²⁰ Brothers, ^(A)do not be children in your thinking. ^(B)Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be ^(C)mature.

¹¹ And ^(A)he gave the ^(B)apostles, the prophets, the ^(C)evangelists, the ^(D)shepherds^[a] and teachers,^{[b] 12 (E)}to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for ^(F)building up ^(G)the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to ^(H)the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, ^(I)to mature manhood,^[c] to the measure of the stature of ^(J)the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, ^(K)tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in ^(L)deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, ^(M)speaking the truth in love, we are to ^(N)grow up in every way into him who is ^(O)the head, into Christ, ^16 (P)from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, ^(Q)when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

²⁸ Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that ^(A)we may present everyone ^(B)mature in Christ.

Warning Against Apostasy

¹¹ About this we have much to say, and it is ^(A)hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again ^(B)the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need ^(C)milk, not solid food, ¹³ for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is ^(D)a child. ¹⁴ But solid food is for ^(E)the mature, for those who have their powers ^(F)of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

6 Therefore ^(A)let us leave ^(B)the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance ^(C)from dead works and of faith toward God,