Adulting (Spiritually)

What is “Adulting”? And Why do I need to do it?

Example of Taylor

Growing up is no where near as much fun as we think it is.

I would love to go back to the days where “what I would wear to school” and “what everyone else was wearing were some of my most difficult decisions.

That being said, I also know that those years were often the years I spent the most time trying to get over, or do over.

It is amazing how many mistakes and missteps we make as children and even as young adults.

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Nepios - Infant, Child

It has the connotation of being ignorant or unlearned.

Meaning, they have not learned what they need for life, adulting yet.

We are not intended by God to be/stay this way.

God’s Purpose for His Church

Missionary Purpose

Mark 16:15 ESV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Social Purpose

Matthew 25:35–36 ESV

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Separation Purpose

A Place to be protected and to nurse our wounds.

Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary God’s Purpose for God’s Church

These are things the church is called to do and areas in which it is to function. But “purpose” is a more embracing concept, and when Paul writes about it, as he does here, he thinks of it as God’s developing wholeness or maturity in his people.

His picture that he is painting is one of a “body”.

The Body of Christ and that body being built up through maturity and unity.

Ephesians 4:11–13 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Then he addresses the opposite of this

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary God’s Purpose for God’s Church

In these verses Paul speaks of maturity once and of building up or growing up four times more. It means that for Paul God’s chief purpose for the church is that it might become full-grown and that each of its members might contribute to that maturity by becoming spiritual adults.

So how does this maturing/adulting happen?

Attaining Unity

Ephesians 4:4–5 ESV

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

This is a given unity, one given by God through salvation.

Ephesians 4:3 ESV

eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Seven great unities

One Body

One Spirit

One Hope

One Lord

One Faith

One Baptism

One God and Father

These are common unities we all possess, or should possess, if we are believers.

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

This has two parts

Unity of the faith

Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary Unity to Be Attained

“Faith” usually means an individual’s subjective response to the Word of God and the gospel, and “knowledge” usually refers to the content of what a child of God is to believe.

Here “faith” refers to the theological content of Christianity

Jude 3 ESV

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

Unity of the knowledge of the Son of God

Here “knowledge of the Son of God” refers to knowledge gained by experiencing Jesus in day to day discipleship.

Philippians 3:10 ESV

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

This knowledge makes it further than the head. It actually makes it to the heart.

Colossians 2:2–3 ESV

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

This twofold knowledge - of the head and heart - is what a mature church attains.

We need the outward unity that the seven unities provide but,

Even more important is the deep, abiding, unity that comes from a group of growing in maturity. Believers who are concrete in their beliefs and united in the knowledge of Jesus they share.

There is yet another goal of this maturity

It is

Christlikeness

The fall

Genesis 3:5 ESV

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Instead of becoming “like God” we became “like Satan”

Genesis 1:26 ESV

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary Christlikeness

The wonder of the gospel is that this original image, once lost through the Fall, is now progressively restored as individuals are made like Christ within the church’s fellowship.

Colossians 1:28 ESV

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

He, Paul, is exhorting us to the highest moral standard.

The goal of unity and maturity is that we would grow in our knowledge, application and affection for Christ and one another.

We become more like Christ

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Ephesians 4:16 ESV

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Let us grow together, mature together and become more like Him.

Let us be about Adulting Spiritually together

It may be hard, but it is worth it.