Does God expect new believers to grow and mature?
Yes. God does not expect a new believer to remain a spiritual infant. He expects growth in grace, knowledge, and wisdom. Maturity is not instantaneous; it takes time, just as physical growth does. A new believer begins as a babe in Christ needing nourishment and care, then progresses toward maturity.
Les teaches that when a person believes, God pulls him out of the deadness of sin, gives him new life, sets his feet on a rock, forgives him, sanctifies him, and glorifies him. That believing makes a person totally different in outlook and desires, and it is not something worked for; it comes. Yet Les explains that a person is not going to be a mature Christian overnight. It takes time. The Christian life is like physical life: a new believer comes into the Christian life as a babe in Christ, an infant needing tender, loving care, nourishment, and protection. But God does not expect a new believer to stay that way. He expects them to begin to grow in grace, in knowledge, and in wisdom. Les calls this a perfect analogy between the physical and the spiritual. The same power of God unto salvation is more than escape from eternal doom; it is a lifestyle, and a true born-again child of God will become a good citizen.