Growth according to God’s Design
Introduction
Spiritual growth is not accidental—it is intentional according to God’s design. Just as earthly parents care deeply about the healthy development of their children, our Heavenly Father is deeply concerned about our spiritual growth. God did not save us to remain spiritual infants.
Using Hebrews 5:11–14 as our foundation, this message addresses a serious concern raised by the Hebrew writer to the believers who, despite the passing of time, remained spiritual babes due to dullness of hearing. The writer’s frustration reveals God’s own heart: He desires for His people to grow. Today, I want to show why spiritual maturity matters, what hinders that growth, and how God has provided the way for us to mature through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Dull Hearing Hinders Spiritual Growth
The Hebrew writer identifies the root reason believers failed to grow: they became dull in hearing. This dullness is spiritual sluggishness and insensitivity to God’s Word due to a fading desire for the things of God.. As a result, believers who should have matured remained spiritual infants, still dependent on milk when they should have been ready for solid food.
The “milk” mentioned in Hebrews refers to the elementary principles of God’s Word—the foundational truths of salvation. These truths are essential, especially at the beginning of the Christian life. However, they are meant to lead us forward, not to keep us stagnant. Remaining on milk indefinitely reveals a serious problem. Just as it would be alarming for a child to remain an infant for decades, it is spiritually unhealthy for a believer to remain immature after years of hearing the truth.
This dullness becomes especially dangerous when believers repeatedly hear the truth of salvation—how Jesus took all our sins upon Himself through His baptism, bore their judgment through His blood on the cross, and rose again—yet fail to grow in understanding, confidence, and discernment. When foundational truths are never firmly established, believers remain vulnerable, unstable, and unable to handle deeper teaching.
The Hebrew writer not only exposes the problem but also presents three clear biblical ways to overcome dullness of hearing.
- Be diligent to realize the full assurance of hope
Salvation is not passive; having received eternal hope through Jesus’ baptism, death and resurrection, we must guard it, live by it and realize it. - Mix the Word with faith
Hearing alone is not enough—the Word must be mixed with faith. Only when the gospel of the water and the Spirit is believed fully and mixed with faith does it take root and produce growth. - Patiently endure through trials
Trials often dull our hearing. Suffering can shift our focus away from God’s Word. Patient endurance as demonstrated by Abraham keeps us anchored in faith until God’s promises are fulfilled.
Spiritual Growth Equips Us for Service
Spiritual maturity equips us for service. Hebrews 5:12 tells us plainly that mature believers should be teaching others. Growth prepares us to serve responsibly and effectively. God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for works of service. Ministry is not driven by worldly skills but by spiritual maturity.
This principle is clearly seen in the early church. When the apostles appointed men to oversee the distribution of food, they did not choose based on practical skills alone. The criteria were spiritual: men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, who held firmly to sound doctrine. Even roles that appeared practical required spiritual maturity, because ministry always involves people’s spiritual lives and salvation.
For this reason, spiritual growth must come before service. Ministry is not driven by worldly thinking or experience, but by understanding the gospel of the water and the Spirit and walking in spiritual maturity. Only then can believers serve with wisdom, grace, and responsibility, ensuring that their service builds up the church rather than harms it.
Spiritual Growth Produces Discernment
Spiritual growth results in discernment. Hebrews 5:14 teaches that solid food is for the mature—those whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil. Discernment is not automatic; it is the fruit of spiritual maturity. As believers grow, their minds and spiritual senses are trained to recognize what aligns with God’s will and what does not.
This discernment is especially critical in times like these, when many false teachings and false prophets have gone out into the world. Without spiritual maturity, believers remain vulnerable, easily swayed by every new teaching or impressive voice. A believer who lacks discernment may mistake sincerity for truth or assume that all teachings lead to the same destination. But spiritual growth guards us against deception by anchoring us firmly in the truth of salvation—how Jesus bore our sins through His baptism, shed His blood on the cross, and rose again.
Mature believers are able to test what they hear against Scripture because their minds have been renewed through consistent exposure to God’s Word and obedience to it. As Romans 12:2 teaches, transformation comes through the renewal of the mind, enabling believers to discern God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. Without spiritual growth, there is no discernment—but when believers mature according to God’s design, they are no longer tossed about by error and are able to stand firm in truth.
Conclusion
Growth according to God’s design is not optional. Dullness of hearing hinders growth, but God has given us the cure: diligence, faith, and endurance. Spiritual maturity equips us for service and protects us through discernment. Let us not remain infants for years. Let us move beyond milk into solid food—the full gospel of the water and the Spirit—so that we may grow, serve, and stand firm in truth. This is God’s will for His people, and by His grace, we can walk in it. Amen.
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