We continue with the biblical step-by-step path to maturity in Christ. In the New Testament we have five levels of relationship to God, which are:
- Believer
- Disciple
- Bond-servant
- Friend
- Son
The beginning of our relationship to God is when we become a believer in the atonement of the cross for our redemption and reconciliation to God. This results in our being born again into the new creation we are called to be. When we are born into this world, we are just beginning our life. The same is true when we are born again in Christ—we are just beginning our new life and the beginning of our growth into what we are called to be.
It is hard to look at a newborn baby and know what they will look like as an adult, but we can know what every newborn Christian is called to look like when they mature—Christ. The ultimate maturity of a Christian is described in Ephesians 4:15 as: “We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Our ultimate calling is to be like Christ and do the works that He did.
After we believe, are baptized, and born again, the next step is to grow up into “all aspects” of Him. To do this we must become His disciples. Today if we go to church and spend some time learning about the Lord, we consider ourselves His disciples, but if we read Jesus’ requirements for being His disciple, we will likely think we don’t even know one.
To be a disciple of one of the teachers in Israel required that they could have no other commitment in their life that could in any way distract them from their discipleship. A disciple was required to have one devotion on their minds—to learn from their teacher and to become like him. Should our devotion to our Teacher, who is the King of kings, be any less serious?
That so few believers today actually become disciples, according to the biblical definition of one, is the result of the Great Commission being diluted from making disciples to making converts. Conversion is necessary, but it is not the ultimate goal. Being born again is just the first step, just as being born is not the completion of our life, but the beginning of it.
In the discipleship that Jesus defined, we should always be able to determine where we are and what the next step is in our maturity. Discipleship is defined in the Great Commission as learning “everything that He has commanded.” Even so, discipleship in Christ is not a legalistic, rigid set of boxes we check as we accomplish the next step. It is a clear guideline for our life in Christ that will keep us on the path of life that is ever-ascending and growing up in all things into Him.
The primary goal is to grow in our love for Him, to follow Him, and to see His glory that changes us into His image. It is an increasingly close fellowship with the King, to walk with and abide in Him every day. This is what we were made for, and there is no more wonderful and fulfilling life that can be lived on this earth.
Because there is no greater adventure, no more exciting life than following the King, if our Christian life has become boring and aimless we can know for sure that we are not on the right path. The “path of life” is an increasingly exciting and abundant life, while the path of religion is at best boring and lifeless.
As we continue this study of the step-by-step map that is given to us in the Bible for maturing in Christ, our goal is more than just knowing these—it is to live them. He did not come to just be the Way or the Truth, but to be our Life.
