understanding God's Pruning Process

Jesus taught about pruning in John 15:2: "Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." Notice that God prunes branches that are already bearing fruit—not to punish them, but to make them more fruitful.

It's crucial not to mistake God's pruning for His punishment. Punishment is for criminals; pruning is for sons and daughters of God. Pruning is the process where God removes things that hinder our growth so that Christ's character can be more clearly seen in our lives.

The writer of Hebrews explains: "For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:6, 11).

Why Messy Is Part of Maturity

The Old Testament says, "Where no oxen are, the trough is clean" (Proverbs 14:4). In other words, if you have cattle in the barn, you'll have manure in the stall. Similarly, if you're part of a church with people, there will be messiness.

We're all works in progress, and maturity involves learning to love each other through mistakes, mess-ups, and mishaps. We must learn to discern between immaturity and rebellion—between weakness of the flesh and wickedness of the heart.

Immaturity vs. Rebellion

Immaturity involves making mistakes due to lack of knowledge or experience, while still moving in the right direction. Rebellion, on the other hand, is when someone deliberately sets themselves against God's will.

Just as parents should handle a child's innocent mistake differently than deliberate defiance, we need wisdom to discern these differences in ourselves and others.

What Does Spiritual Struggle Really Mean?

Interestingly, a believer's struggle with sin can actually be evidence that the Holy Spirit is working. A sinner can leap into sin and love it, but a saint lapses into sin and loathes it.

When Christians sin, they can't enjoy it the way they did before being saved because it goes against their new nature. This internal conflict indicates that the Spirit of God is working to draw them away from sinful behavior.

The True Measure of Christian Maturity

Christlikeness is the ultimate measure of spiritual maturity. Paul wrote about reaching "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). Our goal should be that people see Jesus in us—His love, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

John the Baptist captured this beautifully: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Our prayer should be for more of Him and less of ourselves until we become completely like Him.

Gifts vs. Fruit

It's important to distinguish between spiritual gifts and spiritual fruit. Gifts demonstrate God's power, but fruit reveals Christ's character. Gifts are given and can operate through carnal believers, but fruit must be grown through dying to self and walking in the Spirit.

We can sometimes fool ourselves by focusing on spiritual gifts while neglecting character development. True maturity is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Life Application

This week, honestly evaluate where you are in your spiritual journey. Are you yielding to the Holy Spirit's guidance in every area of your life, or are there places where you're still holding back? Remember that spiritual maturity isn't about perfection—it's about progression toward Christlikeness.

Consider these questions as you reflect on your spiritual growth:

  • Am I more like Jesus today than I was a year ago?
  • What areas of my life am I still unwilling to surrender to God?
  • Do I respond to God's correction with humility or resistance?
  • Am I focusing more on spiritual gifts or spiritual fruit in my life?
  • How do I handle the "messy" aspects of relationships in my church and family?

Choose one specific area where you sense God wants to prune or mature you, and commit to yielding that area to Him this week. Remember, it's your decrease that creates space for His increase in your life.