Spiritual Maturity: Principles of Spiritual Growth for … (2024)

This is one of those books that you take the time to study through and don't just read it once. You need a pen, highlighter and journal. It's a wonderful read full of conviction, challenges and comfort that is beneficial for believers at all stages of their walk. I look forward to reading the other books in the series. Oswald is very eloquent and precise that it is advised to have always a dictionary to hand while reading this book. It's worth digging into the meanings of things so as to grasp the topic as much as possible.

Definitely going on my annual reads list. Definitely recommended.

The questions at the end of each chapter are very helpful for reflection. It's a good book, heavy at times but very rich. It covers many areas of Christian maturity, but I was most impacted by the chapters on the transforming power of the Spirit. The questions and topics in these chapters really made me interrogate my understanding of the Holy Spirit and His gifts.

I first encountered J. Oswald Sanders when a good friend of mine recommended the book Enjoying Intimacy with God. It seemed to have a rather profound effect upon him. I read it as well, and was able to see where the effect came from. When I encountered the three book series from Moody by Sanders--including Spiritual Maturity, Spiritual Discipleship, and Spiritual Leadership--I was eager to jump in.

The first one that I ordered was Spiritual Maturity: Practices of Spiritual Growth for Every Believer, which was first published in 1962. The book is divided into 21 chapters, with seven each devoted to maturity in The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Each of the chapters is deeply biblical and also makes use of spiritual wisdom from individuals throughout the history of the church. As an aspiring poet, I particularly enjoyed his inclusion of both his own rhymes as well as those of others, such as George Hebert.

Although they were all excellent, two chapters in particular stood out as exceptional. Chapter 6, entitled "the moral antipathy of God" dealt quite effectively with the pervasive issue of pride. Also chapter 11, "Christ's ideal of character" examined the blessed life through the eyes of the beatitudes. Chapter 11 contained one of the sentences that may be amongst the most glorious sentences outside of the Bible I've read: "Many Christians bring unnecessary opprobrium upon themselves and the cause of Christ by their aggressive tactlessness" (Page 138).

One final thought. Though I typically prefer hardbacks, the construction of this little volume is exceptional. There are two color pages throughout, bright clean paper, and a sturdy cover.

I suspect this book I will revisit, and certainly chapters 6 and 11. I also think that for most believers, it would be a worthwhile resource as well.

I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my review. I was not required to give a positive review. The opinions presented here on my own.

This is an excellent book to read regarding the basic doctrines concerning the Trinity -- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I highly recommend it -- not necessarily for brand new believers -- but for those who are wanting to deepen a fairly young faith and begin to mature in their knowledge of God. And -- of course -- it is good for all seasoned believers who are needing a refresher on the basics of the faith.

One of, if not the best book I’ve ever read on spiritual maturity. It doesn’t give you an itemized list of dos and don’t; instead it takes you through a simple but powerful study of each of the three members of the Trinity. Leaves you thinking and challenges you to grow in the faith. This is a must-read for all who desire to mature spiritually.

Read this book with a group in my church. Interesting format, suggesting scripture reading which directly corresponds to the content. Split into three parts, each part pertaining to the trinitarian Godhead. This book is a great expositional piece on the bible, and I enjoyed it. 240 Pages

Great book, has some helpful insights.

J. Oswald Sanders writes in a similar vein as he did in “Spiritual Leadership”. Though this title is not as well-known as his leadership classic, it probes with the same depth into spiritual maturity. As the subtitle says, he brings out principles of spiritual growth for every believer. It is an outstanding book.
He has a Trinitarian breakdown in the three parts of this book. In part one he writes on the overruling providence of God, in part two on the supreme vision of Christ, and in part three he writes on the Holy Spirit as the breath of God. As the editors say in the preface, this title “is not just a ‘how-to’, but a ‘be’ volume”.
In part one, he first tackles Romans 8:28 and goes beyond the usual shallow interpretations we find for that verse. He does find the good. In the next chapter, we get an outstanding vision of our God and how it always led to “profound self-abasem*nt”. I love this chapter. Next, he finds the persevering love in the Lord being called the God of Jacob. In another chapter, he reviews the purposes of God’s disciplines as well as the perfected strength He gives. In chapter 6, he probes the ugliness of pride. After that, he discusses faith, deliverance, and the compensations of faith.
In part two, he first uses Revelation 5:9 to look at the transcendent worthiness of Christ. Chapter 10 looks at intercession, which he calls the unfinished work of Christ. In chapter 11, he takes one of the Beatitudes and describes Christ’s ideal of character. We also get looks at discipleship on Christ’s terms in one chapter and another on seeing the message to the church at Ephesus as a personal letter from Christ. In chapter 14, he describes what he calls a “reigning life through Christ”.
In part three, he first describes what he means by the Spirit being the breath of God, followed by an explanation of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Later chapters consider the purging fire of the Spirit, the mighty dynamic of the Spirit, and the missionary passion of the Spirit. The remaining two chapters makes sense of the controversial subject of speaking with tongues.
I underlined many lines in every chapter. The beautiful part about this work is how he draws his conclusions from the biblical text itself. In addition to being such a helpful devotional book, this is a good example for preachers in communicating truth. Mark down this title as a real jewel.

A classic book with bold messages, the impression I got from the book. It consist of three parts, in which each part address the character of trinity. First part address about heavenly Father, then two parts after that addsress about Jesus & Holy Spirit respectively. In brief, this book tells about the trinity and how Each of them influence the world and human personally. This book straightens also the misunderstandings of how we see God along with many bible passages.

Now that I’ve read all three of Sanders’ books (Spiritual Leadership / Discipleship / Maturity), I can confidently say that these three books are some of the most important books a Christian could ever read. I don’t know which one I enjoyed the most, but there were quite a few chapters in this book that blew my mind and it was some of the greatest things I have ever read. Loved this and couldn’t recommend it enough!

Rating: 10/10! Obviously five stars.

This is a must read for every follower of Christ. So convicting and inspiring. Great book to use in discipleship/mentoring. Sanders commitment to the inerrancy of scripture and the sufficiency of scripture is shown throughout his writings.

A phenomenal resource and dive into spiritual maturity. This did not hit the topic like I thought it would, but it really left me looking inward at some things in my own life. It has great question at the end of each chapter as well as a small group study at the back.

Tremendous book. One of the best I’ve ever read.

One of my favorite reads of the year! I didn't care for the part on tongues but otherwise a great book especially how he explains the breath of the Holy Ghost, and Romans 8:28! Awesome book!

This is a supremely deep read. Need to go back to it, regularly, forever.

من اجمل الكتب الروحية التي تساعد المؤمن على تقوية العلاقة مع الرب يسوع المسيح.

I couldnt wrap my head around a lot of the information in this book. I think I will enjoy it more in a few years.

Must read for every Christian who wants to mature in their faith...

A solid book with many good chapters on topics such as the attributes of God and Christ, the commitment and sacrifice of the disciple and the work of the Holy Spirit. A good, basic theological work.

seemed like a doctrinally stable book. dry though, as were the other two in this series. the last two chapters in the book dealt with tongues which was somewhat interesting. I prefer John Bunyan and Charles spurgeon to this author, but I prefer this author 10 times more than someone like houge or some devotional feel-good "be blessed" book. anyway, if you are looking for dry potatoes and barley green, this is the book.

This was highly regarded by someone I highly respect. but I guess it didn't scratch where I itch.

Working on the series, this one blew me away!

5 stars = Yearly re-read
4 stars = Re-read eventually
3 stars = Very Good
2 stars = OK
1 stars = Pass on this one.
0 stars = Couldn't finish it.

Great Work

Really had a lot to think about whilst reading this book, glade I got it. Would recommend to anyone who desires more in their spiritual life.