What Are Two Prerequisites to Spiritual Growth?

Please Help Us Keep These Thousands of Blog Posts Growing and Free for All

$5.00

Spiritual growth does not occur by accident, nor is it granted through mere emotional desire or passive religious involvement. It is a deliberate, progressive transformation that occurs when a person aligns his or her life with the will of Jehovah, through the knowledge of and obedience to Scripture. While many factors contribute to a mature Christian life, the Bible reveals two essential prerequisites that must be present for spiritual growth to begin and continue: a genuine hunger for God’s Word and a heart of humble obedience to God’s commands. Without these foundational qualities, no amount of religious activity, church attendance, or emotional zeal will result in spiritual maturity. These two prerequisites work together to produce a life that grows in righteousness, holiness, discernment, and steadfastness.

1. A Genuine Hunger for God’s Word

The first prerequisite for spiritual growth is a sincere, consistent desire for the Word of God. Just as physical life depends on nourishment, so too spiritual life requires regular intake of divine truth. Scripture is the food, the light, and the foundation for spiritual development. No one can grow in Christ without immersing themselves in the Word He has given.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:2, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” The Greek verb translated “long for” is ἐπιποθέω (epipotheō), meaning an intense craving or yearning. This is not casual interest but an urgent, constant appetite for the truths of Scripture. Just as a healthy baby instinctively desires milk for nourishment, so a spiritually healthy person desires the Word. Where this hunger is absent, growth will not occur.

The “pure spiritual milk” refers to the unadulterated truth of God’s Word, not diluted by human tradition, emotionalism, or worldly philosophy. This truth must be desired in its full strength, even when it corrects or convicts. Many professing Christians resist the harder teachings of Scripture, preferring light, affirming messages, but such resistance to truth reveals an immature heart. As Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” For those who are growing spiritually, God’s Word is not a burden but a delight.

A hunger for Scripture also results in consistent reading, deep study, and meditation. Joshua 1:8 commands, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night.” Spiritual maturity is directly tied to how deeply and frequently one interacts with God’s Word. It is through this interaction that the mind is renewed (Romans 12:2), discernment is developed (Hebrews 5:14), and sanctification progresses (John 17:17).

Moreover, the Word is the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works. Not by mystical impartation, but through illumination during thoughtful study and reflection. The Spirit uses Scripture to convict, correct, guide, and encourage. Without Scripture, the believer has no access to the mind of God and no defense against the lies of the world. As Jesus affirmed in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Spiritual life depends on spiritual food.

When professing believers show little interest in Scripture, their lack of growth is not surprising. A person who neglects God’s Word cannot expect to become mature in Christ. Growth begins with desire—and that desire must lead to disciplined, consistent intake of the Word. Only then can transformation begin.

2. A Heart of Humble Obedience to God’s Commands

The second prerequisite for spiritual growth is a heart that is submissive and obedient to God’s revealed will. Knowledge of Scripture, no matter how deep or comprehensive, is useless without application. The Bible never separates learning from living, nor doctrine from duty. It is not the hearers of the Word who are blessed, but the doers (James 1:22). True growth requires not just understanding truth but responding to it with obedience.

Jesus made this point repeatedly during His earthly ministry. In Luke 6:46, He asked, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Spiritual immaturity is often marked by this inconsistency—professing allegiance to Christ while resisting His commands. Obedience is not optional; it is the essential evidence of a growing, transforming relationship with God.

Obedience must be humble, because pride is the enemy of growth. A proud heart resists correction, rejects reproof, and exalts its own understanding. But Proverbs 3:5–6 commands, “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Growth begins when a person yields their will to God’s, recognizing that His ways are higher, His commands are right, and His wisdom is perfect.

Obedience also requires intentional effort. In Philippians 2:12–13, Paul exhorts believers to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.” This is not salvation by works, but the active process of sanctification, which demands daily submission, repentance, and action. Growth does not happen by osmosis—it happens by pursuing righteousness, denying sin, and practicing godliness.

Furthermore, obedience must be complete. Selective obedience—choosing only the commands that are convenient or comfortable—does not produce maturity. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” He did not say some of them, or only the agreeable ones. Spiritual growth requires wholehearted commitment to all of God’s revealed will. Partial obedience is disobedience, and it hinders progress.

Those who obey experience transformation. Romans 6:16 says, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves (douloi), you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Obedience shapes character, strengthens faith, and aligns the believer with God’s purposes. Where obedience flourishes, growth is inevitable.

Conclusion: Growth Demands Both Hunger and Submission

Spiritual growth cannot begin or continue unless a person both craves the truth of Scripture and submits to it in humble obedience. These two prerequisites—hunger for the Word and submission to God’s commands—are inseparable. Desire without obedience is empty emotionalism. Obedience without knowledge is blind ritualism. But when a believer desires the Word and yields to its authority, growth begins. That growth may be slow, sometimes difficult, and occasionally painful, but it is real and lasting.

Spiritual maturity is not a mystical state, nor is it a privilege reserved for a few. It is the expected result of a life grounded in truth and shaped by obedience. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). That sanctification begins with desire and is fulfilled through submission. Without these, no Christian will grow.

You May Also Enjoy

Why Does God Reveal His Purposes Progressively from Genesis to Revelation?

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).