PROVEN, NOT PERFECT: The Truth About Christian Maturity

Why Years as a Christian Matter Less Than Trials Endured

The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch

“Why do you deserve a raise?”

My friend’s boss cut him off before he could explain his five years of faithful service. “This isn’t the Army. We don’t give pay raises for time in service.”

Brutal words, but that boss understood something many Christians miss: true value isn’t determined by years accumulated, it’s proven through pressure applied.

THE “MATURE CHRISTIAN” MYTH

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Many believers confuse time with maturity, attendance with advancement, and religious routine with spiritual reality.

Walk through any church lobby, and you'll find faithful believers who've served for decades; twenty-year associates, thirty-year Sunday school teachers, forty-year choir directors. While their consistent commitment deserves genuine appreciation, spiritual growth isn't measured by calendar years alone.

Many “mature Christians” measure their growth using the same metrics my friend tried using for his raise request: years served, meetings attended, and programs supported. But God’s measuring stick operates differently. He measures us not by how long we’ve been in His service, but by how faithfully we’ve endured His testing.

THE BACKWARDS THEOLOGY OF BLESSINGS

Perhaps even more troubling is the prosperity gospel that’s infiltrated evangelical thinking. Many believers have adopted this twisted logic: A life without trials proves God’s blessing. Difficulty signals His displeasure. Health, wealth, and happiness become the hallmarks of spirituality.

You know, the “your best life now” crowd.

This backwards theology produces spiritual toddlers; Christians who believe that following Jesus means avoiding His cross.

But consider James’ revolutionary perspective:

James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Let those words sink in.

James isn’t suggesting we endure trials; he’s commanding us to count them as pure joy.

Why?

Because trials aren’t God’s punishment; they’re His proving ground.

THE REFINER’S FIRE

Think about precious metals.

Gold doesn't become valuable through age—it becomes pure through the crucible of fire.

The passage of time alone does not necessarily add to worth; only the intense heat that burns away impurities reveals value.

Similarly, the fires of testing burn away our spiritual impurities, revealing the authenticity of our faith.

Without trials, faith remains theoretical.

How do we know our faith is genuine until it’s been challenged? How do we measure our love for God until it costs us something? How do we prove our dependence on Him until self-reliance fails?

A PERSONAL TESTIMONY

Over the past years, my wife Sharon has faced continuous medical challenges. Cancer. Complications. Neuropathies. Endless treatments. I’ve watched this vibrant woman, my precious wife, endure suffering I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

If I had the power, I would reverse every diagnosis, eliminate every symptom, and restore her health completely.

But here’s what this trial has produced:

First, we’ve both come face-to-face with God’s absolute sovereignty, not in theory but in reality. We’ve discovered He truly is in control, even when, especially when, our circumstances feel chaotic and helpless.

Second, our marriage has deepened. Without these trials, I never would have had the profound opportunity to demonstrate the genuineness of my love for Sharon. Anyone can whisper sweet words during good times, but trials reveal whether love is genuine or merely sentimental.

Third, our faith has been proven authentic. We haven’t turned away from God in anger or bitterness. Instead, we’ve turned toward Him with greater dependence, deeper trust, and more authentic worship. The testing has produced steadfastness, just as James promised.

Fourth, we've gained a transformative perspective. Instead of asking, "Why would God allow this to happen to us?" we've learned the biblical truth that suffering isn't punishment but pruning. In this fallen world, trials aren't exceptions for believers; they're expectations, promised by Christ Himself. Our suffering isn't evidence of God's absence but rather His very presence and an opportunity to experience His sufficient grace.

THE VALUE OF EVALUATION

Warren Wiersbe, the longtime pastor of Moody Church, Chicago, and prolific biblical expositor who wrote over 150 books, made a profound observation about trials: “Our values determine our evaluations. If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset us. If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to count it all joy. If we live only for the present and forget the future, then trials will make us bitter, not better.”

Our response to trials reveals our actual values.

Do we value comfort or character? Ease or endurance? Present pleasure or future glory? Temporal happiness or eternal perspective?

REDEFINING SPIRITUAL MATURITY

So here’s my challenge to the modern church: Stop measuring spiritual maturity by years attended, services led, or programs completed.

Instead, begin evaluating growth through trials endured, faith proven, and character developed.

The next time someone is introduced as a “mature Christian,” don’t ask when they became saved.

Ask this: “What trials has God used to shape you? How has adversity deepened your faith? What have you learned about His character through suffering?”

True spiritual maturity isn’t accumulated through time alone; it’s forged through testing. It’s not built through religious activity; it’s proven through perseverance. It’s not demonstrated through knowledge; it’s revealed through endurance under pressure.

THE ULTIMATE QUESTION

As I close, let me pose these questions to every believer:

Are you truly following Christ, or merely attending church?

Are you growing through trials, or avoiding them at all costs?

Is your faith being proven genuine, or remaining comfortably theoretical?

THE BIBLICAL TESTIMONY ON TRIALS

The witness of Scripture overwhelmingly supports this truth: trials are not anomalies in the Christian life—they are promises. Consider the testimony of our Lord and His apostles:

Jesus promised this reality in John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Notice Jesus didn’t say we might face tribulation—He guaranteed it. He linked tribulation directly to following Him. This is the promise every believer must embrace.

Paul not only endured trials but boasted in them: Romans 5:3-5: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Paul understood that trials weren’t obstacles to spiritual growth—they were the very means by which God produced it.

Notice the progression: suffering → endurance → character → hope.

This is God’s transformational process.

Peter encouraged believers to embrace suffering as participation in Christ’s experience in 1 Peter 4:12-13: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.”

Peter clarifies that fiery trials aren’t strange; they’re expected. When we endure them, we literally share in Christ’s sufferings.

This isn’t merely theological, it’s experiential participation in His life.

The testimony continues throughout Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 3:2-4: “...to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.”

The Thessalonians were told in advance that suffering was their destiny as believers. This wasn’t hidden information; it was part of their basic discipleship training.

The Pattern is Clear

The pattern is consistent from Genesis to Revelation: God’s people face trials, sufferings, and testing. These aren’t signs of spiritual immaturity or divine displeasure—they’re the crucible through which authentic faith is forged and proven.

Your years in service? It’s not meaningless, but it’s not the measure.

Testing?

That’s where maturity is proven, faith is revealed, and true spiritual growth occurs.

May God grant us all the grace to welcome trials not as punishment, but as His tool for our transformation.