Spiritual Maturity is Christlikeness
God desires more for us. Not “more” in the sense of doing more or trying harder, but more in the sense of maturing in Christ: expressive in love, united in faith, strong in truth.
When the Bible discusses spiritual maturity, God isn’t referring to age, experience, or achievements. He’s talking about Christlikeness—becoming more like Jesus in how we think, love others, and live.
Paul described this goal in Colossians 1:28-29, saying he proclaimed Christ, admonished, and taught every believer so that he may present every believer mature in Christ.
The Greek word for “mature” is teleios, meaning complete, fully developed, and goal achieved. That’s the target: Christlikeness. Not self-improvement, Christ’s likeness.
Three Marks of a Spiritually Mature Life
So what does maturity actually look like? Here are three key signs:
1. Radical Trust in God
Jesus trusted the Father completely, regardless of the circumstances—through joy, suffering, and even death. He trusted God’s sovereignty, believed every promise, delighted in every command, took every promise to heart, and cherished the Father’s love.
Maturity looks like that kind of trust—certainty in God’s love, even when life is uncertain.
2. Deep Love for God and Others
A spiritually mature believer understands the heart of God and loves what and who He loves.
At the center of Jesus’ life was His love for the Father (phileo and agape)—and that’s the life He invites us into. Love serves. Love worships. Love trusts. Love submits. Love obeys. Love sacrifices.
It’s not just affection; it’s action.
The most apparent sign of spiritual maturity is the way we love/treat others—those who love us, those who hurt us, those different from us.
Paul said love is “the greatest” because it’s the most visible evidence of Christlikeness, or spiritual maturity.
3. Reliance on Grace
Here’s what every mature Christian learns: we never outgrow our need for grace.
We learn that God is firstly the One who meets us in our need, our weakness, not our strength. We don’t grow into the hero; we grow in our dependence on God.
Jesus was never impressed by anyone’s righteousness but their faith.
If we believe He is the Savior, we are those who constantly need saving. If He is Lord, Healer, Deliverer, then we are those who need healing and rescue. Seeing our need is what leads to prayer and dependence.
Spiritual maturity, therefore, learns to live in the tension of being perfectly righteous (positionally) before God, yet still imperfect in practice.
We still stumble, but we don’t panic. We don’t hide. We confess, turn to Christ, and rest in His unchanging love.
That’s maturity—knowing that even on our worst days, our standing in Christ doesn’t change.
How We Grow: Practicing the Truth in Love
So, how do we actually mature in Christ?
Paul gives us a clue in Ephesians 4:15: “Speaking the truth in love.”
Growth happens when truth and love meet—in conversations, in community, in correction, in worship.
That’s why church life matters. Whether it’s Sunday mornings, life groups, youth group, or conversations over coffee, we need each other to speak God’s truth with love and humility.
We also grow by putting our beliefs into practice.
Hebrews 5:14 says that maturity comes when our senses are “trained by practice to discern good and evil.”
Like, when our faith in God’s acceptance is tested or accused, and we choose to believe: “I am accepted in Christ, because of Christ. I am justified by faith; that’s God’s promise.” Through these tests, God’s Spirit embeds it. And instead of striving, virtue signaling, and just “acting” righteous to be accepted, we learn through experience to live in the truth of our righteousness in Christ.
Knowledge is knowing the Bible; maturity is living it—responding like Jesus would in real life.
Simple Practices That Cultivate Growth
Let’s be clear: spiritual practices or so-called disciplines don’t make us mature. But they position us where God can shape us.
Here are some ways to stay open to His transforming work:
- Prayer: Talk honestly with God, not just formally.
- Scripture: Read, meditate, and apply what you believe and value to real life.
- Community: Spend time with believers who encourage and challenge you.
- Service: Serving others and meeting needs in love.
- Rest: Slow down. Let God renew your mind and body. (Unplug. Take a walk. Turn off your phone.)
These aren’t boxes to check; they’re spaces to encounter Jesus.
Becoming a Church That Looks Like Jesus
God’s goal for His people has never changed:
“Until we all attain… the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)
That’s what He wants for every church—to be a people known for Christlike love, truth, and unity.
And here’s the beauty of it: Christ’s likeness is never something we can create—it’s something Christ does in us. He takes our fearful, flawed, imperfect selves and transforms us over time into vessels of His love.
Slowly. Gently. But truly.