How does one Mature?

11About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12For 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, 13for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

With these words we end Hebrews 5. The author is Hebrews makes it clear that not all things in Scripture are easy to understand or to explain. AND it doesn't help if the people being taught are "dull of hearing". If you are being dull you are not trying to understand....either that or you are incapable of understanding. I don't think though that the author means the latter as he states "by this time you ought to be teachers". That implies that they should understand but they don't.

They need someone to once again teach them the basic principles of God's truth. To start them off new, like babies, having milk. Once they are fed that milk and nourished by it, then they should move on to having meat. Children are unskilled in righteousness, they need to learn what it means. And if one doesn't understand righteousness they need milk so they can learn it. ONCE they gain that understanding, then feed them meat. The mature in Christ can handle the meat of the word....they have the skills of discernment needed. And Discernment is learnt through having to practice the art of distinguishing good from evil.

Hmm.... so THAT is how a person matures in the faith. Learning that fine art of discernment.

Have to admit...I never really thought of that before. I figured that people matured just generally as they learned more about God and how to live for him. Like it was just a generalized process. But these verses imply that it's more than that. That yes...one starts off just generally learning, but maturity comes through the practice of what one is learning. Of practically learning what is good and what is evil.

Cool. Makes it all the more important to teach my buggy then, the fine of art of discernment as he matures. help him to see what is good and what is evil and having him learn to live that out.