Slideshow image

Many Christians know what it means to be saved, but fewer understand what comes next. Growing in faith is not automatic. It happens in stages, and knowing where you are can change everything about how you live, serve, and follow Jesus.

Why Are We Born Into Sin and What Can Actually Change That?

Every person is born into what Scripture calls the fall of man. This goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden. That original sin is passed down through every generation, and no amount of good works, religious tradition, or family heritage can change it.

You cannot be prayed out of it by your grandparents. You cannot serve your way out of it. You cannot give enough money or do enough good deeds to escape it. There is only one way out.

Jesus made this clear when He spoke to a man named Nicodemus, a respected and educated Jewish religious leader who came to Him at night. Jesus told Him plainly:

"Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3

And elsewhere He said:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

Being born again is the only exit from the chair of spiritual death. If you are born twice, you die once. If you are never born again, you face a second and eternal death, a permanent separation from God.

What Happens After You Get Saved?

Once a person is saved, they do not instantly become a mature believer. Just like physical life, spiritual life begins at birth and grows through stages. Understanding these stages helps you recognize where you are and what the next step looks like.

The Spiritual Infant Stage

Every new believer starts here. Spiritual infants are dependent, untaught, and unable to feed themselves spiritually. They need others to nurture them, teach them, and care for them. This is not a bad thing. It is a beautiful and necessary beginning.

But just as a physical infant will die without care, a spiritual infant who is left without community, teaching, and nourishment will struggle to survive and grow.

The Spiritual Child Stage

This is where many believers stay far longer than they should. The spiritual child stage is not much different from infancy in terms of dependency, but there is a significant gap between the two. A child is developing. Their mind is forming. They are beginning to understand more, but they are still largely focused on themselves.

What Does a Spiritual Child Look Like in Real Life?

This is where things get practical and sometimes uncomfortable. Spiritual children are not bad people. They are simply immature. But recognizing these patterns is the first step toward growth.

They Want Attention, Not Responsibility

A young child always asks, "What can you do for me?" They want the stage and the spotlight, but they are not yet interested in the altar. Their zeal can be high, but their humility is low.

They Crave Sugar Over Substance

Spiritual children want feel-good messages, blessings, and breakthroughs. When a sermon challenges their lifestyle, calls for repentance, or requires serious study of God's Word, they tune out or complain that they are not being fed. Then they leave for another church.

The truth is, you cannot survive on a spiritual diet of pure sugar. Mature believers hunger for transformation and conformity to the ways of Jesus, not just comfort.

They Murmur and Complain

When things do not go their way, spiritual children resort to whining, gossip, and challenging leadership without facts or understanding. They think they know more than they do.

They Are Easily Offended

Spiritual children fight over parking spots and seats. They get upset over song choices. They become angry when giving is taught or when someone else is chosen to serve. They view ministry as competition rather than collaboration.

They are more concerned with what is in it for them than whether a new person walking through the door might come to know Jesus.

How Should We Train and Raise Spiritual Children?

Whether you are raising physical children or helping new believers grow, the principles are the same. Proverbs 22:6 says:

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

Here are four key ways to help spiritual children grow:

1. Model Godly Character

You cannot live one way at church and another way at home and expect those around you to grow. Live your faith out loud. Show grace. Forgive mistakes. Admit your own faults. Asking for forgiveness from those you have hurt, including your children, opens doors that nothing else can.

2. Teach Scripture Daily

Plant the truth of God's Word consistently. Read it together. Share it naturally in conversation. Help others memorize verses that apply to real situations in life. God's Word will not return void.

3. Pray and Worship Together

Pray with people. Pray for them. Teach them to bring their own worries and gratitude to God. Prioritize gathering together in a local church. Corporate worship and community are not optional extras. They are essential to growth.

4. Discipline With Love

Correction is part of growth. Guide and shape behavior with patience. Never correct out of anger. Always explain the why behind the boundaries. Encourage and build up. You cannot expect an infant to do what a child can do, and you cannot expect a child to do what a young adult can do. Meet people where they are while pointing them toward where they need to go.

What Is the Gap Between Spiritual Childhood and Maturity?

There is a real and significant gap between where a spiritual child stands and where a mature believer walks. The higher you climb in spiritual maturity, the wider that gap becomes. Crossing it requires surrender. It requires making hard decisions to let go of self-focus and step into what God has for you.

Paul described this transition clearly:

"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." - 1 Corinthians 13:11

Growing up spiritually is not about age. It is about surrender. Some people are 50 years old and still sitting in the spiritual child chair. There is no condemnation in that. But there is an invitation to take the next step.

What Does Spiritual Maturity Actually Produce?

Mature believers do not just consume. They contribute. They sign up for Bible studies or lead them. They give of their time, talent, and finances. They show up. They serve. They make room for new people. They celebrate when someone else gets to serve. They understand that the goal is not their comfort but the expansion of God's kingdom.

Jesus gave a clear promise about generosity and growth:

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." - Luke 6:38

Mature faith gives. It serves. It multiplies. It makes disciples.

Life Application

This week, take an honest look at where you are in your spiritual journey. Not where you wish you were, but where you actually are. Are you consuming without contributing? Are you easily offended? Are you craving comfort over transformation?

The challenge this week is simple but not easy: take one step toward the next chair. Sign up for a Bible study. Serve somewhere you have been avoiding. Give something, whether it is your time, your talent, or your finances. Choose one area where you have been acting like a spiritual child and make a deliberate decision to grow past it.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:

  • Am I consuming from the church, or am I contributing to it?
  • When things do not go my way, do I murmur and complain, or do I trust God and serve anyway?
  • What is one area of my faith where I have stayed comfortable instead of surrendering?
  • Who in my life could I help take a step toward spiritual maturity this week?

God is not finished with you. He will continue to teach you, bless you, and grow you if you will let Him. The next step is yours to take.