1 Corinthians 3

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 1 Corinthians 3:2

In the preceding verse, Paul said to the Corinthians that he had to speak to them “as babes in Christ.” This makes his comment in verse 2 understandable – “I fed you with milk and not solid food” is a metaphor for his speech to them. Because they were uneducated in the things of Christ, he spoke to them about the elementary tenets of the faith.

Babies don’t come out of the womb and start chewing on steak. Instead, they require milk in order to develop. Eventually, through growth, they can start nibbling on pieces of bread or a bit of rice. As teeth develop, they can start to chew on tougher foods, like meat. This is also how we should develop spiritually, a little bit at a time. Unfortunately, those in Corinth stayed in a state of infancy and failed to move to adolescence and beyond. Paul tells them that they “were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.”

Again, the writer of Hebrews provides a parallel thought to this in Hebrews 6:1-3 –

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.”

Here, the author of Hebrews cites all of these as “elementary principles.” They are things that even the novice in Christianity should be able to explain competently. Paul, writing to the Corinthians found that they were unable to handle even these basic principles and so he was obliged to continue to feed them milk, not meat. In chapter 14, he will relay to them their state of infancy when explaining to them about speaking in tongues. They were using tongues in church the way many churches still do today. There he says to them –

“Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.” 1 Corinthians 14:20

In the coming verse, Paul will give a list of other areas where the Corinthians were weak. By reviewing those things, we will see a congregation that still had one foot in the outside world. They were carnal and lacking Christian maturity. Two thousand years later, the faith is still full of such people – not because there are so many new believers, but because so many don’t take time to faithfully read and study their Bibles. When they do, they continue to forget the context of the passage and only disorder results in their biblical understanding. Through Paul’s hand, God is showing us how to keep this from occurring.

Life application: Go back up and read the list of “elementary principles” noted above by the author of Hebrews. Ask yourself if you can rightly explain each of them and why you believe them. If not, take extra time to learn them in a way that solidifies your understanding of them.

Heavenly Father, help me to grow in Your word to the point where I can defend the principle doctrines of the faith. The Bible is Your word and what it teaches has been given to me so that I can grow in spiritual maturity. And so help me to properly handle it, be able to explain it, and defend its truths when it is attacked. I know that with this, You will be pleased. Amen.

Monday, 21 April 2014

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:1

Paul is referring back to the words of the previous chapter, where he is comparing the natural to the spiritual. In verse 2:14, he said this –

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

It is important to understand that there is a difference between the word “natural” which is the Greek psychikos, and the word “carnal” in this verse. It is the Greek word sarkinois. The first word, natural, is not one applied to Christians – regardless of their spiritual maturity. It is a person who has never received Christ and is unregenerate.

Instead of this when speaking of the Corinthians, he uses a word which indicates a lack of spiritual maturity in Christ, but not a lack of spiritual nature. They have not developed in their walk and remain no more than spiritual babies. This state of immaturity is well-described by the author of Hebrews –

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14

And this is how Paul now speaks to those in Corinth. “And I” is Paul’s introduction to the coming rebuke based on his previous words concerning spiritual matters. “Brethern” indicates that Paul is writing to the body of saved believers. This is a very important point to understand because by the time he gets to chapter 5, there will be a “brother” who is conducting his affairs in such an inappropriate manner that he will actually advise the body to “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul’s words in times like this, and in a host of other instances, indicate the eternality of salvation; one cannot lose what has been bestowed by the grace of God. But they can lose rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul is hoping to impart spiritual instruction to these immature believers so that they will grow, mature, and be found acceptable in their walk with Christ.

Though these are “brethren,” he says to them that he “could not speak to [you] as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.” Though they are brethren, saved by the blood of Christ, he was unable to impart to them anything beyond the first milk of their spiritual meal. Unfortunately, this is a chronic condition in many. There is little desire to ever be weaned off the basics and to dig deeper into spiritual matters. What is all the more saddening is that in our modern world, we have the Bible available at our fingertips at any given moment and yet we find it too much effort to pick it up, study it, and mature in our faith.

Life application: Spiritual maturity can only come through spiritual growth. Spiritual growth can only come through proper instruction in the tools available to the student. And the main tool that we have for spiritual growth and understanding is the Holy Bible. Logic, philosophy, etc are only effective for spiritual growth if they are combined with understanding the nature of God revealed in the Bible. Apart from this, they are ineffective for spiritual maturity. All things must be brought back to harmony with the word of God for spiritual growth to occur.

Lord God, I commit to reading my Bible every morning when I rise and every evening before I go to bed. Amen.