Journey Through The Bible
      Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 25-28
     New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 3

For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still worldly (1 Corinthians 3: 1-3a).

One of the major problems in the church today is Christians who are content with being saved. They are going to heaven when they die and that’s all they care about; they have no desire to grow in their faith. They accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior but have never made Him the Lord of their lives. They are Peter-Pan Christians! Children in the faith who don’t want to grow up.

This is not a new problem in the church. The Apostle Paul experienced the same problem with the church at Corinth. Paul explains there are two kinds of Christians: mature and immature. A Christian matures by allowing the Spirit to teach him and direct him by feeding on God’s Word. The immature Christian lives for things of the flesh and has little interest in the things of the Spirit. Of course, some Believers are immature because they have only been saved for a short time, but that is not what Paul is discussing here. Paul presents several distinctions between the two.

First is their diet. Just as you need a balanced diet of physical food to have a healthy body, the Spiritual person needs a balanced diet of spiritual food. A baby begins with milk, but as he grows and his teeth develop, he needs solid food. The immature Christian lives on Bible Stories but does not understand Bible Doctrines. Paul said I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it (v2). The writer of Hebrews addressed the same problem, Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food (Heb 5:12).

Another way to determine maturity is the mature Christian practices love and seeks to get along with others. Children like to disagree and fusses. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? (v3). Paul will have much more to say about putting aside childish ways and practicing love in chapter 13.

Children like to identify with heroes. Whether sports, comic books, movies, or music, their hero is the best. These immature Christians in Corinth were fighting over which preacher was the greatest, Paul, Apollos, or Peter. It sounded like children on the playground shouting, “My dad is bigger than your dad!”

Paul then addresses their ministry. The mature Christian’s labor is building God’s kingdom with gold, silver, and costly stones, while the immature’s labor is nothing but wood, hay, and straw. Precious metals and costly jewels are valuable, beautiful, and enduring. Wood, hay, and straw are common, valueless, and inferior. It refers to qualities of Christian conduct and the motive behind their service. Mature Christians work to build into people’s lives enduring qualities and spiritual maturity. They minister so that Jesus is glorified, while the immature performs works of ministry so that they will look good. They rely on worldly wisdom to accomplish their task and are concerned that they receive credit for their service.