“Works In Progress”

Saturday, July 21, 2012

     How can a Christian deal with a spiritually immature brother/sister?

Sincerely,
Struggling Sibling

Dear Struggling Sibling,

With patience.  The Bible teaches that immature brethren are a normal part of the church because we all start out as babes in Christ (1 Pet 2:2).  As long as there are people being added to the church, there will always be immaturity.  On top of that, none of us mature in Christ as fast as we ought.  In Heb 5:12, Christians were rebuked for not growing and maturing as quickly as was appropriate.  So, spiritual immaturity is not a new problem.

Paul said that he dealt with immature brethren by being as gentle with them as a mother with her children (1 Thess 2:7).  1 Tim 5:1-2 explains that when we deal with other Christians, we should treat them as we would a father, mother, brother, or sister.  1 Thess 5:14 says that as we admonish, encourage, and help those who are lazy, fainting, or weak in the church, we should always be patient.  These are the principles for dealing with your fellow Christians.  Be nice because, after all, you will spend eternity with them.

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