One of the most often stated half-truths that we learn early on in our Christian walk is that in-depth Bible knowledge does not necessarily equal spiritual maturity. However, that is only half of the truth. The other half of that truth is that a lack of more in-depth knowledge equals spiritual immaturity. The often quoted Scripture that is misinterpreted so as to perpetuate this half-truth is Matthew 18:3, where Jesus said, “unless you turn and become like young children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus’ words are often said to mean that a Christian with childlike faith, who gets into the kingdom, is not concerned with the deeper things of God’s Word. They even go onto say that the Christians who dig into the deeper things of God’s Word, this is evidence that they do not have childlike faith. The childlike faith (trusting) or qualities that Jesus meant were not biblical illiteracy but rather humility, receptiveness, and trust. (Mt 18:2-4) We need to trust in the Word of God, which we can hardly do if we do not have a correct understanding of it.

The apostle Paul stated, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.” (1 Cor. 13:11). Paul exhorts us, “Brothers, do not become young children in your understanding,[1] but be babes as to badness;[2] and become mature in your understanding.” (1 Cor. 14:20) In other words, we need to grow in the knowledge of the deeper things of God’s Word. Of course, as was stated at the outset, this is no grantee that we will become spiritually mature. However, a lack of deeper, accurate Bible knowledge means that we will become spiritually mature only in our own minds.

Warning Against Immaturity

Hebrews 5:11-14 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

¹¹ Concerning whom we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.[31] ¹² For in view of the time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you from the beginning the elementary things of the sayings[32] of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to the mature, to those who through practice have their discernment trained to distinguish between good and evil.

Press on to Maturity

Hebrews 6:1-3 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

6 Therefore, leaving behind the elementary doctrine about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith in God, ² and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do if God permits.

Let’s see what we learn when we take a deeper look at just one related verse. After an opening greeting, the apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians,

Galatians 1:6 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel;

The Apostle Paul could be firm. He never sought to flatter people. Yes, indeed, he was always very tactful and what he had to say. It was his common practice to commend his fellow Christians before offering them some corrective council or making them aware of impending condemnation. Paul used words of approval and reassurance before using words of constructive criticism or any type of warning.

I am amazed: The Greek verb (thaumazō) translated her as amazed means to be in wonder, astonished, surprised with an element of intense unbelief. Thus, it seems that Paul was genuinely shocked at the report he had heard from Galatia. What Paul is experiencing here is bewilderment, overwhelming amazement, a painful perplexity at what he is being told. While this is a bit of an outburst and exasperation it is not done in anger.

that you are so quickly deserting: The shock at hearing the Galatians had abandoned or deserted (Gr metatithemai) God who had called them and his representative Paul, as well as and the gospel of grace was partly because it had happened so quickly (Gr tacheōs). The Greek word (tacheōs) can mean (1) the speed of their desertion after it has begun, or (2) the short amount of time between when they were converted and their desertion, or (3) the short period of time between Paul’s last visit with the Galatians and the time of his receiving the report and the writing of this letter. Any one of these three could be a legitimate interpretation; it seems that number two is the preferred explanation.

The Greek word (metatithemai) rendered deserting, literally “to bring to another place.” means that the Galatians turned away from or gave up on God and his envoy, Paul, and the gospel of grace, changing their mind, willfully forsaking all, showing no loyalty. Here the Greek word (metatithemai) is being used metaphorically like a traitor who had changed his loyalty from one country to another, or a military person who switches sides while in battle, deserting his fellow soldiers. Spiritually speaking Paul was telling these Galatians that they were spiritual traitors, deserters! This abandoning of God and his spokesperson, Paul, and the gospel of grace was like a military desertion where one immediately turns on his heels and runs in the opposite direction.

However, the present tense of the Greek verb (“you are deserting”) shows us that the apostasy, the abandonment of God, Paul and the gospel of grace was still ongoing at the time of Paul’s writing this letter and; therefore, there is hope of bringing the Galatians back from the brink of being enslaved once more to legalism. It seems that the Judaizing false teachers had made great progress among the Galatians, and the situation was certainly desperate but there was still hope. What Paul’s letter says about the Galatians being “so quickly deserting him [God] who called you,” (Ga 1:6) this may indicate that the writing of the letter was done not long after the apostle Paul had visited the Galatians. However, even if the penning of the letter had not taken place until 52 C.E. in Syrian Antioch, it would still have been fairly soon for such desertion to take place.

him who called you: This means the Galatians never had any real loyalty to God, the one who had called (Gr kaleō) them, as is evidenced by their haste to so quickly abandoned him. While it is true that the object of the desertion is God, not the doctrine of grace, nor the Apostle Paul, but rather God himself, who had called the Galatians, yet God gave Paul the authority to speak on behalf of God as his representative here on earth. So, to reject God is also to reject his spokesperson and the message as well.

by the grace of Christ: There is a textual problem involving the phrase by the grace of Christ. In the Greek manuscripts we find four different readings: TR WH NU supporting “by the grace of Christ,” [𝔓⁵¹ א A B F Ψ 33 1739 1881 Maj syr cop] NEB REB accepting (Variant 1) “by grace,” [𝔓⁴⁶ F* G H^vid it^b Tertullian Cyprian Pelagius] (Variant 2) “by the grace of Jesus Christ,” [D 326 syr**] and (Variant 3) “by the grace of God.” [327]. All of the critical texts and the translations except two accept “by the grace of Christ” as the original reading. It also has the weightiest and best witnesses as well. (𝔓⁵¹ א A B F Ψ 33 1739 1881 Maj syr cop) Two other translations, the NEB and REB accept variant 1, the shorter reading, as original because it has the early (𝔓⁴⁶) and diverse support, arguing that had Christ or God been in the original, what would have been the reason for any scribe to remove them. Thus, they argue that “grace” was original and later scribes added “Christ”, “Jesus Christ,” or “God. The reading “by the grace of Christ” has strong external support among the witnesses and “grace” has strong internal support as well as the earliest manuscript support and certain Western witnesses. What can be said is this, either “by the grace of Christ” or “grace” is the original reading, and all modern translations and this author prefers “by the grace of Christ.”

Lastly, it should be noted, the context tells us that grace is a reference to God’s grace by Christ. The whole focus of this letter to the Galatians is the good news is only possible by the gospel of grace, the free gift of God, which we receive by Jesus Christ, as opposed to our obedience to the Old Testament law.

and are turning to a different gospel: Here it is literally (εἰς ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον; eis heteron euangelion) “into other gospel.” The Koine (common) Greek vocabulary of the New Testament is quite abundant and exact. To illustrate, the Greek makes a distinction between allos (John 14:16), meaning “another” of the same kind, and heteros, meaning “another” of a different kind. (Galatians 1:6) The Greek for gospel here (euangelion) is referring to the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ on behalf of all who are receptive. The Judaizes mixture of law and grace is another kind of gospel, a different gospel, wherein they are declaring that one’s obedience to the law is the good news that leads to salvation. We hear this being repeated today by some groups calling themselves Christian when they say, “this is what you need to do in order to be saved,” or “this is what you need to do to be a member of our congregation.” A gospel based on works is really no good news at all and is certainly a different message of grace.

Paul was amazed that the Galatians were so quickly deserting the gospel of grace. This meant that they were deserting God and, by extension, Paul, acting on behalf of God here on earth as his representative, and the gospel of grace. Paul was shaken with intense disbelief, astonished almost beyond his comprehension that these Jewish Christians, who had been delivered from bondage to the Mosaic Law, would, in fact, return to such a prison of legalism, being enslaved, dependent on the Law rather than on personal faith. The Judaizer’s combination of law and grace another, a different gospel, thus Paul exclaimed to the Galatians that by mixing the law with the gospel, this was is a misrepresentation of the truth. The entire provision for salvation is an act of God’s kindness, a gift that is not deserved. There is no way that any imperfect human can acquire salvation on his own, no matter how many works or how honorable his works are. Salvation is a gift from God, which is given to those who have faith in the sin-atoning sacrifice of God’s Son.

[1] Thinking, Understanding: (Gr. phren) The sense of phren is thinking, that is, using our mind to think through something carefully, implying that one is wise, a way of thinking, planning ahead.–1 Corinthians 14:20

[2] Or children as to badness

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