Three Stages of Spiritual Growth: Discovering Where You Stand

1 John 2:12-14 

Have you ever flipped through an old family photo album and watched the transformation unfold? A chubby-cheeked toddler becomes a lanky teenager, then a mature adult. The faces change, the expressions evolve, but you recognize the same person throughout. This journey of growth isn't unique to physical development—it mirrors something profound happening in the spiritual realm.

Where there is life, there is growth. And where there is growth, there is life.

This simple truth becomes a powerful tool for examining our spiritual condition. Just as a parent can trace their child's development through photographs, we can identify markers of spiritual maturity in our lives. The apostle John, writing to early believers, opened what we might call "the family album of faith" and revealed three distinct stages of spiritual growth that every believer experiences.

The Context of Encouragement

John wrote his first epistle during a tumultuous time. False teachers had infiltrated the church, peddling elite "spiritual knowledge" and claiming that ordinary believers lacked something essential. These deceivers eventually left the church, but their departure created a crisis of confidence among those who remained. Believers were left wondering: Is my faith real? Am I truly saved? What's lacking in my spiritual life?*

Into this atmosphere of doubt and confusion, John writes words of pastoral encouragement. Six times he uses the phrase "I write unto you because..." followed by affirmations of genuine spiritual life. He wasn't writing to condemn or criticize—he was writing to encourage believers by showing them the evidence of God's grace already working in their lives.

This brings us to a critical question: **Are you growing spiritually?** Because spiritual growth isn't measured by time saved, knowledge accumulated, busyness in ministry, material prosperity, or even spiritual giftedness. True spiritual growth is about matching your practice with your position in Christ—living out the reality of who God has declared you to be.

Stage One: Little Children – Spiritual Discovery

The first stage of spiritual maturity is characterized by discovery. Like a small child experiencing the world with wonder, new believers make fundamental discoveries about their faith.

**They know the reality of forgiveness.** This isn't a vague hope or uncertain prayer—it's a settled confidence that all their sins have been forgiven. Past, present, and future sins were placed upon Christ at the cross. The basis of this forgiveness isn't personal goodness, merit, or performance. It rests entirely on the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther captured this beautifully: "When I look at myself, I can't believe that I'm saved, but when I look at the cross, I can't see how I can be lost."

New believers also discover **a new relationship with the Father**. Just as a small child delights in their earthly father, a new Christian experiences joy in knowing their Heavenly Father. They've received the spirit of adoption, enabling them to cry out "Abba, Father." This relationship brings fresh joy, newfound freedom, and a conscience cleansed by the blood of Christ.

However, this stage has its vulnerabilities. Little children in the faith lack discernment. They can be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine." They need teaching, guidance, and the steady diet of God's Word to develop spiritual maturity.

Stage Two: Young Men – Spiritual Discernment

The second stage marks a significant transition. If the first stage is characterized by emotional attachment and discovery, this stage involves rational understanding and application of spiritual truth.

Young men in the faith are strong. But this strength doesn't come from themselves—it comes from God's Word abiding in them continually. Just as food is to the body, Scripture is to the soul. You cannot be spiritually strong without feeding on God's Word.

In a culture where many ministries major on non-essentials—entertainment, felt needs, cultural relevance—believers are often left spiritually malnourished. They lack the discernment to distinguish truth from error because they've never developed strength in Scripture.

At this stage, believers learn **how to overcome**. The Greek word used here is related to "Nike"—victory. Young men in the faith learn to prevail over Satan, to gain victory over sin, to discern and reject error. They understand that the Christian life is warfare, a daily battle requiring spiritual armor and constant vigilance.

One young believer discovered this the hard way. After the initial joy of salvation, he experienced a crushing defeat when Satan tempted him and he fell into sin. The joy vanished. The excitement disappeared. In despair, he asked, "What happened to me?"

The answer? He learned that Christianity is a fight. Victory today doesn't guarantee victory tomorrow. Satan doesn't take vacations. The Christian life requires picking up your sword daily and entering the battle. But here's the beautiful truth: **the greater the battle, the greater the victory, and the greater the joy.**

God allows us to feel the hammering of the kingdom of darkness and the depravity of our own souls so we'll learn to overcome. He doesn't zap us with instant sanctification. Instead, He teaches us to put on spiritual armor, to wield the sword of the Spirit, and to develop a warrior mentality.

This stage brings tremendous growth, though sometimes young warriors become overbearing—seeing every issue as a hill worth dying on. That's part of the maturing process.

Stage Three: Fathers – Spiritual Depth

The final stage represents a profound depth of relationship with God. Fathers in the faith "have known Him that is from the beginning." This knowing is experiential—they've walked with God through valleys and mountaintops, through darkness and light, through countless battles and hard-won victories.

At this stage, believers exchange their sword for a harp. Not that they won't fight when necessary, but they're more consumed with **worship and knowing God**. They have an eternal perspective, understanding that the world and its lusts are passing away, but those who do the will of God abide forever.

The temporal things people strive for—riches, recognition, pleasures, adventures—fade in significance when viewed against death and eternity. Fathers in the faith focus on what truly matters: knowing God and doing His will.

This depth comes through time, through walking faithfully year after year, through bearing burdens and carrying crosses. It's a stage marked by contentment, joy, and an unshakeable focus on eternal realities.

Where Are You?

These three stages aren't about chronological age or years since salvation. They're about spiritual development. Some believers saved for decades remain spiritual infants. Others grow rapidly through the stages because they're feeding on God's Word and applying it to their lives.

The question isn't "How long have you been saved?" but "Are you growing spiritually?"

Spiritual growth provides powerful assurance of salvation. When you see evidence of God's grace working in your life—forgiveness bringing joy, Scripture making you strong, overcoming sin, developing depth in your walk with God—you can have confidence that your salvation is genuine.

As the apostle Peter wrote, when you add virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and godliness to your faith, "you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." You make your calling and election sure through spiritual growth.

So examine yourself today. Do you know the joy of forgiveness? Is God's Word making you strong? Are you learning to overcome? Do you have a deepening relationship with the Father?

Wherever you are on this journey, keep growing. Keep feeding on Scripture. Keep fighting the battles. Keep pursuing intimacy with God. Because where there is life, there is growth—and that growth is evidence of God's transforming grace at work in you.