Unity in the Body of Christ comes through Spiritual Maturity

The entire chapter is talking about unity

v. 1-6 show the basis of the unity is our salvation in Christ.

v. 7-12 show that unity does not mean we’re all exactly the same, but that true unity only comes when you embrace diversity.

V. 13-16 show that the only way we embrace diversity and therefore drive unity is by growing in spiritual maturity.

Read v. 11-16

We’re going to focus in on the end of v. 13-16

I want to show you three things that are essential to Spiritual Maturity

1) Being like Christ is essential to Spiritual Maturity

v. 13b “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”

“mature manhood” or “a full-grown man”

Paul has already given us an example of this in v. 2-3

1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

The first thing that’s essential to spiritual maturity is being like Christ

In order for us to

2) Doctrinal Stability is essential to Spiritual Maturity

“mature manhood” or “a full-grown man”

v. 13-14 “mature manhood” or “a full-grown man” vs “children”

1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Jesus vs Paul on little children

Children are gullible - false teachers love gullible

All religions are the same (coexist)

If you’re a good person, you’ll go to heaven

The bible is just one of many religions books

Excerpt from a certain denomination’s website

Our list of “non-negotiable” points are very few, and largely shared with most every other Christian tradition. Those relatively few points are:

There is one God, who is a Trinity of Persons.

The First Person of the Trinity, traditionally called “Father,” created all things at the beginning of time.

Jesus Christ, the very human rabbi from 2000 years ago, was and is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, and our Savior.

The Holy Scriptures (the Bible) are the revealed word of God, written by human beings under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is the Third Person of the Trinity. The Bible contains all things necessary for salvation.

Our Church, though, is not bound together by a shared position on academic theological questions or by tests of doctrine. We are bound together by our love of God in Christ Jesus, by our shared traditions and experiences of God in the worship and the life of the community.

NO FIRM STANCE ON DOCTRINE LEADS TO THIS

It saddens us that throughout our history, the Christian church has discriminated against particular groups for such a long time that we must explicitly state what should be obvious and self-evident:

In our church, women are of equal worth and dignity with men, and have full access to all orders of ministry, including the ordained priesthood and the office of bishop. (1 Timothy 2:12)

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons are likewise full and equal members of our church, and likewise have full access to all orders of ministry, including the ordained priesthood and the office of bishop.

So what do we do? Ignore it? v. 15 “speak the truth in love”

Children must be taught the truth of scripture.

Hebrews 5:11–14 ESV

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Being like Christ is essential to Spiritual Maturity

Doctrinal Stability is essential to Spiritual Maturity

3) Contributing to the body of Christ is essential to Spiritual Maturity.

3)

v. 15-16

v. 15 - Our ultimate need is Christ. We grow up into him and his likeness (he is the head of the body)

but we also need each other!

v. 16 - Each part… makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

In order to be unified, we must all be growing toward spiritual maturity.

In order to be unified, we must all be growing toward spiritual maturity.

In order to be Spiritually Mature, it is essential that we:

Be like Christ

Have a stable doctrine (know what we believe and why we believe it)

Contribute to the body of Christ (an active part)