Philippians 3:15-16 - "Keep Growing, Keep Walking"

These two verses teachus an important truth about the Christian life. We are to keep growing, but weare also to keep walking. God wants us to continue maturing spiritually whilefaithfully living up to the truth He has already taught us. Atfirst glance, Paul's words may seem a little surprising. In verse 12 he said hewas "not already perfect," yet here in verse 15 he speaks ofthose who are "mature." Is Paul contradicting himself? Not at all. Inverse 12, the word perfect means to be complete or to have reached the finishline. Paul says, "I haven't arrived yet." But in verse 15, the wordmature refers to someone who is spiritually grown up. Paul is saying,"Those who are spiritually mature should have this attitude." Whatattitude? Theattitude he has just described in verses 12 through 14—the attitude of neverbecoming satisfied with our spiritual condition, always pressing forward toknow Christ more fully. The truly mature Christian never believes he hasarrived. The mature believer never stops growing. The mature believer is alwayspressing on. Someone wisely said, "The surest sign of spiritual maturityis realizing how much more there is to learn." That seems opposite ofhuman thinking. We often assume mature Christians have learned everything. Inreality, the closer we walk with Christ, the more we realize how much we stillneed Him. NoticePaul says, "Let us...have this mind." Christian maturity isnot measured merely by how much Bible knowledge we possess. It is measured byour attitude toward spiritual growth. Are we still teachable? Are we stillhungry for God's Word? Do we desire to know Christ more deeply this year thanwe did last year?Sadly,many believers stop growing—not because they stop attending church—but becausethey become comfortable. They become satisfied with yesterday's walk with Godinstead of pursuing Him today. Paul reminds us that mature believers arelifelong learners. Thenhe adds something very encouraging: "And if in anything you thinkotherwise, God will reveal even this to you." Notice Paul's patience.He doesn't argue harshly with believers who have not yet understood thesetruths. Instead, he trusts the Holy Spirit to teach them. This reminds us thatwe cannot force spiritual growth in another person's life. Only God can openhearts. Only God can bring conviction. Only God can illuminate His Word. Ourresponsibility is to faithfully teach the truth. God's responsibility is toapply that truth to the heart. ThenPaul continues in verse 16: "Nevertheless, to the degree that we havealready attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the samemind." In other words, while we continue growing, we must faithfullyobey what we already know. Don't wait until you understand the entire Biblebefore obeying the part you already understand. Jesus said in John 13:17: "Ifyou know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Knowledge withoutobedience produces spiritual pride. Obedience produces spiritual growth. Godusually gives us enough light for the next step—not the next hundred. Psalm119:105 reminds us: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto mypath." Notice, it is a lamp to our feet. God leads us one step at a time. Paulsays, "Let us walk by the same rule." The word walk speaks ofour daily conduct and manner of life. Christianity is not merely believing theright doctrines; it is living them. The word rule originally referred to ameasuring line or standard. God's Word is the standard by which we live. Wedon't measure ourselves by the culture. We don't compare ourselves with otherChristians. We measure our lives by God's truth. Finally,Paul says, "Let us be of the same mind." As believers growtogether in obedience to God's Word, unity naturally follows. God desires achurch that is united—not around personalities or preferences—but around Christand His truth.