Hi @Carson and @Alison, thanks so much for your thoughtful and helpful replies. You both have raised some important points for consideration.
First, that love, an expression of spiritual maturity, must be the context in which all spiritual gifts are to be practiced. I agree with this insight, and I think it is important to keep this in mind even when trying to develop natural abilities for the purpose of Christian ministry. While I can see how pursuing spiritual/natural gifts without spiritual maturity can turn out to be harmful, I see no problem pursuing both simultaneously. However, some people make the mistake of pursuing spiritual gifts so earnestly in their own strength that they mistake their own desires and inclinations for God’s leading, resulting in neither spiritual gifting nor spiritual maturity.
Second, considering not everyone is given the same spiritual gifts but everyone is expected to spiritually mature, a specific group of spiritual gifts can in no way be the means to spiritual maturity. And if we equate spiritual gifting with spiritual maturity, we may open ourselves to deception about our spiritual maturity and fall prey to pride and judgementalism. This pattern of thinking is what we seem to be warned against in 1 Cor. 8:2 or 1 Cor. 3:18.
So, going back to Eph. 4: 11-16, what do these verses really mean when they talk about spiritual maturity? First of all, I think it would be a misuse of this scripture to say that individuals who are spiritual gifted are also spiritually mature. The Corinthian church is a good example of those who were spiritually gifted and yet spiritually immature. According to 1 Cor. 1: 5-7, the Corinthians were given spiritual gifts when they received the gospel and yet in 1 Cor. 3: 1-3, Paul addresses them as infants in Christ because of disunity or lack of love. So according to Paul, love is the measure of spiritual maturity and spiritual gifting does not equal spiritual maturity. Not surprisingly, Paul exhorts that the speaking gifts be practiced in love in Eph. 4: 15.
There seems to be a relationship though in Paul’s mind between spiritual gifts and spiritual maturity in Eph. 4. Below is how I understand these verses –
- Paul must not be referring to individual spiritual maturity but to corporate spiritual maturity with the use of spiritual gifts . In v. 16, Paul emphasizes that each part needs to be working properly to make the body grow and build itself in love. When everyone is serving one other, a variety of needs get met causing love in the body of Christ to grow bringing about spiritual maturity.
- Spiritual maturity of the body of Christ needs more than ‘speaking’ spiritual gifts. In Eph. 4: 7-8, Paul says God gave a gift by the Spirit to each one and Paul’s mention of the five spiritual gifts in v. 11 seem only to be a sample of all gifts given. It is true that if someone truly speaks a word from God, people would be edified spiritually (1 Cor. 14:24). However, those gifted spiritually to lead a church are dependent on the rest of the church practicing their individual gifts to grow in love as well. There are a variety of gifts, activities and services that are empowered by the Spirit in everyone for the common good (1 Cor. 12:4-6). Those with true speaking gifts are stewards of the mysteries of God and are required to be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:2).
- A spiritually mature body of Christ can protect its members from being tossed by every wind of doctrine . Are speaking gifts necessary to be able to recognize if a doctrine is false? A special word from God may be helpful but I don’t think it is necessary as we ultimately rely on scripture to assess the speaking gifts. From Heb. 5:14, we see that the way to grow in maturity, to develop discernment to distinguish good from evil is by practice, doing what we are supposed to do with faith and patience (Heb. 6:12). For example, the Hebrews were exhorted to leave the shadows of Christ in the Levitical priesthood and move on to maturity through faith in Christ (Heb 6: 1-2, Heb. 7:11). The word for maturity in both these verses is “teliosis”, which means completion/perfection. It seems to be the same “perfection” that Paul talks about at the second coming of Christ when full knowledge of Christ makes unity of faith possible (Eph. 4:13, 1 Cor. 13:10).
I asked this question to help someone who is worried about deficits in spiritual growth in a church that doesn’t actively pursue spiritual gifts. After studying this issue, it is very clear that being conformed to God’s image and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit is most important and is true spiritual maturity. God’s decision on whom to give a spiritual gift will not depend on the church a person attends but on the plans that God foreordained for a person. People can be swayed by winds of doctrine in both cessationist and continuationist churches and what will protect us from deception is mainly spiritual maturity and wisdom from the Word.