There are a few words in Hebrews 5:12 that ought to make every Christian stop and ask, ‘Am I growing in Christ like I should?’
The writer of Hebrews had introduced Jesus as our great High Priest and begun discussing Melchizedek. But then he stopped. His readers were not ready to hear more. He told them, “You have become dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11), and then came the rebuke: “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” (Hebrews 5:12).
The problem was not that they did not know everything. None of us does. The problem was that enough time had passed that they should have grown beyond where they were.
Those words…“by this time”…are worth sitting with.
It is easy to measure our Christianity by years. Five years. Ten years. Thirty years. But Hebrews forces us to consider something more important: What has happened during that time?
Do I understand God’s Word better than I once did? Do I trust Him more? Am I better able to recognize truth and error? Have I become more patient, forgiving, and willing to serve? Can I help someone else understand what I once needed someone to explain to me?
Time provides an opportunity for maturity. It does not guarantee it.
That should cause us first to examine ourselves, not just everyone around us. There may be times when we need to recognize that another Christian is struggling to grow. The writer of Hebrews did exactly that. But we should be careful about turning a passage about spiritual maturity into an opportunity to congratulate ourselves or shame others. Perhaps one evidence of maturity is that instead of merely asking, “Why haven’t they grown?” we also ask, “What am I doing to help them grow?” After all, the writer said, “By this time you ought to be teachers.” Mature Christians help others move beyond immaturity.
There is nothing wrong with a baby drinking milk. That is exactly what a baby needs. Likewise, there is nothing shameful about a new Christian needing to learn the basics of faith.
The problem is when we stop at the start.
Sometimes a person obeys the gospel and almost immediately begins living as though the work is finished. “I’ve been saved,” and beneath that thought can be another one: “So now I do not really need to do anything.” Others grow considerably for a while. They study, serve, develop stronger faith, and bear fruit. But eventually they begin living as though they have reached a comfortable stopping point. “I know enough.” “I’ve served enough.” “My faith is strong enough.” We may never say those words aloud, but we can begin living as though they are true.
The tragedy is not simply ignorance. It is arrested development.
Hebrews describes mature Christians as those “who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). That language is important. Maturity comes through use, practice, and exercise. Truth is not merely collected. It is used. Faith is exercised. Discernment is practiced. Wisdom is applied.
And just as physical strength can diminish when muscles are no longer exercised, spiritual abilities can become dull through neglect. A person may actually have been spiritually stronger ten years ago than he is today. Spiritual maturity is not something we gain once and then place on a shelf.
At the same time, Christians sometimes talk about wanting “more meat.” There is nothing wrong with wanting to understand deeper truths in Scripture. In fact, we should. God’s Word is powerful and penetrating (Hebrews 4:12), and James reminds us that those who teach bear a serious responsibility (James 3:1–2). We should care whether we understand correctly. But “milk and meat” should never become an intellectual ranking system. Maturity is not demonstrated merely by being able to discuss difficult doctrines or theological controversies. Hebrews 5:14 does not simply describe mature people as those who know more things. It describes people whose discernment has been trained through use.
A person may crave “more meat” while still neglecting some very basic areas of Christian living. We should be careful not to boast about how much solid food we can supposedly digest while ignoring the rest of the meal.
Knowledge matters. But knowledge is supposed to do something to us.
Biblical truth should deepen our faith, change our lives, and eventually equip us to help someone else. We can study God’s faithfulness without becoming more trusting. Study grace without becoming more gracious. Study prayer without praying. Study forgiveness while refusing to forgive. At some point, we have to ask whether the truth we know is actually becoming wisdom we live.
Christian growth should become visible. Jesus said our good works should be seen in such a way that people “glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). That is very different from doing good works simply “to be seen by men” (Matthew 6:1). The goal is not for people to look at us and say, “What an impressive Christian.” The goal is for our lives to give people reasons to glorify God.
If God’s Word is shaping us, eventually something should show. The angry person should gradually become more self-controlled. The selfish person should grow more generous. The fearful person should learn greater trust. The spiritually dependent person should eventually become capable of strengthening someone else.
Not perfectly. Not instantly. Not at the same pace as everyone else. But genuinely.
There ought to be movement.
None of this means Christians eventually become self-sufficient. Real maturity should make us increasingly aware of how deeply we need God. After a lifetime of growth, our confidence at judgment will still not be, “Look how mature I became.” Our hope remains in Christ…His mercy, His sacrifice, and His advocacy.
Grace is not permission to remain spiritually motionless. Grace is part of what makes growth possible. We never mature beyond our need for Christ. We mature deeper into dependence upon Him.
So perhaps Hebrews 5 leaves us with a question worth asking from time to time:
By this time, what should be different?
I have been following Christ this long. What has changed? Do I trust Him more? Do I understand His Word better? Do I love people better? Have I become more useful to Him? Am I better equipped to help someone else grow?
Christian maturity is a lifelong journey. None of us should expect to be finished.
But precisely because it is a journey, none of us should be content to stop walking.
