Seeking Jesus First Feb. 20, 2025

Spiritual Maturity - Part Four

We have received the DNA - Divine Nature Attributes of Christ.

The DNA is in the seed. The baby has the same DNA as the father. However, the baby will make choices as he grows up that lead him in a total different direction as the father. The father could be thin or obese but the child lives his life differently and gets the results of his own choices. We may even end up looking like him and sharing some of his mannerisms without actually taking on his lifestyle successes or failures.

We have received God’s spiritual DNA. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we have been born again and are new creatures. When we are born again, we are not spiritually mature because we have not yet begun to imitate our Heavenly Father as dearly beloved children. The time we will spend hearing His voice, getting to know Him through His Word, and learning from Him through His Spirit, will allow His DNA in us to produce Christ in us. We will begun to look, act and sound like Him. We will share in His victory and inheritance. We will walk in His authority and power. And the more we share, through imitation, in His nature, the more we will share in His victory.

Being born again does not guarantee a life that resembles godliness. Through intimacy, imitation and obedience, we produce a life of godliness. Godliness is how God’s DNA looks at maturity. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self control.

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11, NKJV)

We are trained by chastening that produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness. But we might rightfully say, “But we are the righteousness of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”, and this is true. However, it is a spiritual truth that has implanted the righteousness of God in our spirit. The chastening of the LORD, through His Spirit and His Word, teaches us to produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness in the inward man of the soul, and in the outward man as well. So we come back to, “the sons of God (huiothesia) are led by the Spirit of God.” And then we see the next principle come into effect, “He who is faithful in little is made ruler over much.”