Describe the five stages of spiritual growth. Relate each stage to one of the five Hebrew words for faith.

After salvation, our objective is to advance from the cross to the crown, progressing, as Paul says in Romans 1:17, from faith to faith. The five stages of spiritual growth correspond to the five Hebrew words for faith. First is the Babe, who enters the family of God as an infant the moment he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ; like a newborn he is helpless, and God begins the process not with demands but with comfort and nourishment, so the spiritual infant needs a great deal of nurturing, encouragement, and patient instruction, with little expected of him at first. This stage is illustrated by amen, the leaning faith of Genesis 15:6. Second is the Adolescent, the young, strong, and eager believer who has grasped some principles of truth and begun to apply them to life, but who suffers the growing pains of arrogance and rebellion against authority, is too eager to act on his own, mistakes knowledge for wisdom, and tends to want to apply the truth to everyone else. Troublesome but not apathetic, no one reaches maturity without passing through this stage, which is illustrated by batach, the wrestling faith of Psalm 37:3. Third is the Mature believer, who is able to take meat, the advanced doctrine of the Word. He knows enough of the Bible to take responsibility for his own life, becomes occupied with fulfilling the plan God has for him, and gives himself to training and discipline, building spiritual muscle. This stage is illustrated by chasah, the confident faith of Psalm 57:1 that takes refuge in the Lord. Fourth is the Hero of Faith, one who has gone beyond maturity and learned to fight the good fight, advancing from responsibility for his own life to responsibility for the lives of others—always ready to pick up fallen comrades, treat their wounds, encourage them, and supply their needs. Heroes still make mistakes and fail, but they always stand back up and go back into battle. This stage is illustrated by yachal, the healing faith of Job 13:15. Fifth is the Friend of God, the highest of all possible achievements in life. Every believer has the potential and the assets to reach it, but very few do, because it takes persistence and tenacity; the only ones who make it this far are those who absolutely refuse to quit. This stage is illustrated by qawah, the enduring faith of Isaiah 40:31.