Moments with Emmanuel

The youth group of the 1990s was all about wild games, pizza, and fun. From the early ninth century to the middle of the thirteenth century, there was no complete Bible in a Western European vernacular. Despite several warnings about spiritual immaturity being plainly in the Bible, the Church has been the cause of a great amount of spiritual immaturity. As we see Christianity decline as a cultural norm in the West, we must begin looking at a new way of doing things. Believers must continually receive and practice the gospel until it produces love, discernment, obedience, and responsibility, while jealousy, factionalism, passivity, and regression reveal that Christian identity has been mistaken for Christian maturity. This does not erase the fact that spiritual infancy is expected from someone who has never read the Bible or attended a Christian worship service. What the Bible tells us is that prolonged immaturity is a dangerous failure of discipleship.

Spiritual Milk

Before we can understand what has gone wrong, we have to begin with what the word of God says. We can identify the issue of spiritual immaturity in each of these three passages: 1 Peter 1:22–2:3, 1 Corinthians 3:1–4, and Hebrews 5:11–6:3. This provides us with three authors writing to three original audiences.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 Pe 1:22–2:3). (2025). Crossway Bibles.

Peter helps to set the table of what “spiritual milk” is. Despite this not being a rebuke of immaturity, it does tell us that we should “grow up into salvation” if we truly taste the spiritual milk. Peter identifies this milk as “the living and abiding word of God.” The path to maturity, the same path to salvation, goes through the infallible word of the Lord. Not the right preacher. Not the best programming. Not ample opportunities for fellowship. These things are good, but they are not what leads to maturity. The only thing that leads to true maturity is an intimate relationship with God through the Holy Bible.

This recent graphic from Relevant helps to identify one of the problems we see today.

Unlike the time before widespread Bible translations and the printing press, this is not an issue of access. Approximately one and a half billion people speak English, and YouVersion’s Bible app has at least 86 versions of the English Bible available via app or web browser. I am not claiming that this covers everybody, nor am I claiming that we should stop translating Bibles into new languages and push harder for global English fluency. What I am saying is that churches have no excuse to allow 43% of Gen Z Protestant churchgoers to claim that the Bible is making no difference in how they live. This is a failure to live up to our call to holiness.

God has purified you? Then love one another. You love one another? It is because you have been born again by God’s word. You have been born again? Then put away all evil and grow to full adulthood. You are growing up? It is because you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Barnett, P. (2006). 1 Peter: Living Hope (P. Barnett, Ed.; pp. 32–33). Aquila Press.

This is how Paul Barnett lays out this passage in 1 Peter. Notice that he allows none of the actions to be attributed to ourselves. God purifies us, allows us to be born again by His word, and allows us to mature through Him. Like Peter’s original epistle, Barnett points back to the Bible. This keeps us at odds with what Relevant reported. Spiritual growth will not happen without intentional study of the Bible. The role of the Church is important because new believers will not learn how to study the Bible unless someone who has learned before them can then pass that knowledge along.

We should expect pastors to be well educated in the Scriptures, and we should expect pastors to educate their congregations. Paul himself points to the seriousness of his education in Acts 22:3, explaining that he was educated in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel. That training did not resemble the education of a young person today. Modern students divide their attention among subjects such as English, mathematics, science, government, and countless other requirements before specializing in a particular field. Paul’s religious education was far more concentrated. Rather than completing a modern general-education curriculum and then attending an accredited seminary, he received intensive instruction under an established teacher.

The difference, then, is not that first-century religious leaders were uneducated while modern pastors attend Bible colleges and seminaries. The educational structures were different. Serious preparation to teach Scripture was still taken seriously. Paul traveled from Tarsus to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel; he did not simply decide that personal familiarity with Scripture qualified him to instruct others.

This does not mean that every pastor must possess a particular degree. It does mean that churches should expect those who teach Scripture to know Scripture deeply—and pastors should expect themselves to teach their congregations how to understand it. Christians cannot be told to “long for the pure spiritual milk” while their churches fail to teach them how to consume it.

Spiritual Infancy and division

We have many denominations within Western Christianity. Within the first century of the Protestant Reformation, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Arminian traditions had all emerged, each representing real theological disagreements rather than mere differences in personality or preference. Looking even further back, the controversy surrounding Arius and his followers became one of the primary issues addressed at the Council of Nicaea. The question at stake—the nature and divinity of Christ—could hardly have been more important. Centuries later, the East–West Schism was fueled in part by Rome’s addition of the filioque to the creed, which Constantinople viewed as both a theological error and an overreach of Roman authority. There are important theological differences but one thing we do, as humans are prone to, is divide and shackle ourselves to a specific leader, even if neither is a heretic.

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 Co 3:1–4). (2025). Crossway Bibles.

Paul is not condemning Apollos here. What we see is that Paul is condemning the Corinthian believers for dividing themselves based on teachers or leaders. We just dive deeper into this by using Arius, Luther, Calvin, and Arminius to name their schools of thought. We must be careful to argue the actual beliefs and not the leaders. This is still an issue in the Church today. Whether divided amongst teachers like John MacArthur, John Piper, and Rick Warren or divided along the even sharper line of politics, there is always someone taking our eyes off of Christian unity. This does not even mean intentionally; Paul and Apollos were not trying to cause a divide.

Another survey—this time from Wheaton College Billy Graham Center—shows that there is an almost equal divide regarding Gen Z church attendance when it comes to Donald Trump. This survey was not regarding conservative politics or the Republican Party—they were asked about one leader. Unlike the last survey, this one was not limited to protestant churchgoers. Jesus and Paul both made it abundantly clear that our faith should leave the building and bring new people in. This graph shows we are failing at that because of division and allegiance to leaders. Forty-eight percent of people surveyed said that Christians supporting Trump has made them less likely to attend a worship service. This survey does not provide whether other factors or conservative politics alone would keep them out. Despite statistical relevancy, this is irrelevant to the call of the Gospel. Jesus wants us to bring people in regardless of what leader or teacher we want to follow because the only one we should follow wholeheartedly is Jesus.

Paul gives the reason for division as immaturity. This issue certainly shows that, given that even atheists were in the sample. The answer is not to avoid converting atheists, which is certainly the easier choice. The answer is to look at how our own immaturity could be keeping people away.

Although juvenilization has renewed American Christianity, it has also undermined Christian maturity. First, the faith has become overly identified with emotional comfort. And it is only a short step from a personalized, emotionally comforting faith to a self-centered one. Second, far too many Christians are inarticulate, indifferent, or confused about their theological beliefs. They view theology as an optional extra to faith, and assume that religious beliefs are a matter of personal preference. Many would be uncomfortable with the idea of believing something just because the Bible, the church, or some other religious authority teaches it. And they are particularly resistant to church teachings that impose behavioral restrictions. If we believe that a mature faith involves more than good feelings, vague beliefs, and living however we want, we must conclude that juvenilization has revitalized American Christianity at the cost of leaving many individuals mired in spiritual immaturity.

Bergler, T. E. (2012). The Juvenilization of American Christianity (p. 225). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

We all like to be around people that we share commonalities with, and this likely has caused the rift that the Billy Graham Center’s data shows. People who vote the same, think the same, and dress the same. This has caused the American church to become increasingly fiscally and politically conservative. I, myself, am fiscally conservative because I view many of the government social measures that use tax money to actually be the Church’s job. I do not wish to go into politics here; this is an economic example. Christians should want to see the marginalized helped; I want to see the Church do it, not feed more money into the government. The issue is not what we believe about government; it is the fact that our desire to form groups of like-minded individuals is keeping out those who are starting from a different point of view. We cannot allow ourselves to become the Judaizers in Galatia. We cannot customize the Gospel to fit our needs. We also cannot contain the Gospel within our buildings. Jesus was abundantly clear about both of these. If you cannot recognize and accept these two statements, you may be one of the individuals mired in spiritual immaturity.

The Call to Maturity

As we move into the final section of this essay, we must begin looking at how we are called to move from our immaturity. This is an exciting call. This call was the idea behind the Holiness Club at Oxford. We cannot do it apart from God, but God will not do it for us. Hebrews gives the harshest critique of spiritual immaturity because the author had already expected significant signs of maturity from the audience. My assumption is that many foreign Christians and early Church fathers would also expect more signs of maturity out of us.

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Heb 5:11–6:3). (2025). Crossway Bibles.

How many churches in America are still focused on the elementary doctrine of Christ? How many college freshmen spent their entire lives in a church just to still be hung up on washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment? A 36-year-old may be a spiritual infant when they are truthfully learning for the first time. An 18-year-old should not be a spiritual infant after eighteen years in a church.

Their resistance to moving on is surprising in view of what is later said about the faith, hope and love they showed in earlier days. Perhaps they anticipated more persecution and suffering and were inclined to shrink back from the sort of wholehearted commitment to Christ previously demonstrated. Their anxiety ‘may have been exacerbated by disappointment that Christ had not yet returned or by their failure to realize and appropriate his full sufficiency as Savior’ (Cockerill, p. 17). Their failure to advance was actually a form of retreat.

Peterson, D. G. (2020). Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary (E. J. Schnabel, Ed.; Vol. 15, p. 147). IVP; IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.

Cockerill, G. L. (2012). The Epistle to the Hebrews (New International Commentary on the New Testament, p. 17). Eerdmans. Quoted in Peterson, D. G. (2020). Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary (E. J. Schnabel, Ed.; Vol. 15, p. 147). IVP; IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.

Like the believers addressed in Hebrews, we can easily backslide. We can allow our anxieties or disappointments to color our commitment to following Jesus. We cannot allow ourselves to stagnate to avoid advancement. Peterson sharply points out that stagnation is really retreating into comfort. We are called to be victorious in Christ through God’s will and God’s kingdom. This is regardless of our expectations, plans, or feelings. If you do not feel challenged, if you cannot look back and see growth, if you are tempted by complacency, the best thing for you to do is to get on your knees and ask God what is holding you back. His Kingdom come, His will be done.

moving forward

Some may see this as a death sentence for the Church. It is far from that; there are many encouraging signs that the church is primed for growth. Looking at numbers about the state of discipleship by Lifeway Research, attendance is fairly regular, long-term, and began before churchgoers turned 20. The two areas we should see growth and need to see growth are in service. This is where discipleship is truly formed. It is not enough to sit in a pew regularly. We must help advance the Gospel.

What is the state of your discipleship? This same article tells us that the average churchgoer is receiving a 68.1% grade on a “State of Discipleship Report Card.”

The average churchgoer scores the highest in seeking God (78.5), followed by obeying God and denying self (75.1), serving God and others (73.1), exercising faith (71.6), Bible engagement (69.8), building relationships (64.0) and living unashamed (61.0). The lowest score is in sharing Christ, where the average churchgoer reaches 54.8.

Earls, A. (2026, January 27). Discipleship deficit exists among U.S. churchgoers. Lifeway Research. https://research.lifeway.com/2026/01/27/discipleship-deficit-exists-among-u-s-churchgoers/

Difficulty sharing Christ is common among churchgoers. There are concerning metrics that have higher grades. The two that I find most worrisome are serving God and others and Bible engagement. These are so essential to the rest of the metrics. The more you know about the Bible and serve, the easier it is to seek God, obey God, deny self, exercise faith, build relationships, live unashamed, and share Christ. By far, the most concerning comparison is seeking God and Bible engagement. How can there be an 8.7-point difference in churchgoers seeking God while not being engaged with the Bible? That is the sign of cheap grace.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Bonhoeffer, D. (1995). The cost of discipleship. Touchstone. (Original work published 1937)

Brothers and sisters, I encourage you not to attempt to live with a cheap grace. We have a grace that is more costly than we can ever imagine. It is this grace that should motivate us to seek holiness. If we cannot grow in our faith and become more like Christ, then we are not allowing ourselves to be bought by the full price of the cross. Go and seek His Kingdom and His will.

References

Barnett, P. (2006). 1 Peter: Living hope. Aquila Press.
Bergler, T. E. (2012). The juvenilization of American Christianity. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Bonhoeffer, D. (1995). The cost of discipleship. Touchstone. (Original work published 1937)
Burge, R., & Richardson, R. (2026, July 20). Half of Gen Z says Trump support keeps them out of church. Religion News Service. https://religionnews.com/2026/07/20/half-of-gen-z-says-trump-support-keeps-them-out-of-church/
Earls, A. (2026, January 27). Discipleship deficit exists among U.S. churchgoers. Lifeway Research. https://research.lifeway.com/2026/01/27/discipleship-deficit-exists-among-u-s-churchgoers/
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2025). Crossway Bibles.
Peterson, D. G. (2020). Hebrews: An introduction and commentary (E. J. Schnabel, Ed.; Vol. 15). IVP Academic.
Taylor, J. (2026, July 28). Gen Z attends church more than any other generation—43% say the Bible hasn’t made a difference in how they live. RELEVANT. https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/church/gen-z-goes-to-church-more-than-any-other-generation-so-why-do-only-1-have-a-biblical-worldview/

Works Consulted

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Burge, R., & Richardson, R. (2026, July 20). Half of Gen Z says Trump support keeps them out of church. Religion News Service. https://religionnews.com/2026/07/20/half-of-gen-z-says-trump-support-keeps-them-out-of-church/
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