MATURITY

J. N. Mather

Hebrews 5: 12–14; 6: 1–3; 1 John 2: 13, 14

I am exercised to say something about maturity and about that which has to do with full growth. When I was young I had some difficulties with the early verses of Hebrews 6. It says there, “not laying again a foundation of repentance”. When we read through these verses—surely these are all right things—repentance, faith in God, the doctrine of washings, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. The truth in these things is very important, and yet the writer says, “not laying again a foundation”. This was a difficulty for me. I felt the great importance of repentance and of faith in God and asked myself why the writer said, “not laying again a foundation”.

We must learn that there are exercises which belong to our early history. These should in no way be given up. But there are other exercises which are connected with full growth. Perhaps these Hebrew Christians remained too long at the initial exercises. The Lord has a right to expect from us that we progress to the greater things. At the end of chapter 5 the writer distinguishes between food for a man and food for a child. A child needs food which is appropriate to its age, but a fully-grown man should not continually eat food meant for children. A fully-grown man can, according to chapter 5, on account of habit, distinguish good and evil. What is needed is that this develops with us. If we reflect on the history of the testimony in our time we will find, I believe, that many mistakes were made because we did not reach maturity. On the one hand, that should be observed. On the other hand, brethren who are here this evening could say, ‘We know that already; we know the need for maturity. There is not much help in saying that maturity is necessary!’ You have a right to ask me, ‘How do I reach to maturity?’

For this reason we have read in 1 John. The fathers are such as have reached maturity; the fathers are fully-grown men. Each time they are mentioned the scripture says the same thing about them. It is a fact, I believe, that the scripture reports nothing else about them. As you all know, many things are said to the young men and to the little children, but the one thing that is characteristic of the fathers is that they have known Him that is from the beginning. I believe that maturity grows with us as we begin to get to know Him that is from the beginning. That is a reference to the Lord Jesus Himself. John’s letter begins with ‘ That which was from the beginning’. (The Gospel, of course, begins with Him that was in the beginning, “In the beginning was the Word”).

I wish to bring before you this evening that maturity and fatherhood develop with each one of us as we are occupied with “that which was from the beginning”. I wish to say, in a simple way, dear brethren, that there is one lesson which we cannot learn out of books. I like to acknowledge that there are many lessons which we can learn from books. There are many lessons which we can learn from one another. Every one admits that we are, many times, indebted to the brethren for things. But I appreciate, as each one knows, that there are some things that we cannot learn either from books or from one another. These can alone be learned from the Lord Jesus Himself, and can only be learned in His own presence. Thus we grow in acquaintance with Himself as He is and where He is.

Although Mary was possibly a young woman, it appears as if she had had this experience in that she sat at His feet and listened to His word. When we speak of maturity and fatherhood we are not speaking to old people only. The Lord Jesus has in mind that with each one of us maturity should be in evidence. The Lord Jesus does not expect a boy or a girl to behave like an old man or an old woman, but in mind and in our thoughts, in heart and in desires, maturity can come into evidence in a young person also. That is, dear brethren, the way to maturity.

It is interesting that the fathers are not exhorted not to love the world. Such persons, with whom maturity is in evidence in the knowledge of Him who is from the beginning, will for the most part be delivered from the world. They have not only come to another world, they have also come to Him who is the centre of that world. May the Lord Jesus help us to recognise that there are further lessons, and may we be encouraged to go in for these greater things, for His name’s sake.

Word in meeting for ministry, Bad Endbach
13 July 1982

(From the German in ‘ Neues und Altes’).