Date

5-20-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)

Chair

Derek Brown

Keywords

body, maturity, individual maturity, corporate maturity, transformed, discipline, progress, fruit, holiness, sanctification, equipped, encourage, meet, challenge, many parts

Disciplines

Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

The apostle Paul and the author of Hebrews both discern within the early Christian communities a critical deficiency: some individual believers did not realize the value they would bring to the corporate Church body by maturing and remaining committed to the fellowship. For Paul, growth in Christ is inherently ecclesial; the believer’s Christian maturity contributes to the edification and unity of the body, as articulated in Ephesians 4, where maturity in faith and knowledge safeguards the church from fragmentation and instability. Spiritual immaturity, therefore, is not merely an individual shortcoming but a communal liability that threatens the integrity of the body of Christ. Similarly, the author of Hebrews situates perseverance and spiritual growth within the context of mutual exhortation and faithful participation in the gathered community of believers (Heb 10:24-25). Individual steadfastness and communal faithfulness are inseparable in the pursuit of holiness. Both writers present Christian maturity as a theological necessity grounded in the believer’s incorporation into Christ and his body; personal formation is realized not in isolation but through active participation in the sanctifying life of the community. In this vision, maturity functions as both an individual and corporate calling through which the church lives out the fullness of Christ.

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