The Beauty and Blessing of Spiritual Maturity (Hebrews 5:11–6:20)

“All children, except one, grow up.” With these words J. M. Barrie begins his classic work, Peter Pan, the title character of which has endeared himself to many for his ability to fly, his wild imagination, his friendship with Tinker Bell, his adventures with the Lost Boys, and his battles with Captain Hook. But behind the carefree facade of the story lays a cautionary tale, one hinted at by the opening line. Throughout, the characters resist, mock, and fight the inevitability of adulthood, instead choosing to live in Neverland. Determined to shirk the responsibilities and expectations of maturity, they naively select perpetual juvenility. The author of Hebrews has spotted Peter Pan in the church—believers flying around in a state of arrested development, belonging to Christ but refusing to grow-up in Christ. And, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he wants to correct that, inviting believers to experience the beauty and blessing of spiritual maturity.