I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2: 12-14

Growing in the Faith is expected for those of us who follow Christ. Otherwise, we will be like the people the writer of Hebrews addresses-

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.

Hebrews 5:11-14

None of us want to remain immature in our faith and so we should embrace the kind of progressive deepening of our faith as described by John to three groups.

First, he mentions the children who recognize how their sins are forgiven and are grateful for the work of Christ in their lives. We should always be aware of what His sacrifice means to us, but we should also be growing in our faith.

Next he writes to the fathers or spiritual fathers in the church. Fathers bear the responsibility of teaching and disciplining others and so a deeper knowledge of who Christ is and what His teachings demand of us is essential. These fathers know Him who is from the beginning. As John wrote in his gospel –

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1: 1-15

Finally he speaks to the young men who have “overcome the evil one.” Maturity in Christ recognizes the battle we face of temptation and false teaching. Because the “word of God abides in” the young men, they are able to discern and defeat the temptations of life that John will mention in the next part of his epistle.

What do you make of your spiritual maturity? Growing deeper or feeling stuck?