When Christians accept Christ, we come to Him with baggage—a lot of baggage. We’ve picked up beliefs and attitudes from our family and friends that don't always align with Scripture. As we mature in Christ, those beliefs and attitudes are challenged, and then we're faced with a crisis: continue in our beliefs and attitudes or allow the Holy Spirit to do His transformative work in our lives.
Although the following beliefs are far from complete, it gives us a few things for which to search our hearts. If we find that we harbor any of these beliefs or attitudes, let’s repent and ask the Lord to help us. I’m sure we’ll find His grace and mercy in abundance.
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“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Growing up, many of us were taught that people with a different race, ethnicity, culture, religion, or sexual preference were our enemies. And for some people, that belief is so ingrained within them that reading this list results in animosity or feelings of ill will arising within them. However, John 3:16 says God gave His Son for the world. How can we tell people about Jesus and lead them to Him if we're viewing everybody different from us as the enemy? Muslims and atheists aren't our enemies. Their beliefs are enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ, but they are individuals who need a Savior. Let's stop viewing members of the LBGTQ+ community as an enemy. Let's view them the same way we view anybody else. They're people who need the love and healing that are in Jesus Christ. And then let’s give that to them.
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“But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.” (Luke 18:23)
Those of us who came to Christ as adults have years of selfishness under our belts. We view our possessions, our money, our children, our jobs through “my” eyes. None of these things or people belong to us; they all belong to God. He gave them to us and called us to be good stewards over them. Do you remember the story of the rich young ruler? He came to Jesus inquiring how he can inherit the kingdom. When Jesus told him to sell everything he had, he went away sad because he had a lot of stuff. How many of us would walk away from Jesus sadly if He told us to sell everything and follow Him? A lot of us would walk away. Jesus isn't selfish, and that trait doesn't originate from Him. Let's stop being selfish and let God use us and our resources as He sees fit.
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“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50).
How many of us have been guilty of putting our families before God and others? Some people will defend their children, even when they're wrong. Their children could be guilty of misbehaving in school, but the parents will take their children's sides instead of hearing the teacher. I know of someone who tried to have a teacher fired because the teacher corrected her grandchild. Your family doesn’t always come first. Adherence to God’s commandments must always come first, even if it means telling your family they’re wrong.
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"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
People always take this verse out of context. This verse doesn’t mean you are going to get everything you want. Nor does this verse mean you can physically or literally do anything you want. Paul was saying he'd learned how to live humbly and how to live in prosperity. He'd learned to live filled and hungry. It was then that he said, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." So, let's stop taking this verse out of context. I don't care how much you read WebMD and think you know about medicine, you cannot practice medicine in the United States without a medical license. You cannot practice law unless you have a law license. Thus, we can't legally do those things, no matter how much we quote the Scripture. Mature Christians have stopped trying to make Scripture conform to their wants. Instead, they submit to God's word.
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“Your word I have treasured I my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)
You would be surprised how many Christians I've met who think it's ok to sin because God is going to forgive them anyway. Mature Christians don’t make a habit of committing presumptuous sin. Mature Christians hide God's word in their hearts, so they don't sin against Him.
“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” (Ephesians 5:20)
When I first married my husband, multiple people told me that I had to follow everything my husband told me. That didn’t feel like a marriage to me. My marriage didn’t feel free and beautiful. It felt confining and suffocating. My marriage felt like a slave and master relationship. So, I went to the Scriptures and asked the Lord for His meaning of submission. I learned a few things:
1) We are supposed to submit to one another, and 2) submission doesn't mean the wife has to do everything her husband tells her. Mature Christians understand the godly principle of submission and seek to live by that principle. Mature Christian husbands don’t lord over their wives, demanding that they submit to him. Mature Christian wives don’t rebel against their husbands. Indeed, mature Christians lay their egos aside and seek to please the Lord in their marriages.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
In the 30 years I've been walking with the Lord, I've come across many people who think speaking in tongues is proof they're more spiritual than people who don't. These folks take it upon themselves to speak loudly in tongues whenever they get a chance. They've studied the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, but they haven't studied Paul's instructions about tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. Mature Christians don't speak in tongues to look spiritual. Instead, they desire to display the fruit of the Spirit as proof of their maturity (Galatians 5:22-23).
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“Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)
There are Christians who believe riches are an indicator of God's blessings. It isn't. Some poor people are enjoying God's abundant blessings, while some rich people aren't. Mature Christians don’t equate riches to blessings. Mature Christians understand that joy, peace, love, and favor are also indicators of God’s blessings.
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“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10).
Early in my Christian walk, I was under the mistaken impression that God was like a genie in a bottle. If I rubbed the bottle, He would jump out and grant me three wishes. Unfortunately, many Christians work under a similar impression today. They act like God is only with them to do their bidding. He isn't. We're here to do His. We are here to accomplish the tasks He ordained for us. Mature Christians don't make demands on God. Instead, they ask Him what He wants done, and then they obey His instructions.
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"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10)
When I was a babe in Christ, I weighed sins according to how bad I thought they were. Hence, some people were worse than others in my sight. Mature Christians realize that’s untrue. They know all sin is sinful and wicked in God's sight. Mature Christians realize the sins of racism, hatred, and unforgiveness are just as wicked as any other sin. Further, mature Christians know we tend to downplay our sins while emphasizing other people's sins.
These are just ten beliefs every mature Christian must unlearn. Let’s reject every belief that contradicts the word of God and choose instead to honor God with our obedience to His Word.
Aretha Grant serves her local church as a bible teacher and elder. She loves writing and is the author of Overcomer: 25 Keys to Walking Victoriously. Aretha resides in Hagerstown, MD with her husband and two youngest children. You can read Aretha’s blog at www.arethagrant.com.
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