What's a Good Indicator of Spiritual Maturity?

Psalm 141:5: "Let a righteous man strike me-it is a kindness; let him rebuke me-it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it."

One of the truest measures of a person's spiritual maturity is his ability to receive objective criticism from a fellow believer in Jesus Christ. We as a community of faith are called to "sharpen one another" (Proverbs 27:17), and we know that the sharpening of two objects involves the grinding of those items against each other . . . a process that is not always pleasant but always constructive, if done in a spirit of redemption. None of us are impervious of the need for constructive criticism, for we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

All too often, however, we can see "ruffled feathers" from one who is not open to hearing an expressed concern from a fellow believer who might see an issue that might be affecting one's spiritual journey of obedience and faithfulness. When one person shares a word designed to present an objective assessment of his brother's situation, how that brother receives the information is a good indicator of his spiritual maturity. If he becomes belligerent and "snaps back" at the constructive criticism or if he pulls a passive-aggressive move and purposefully avoids the "sharer" in the future, then one can conclude that the person is not very mature in the faith.

Even if the criticism from another is not an accurate assessment of the circumstances, the mature believer who is receiving such admonition should be willing to receive the expressed concern in a spirit of love, understanding that there always is opportunity to learn and grow. The mature follower of Christ will recognize that the perception of the other person is important and will introspectively evaluate the situation to see if there is opportunity for personal improvement.

This does not necessarily mean that one must adhere to every expressed critical evaluation of another; for in fact there will be times when others will assess situations in other people's lives through their own selfish, non-principled lenses. This is why the Scripture cited above suggests that it is the rebuke of a righteous man that is a "kindness." Still, no matter who presents his case to us, we must always receive it in a spirit of love. This is how all men will know that we are true followers of Jesus Christ (John 13:35).