Part 7: Overcoming Spiritual Immaturity in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1–7 NASB95

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

Introduction

We saw Paul explaining that what matters most in preaching is Christ crucified. It’s not about how one speaks it per se. It’s about the message of Jesus.

The wisdom Paul has is from God, not the world. Although he may not speak with flowery words, the message he preaches is divine wisdom.

One of the underlying practical points for Paul’s audience: The Corinthians are not spiritual Christians; they are “natural” Christians. Paul is laying it all on the line.

1. The Problem: Spiritual Immaturity (3:1)

1 Corinthians 3:1 NASB95

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.

This is parallel to what we saw Paul describing last week:

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

Here in chapt 3, Paul now uses the phrases “spiritual men” and “men of flesh.”

“Spiritual men” = spiritually mature

“Men of flesh” = spiritually immature; seen where Paul clarifies it by referring to them as “infants in Christ”

The Corinthians are not without the Holy Spirit—they are indeed Christians—but they are acting like those who do not have the Spirit. And so, Paul must treat them like unbelievers in some ways, as if they do not have the capacity to understand the things of God.

The problem, then, is spiritual immaturity. But what is spiritual immaturity specifically? Paul explains in a metaphor of what spiritual maturity looks like:

2. What is Spiritual Immaturity?(3:2)

1 Corinthians 3:2 NASB95

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able.

Milk vs. Solid food

This is a metaphor we still understand today. We know that infants cannot eat solid food. They eat strictly milk until they are old enough to handle solid food.

Video Illustration of Infant Trying Food

Note that the child spits out the food, gags a little, doesn’t want it.

Paul is telling the Corinthians that this is how they are. They are not even able to receive solid food. He has to, even at the present time, feed them milk because they can’t handle anything else. They keep spitting it out.

Examples of Milk vs. Solid Food

Paul gives a great explanation in Ephesians 4:11–16 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

The work of service

The unity of the faith

The knowledge of the Son of God

No longer accepting false teaching

Speaking truth in love

Every individual using his or her spiritual gifts

Building each other up in love

Summed up: Service, Knowledge, Love

Application

When you’re on Milk you do the following: the church serves me, it is to do things the way I want them to be done, sit in the pew and watch, consumerist, demanding, ridicules people, refuses to learn about God and His Word (or cannot), says and acts unloving, does not know basic Christian/biblical teaching

Solid Food: use your spiritual gifts, serve others, think about how to help others, pursue unity by encouraging and uplifting others, loving people no matter who they are, avoid gossip and slander, you not only know basic Christian doctrine but you pursue to understand more deeply, practice spiritual disciplines (study, solitude, meditation, confession, fasting, simplicity)

David Peterson, Engaging with God:

“The terminology of service implies devotion to God as a pattern of life. . . . It is therefore necessary to recognize that, from a scriptural point of view, worship involves specific acts of adoration and submission as well as a lifestyle of obedient service” (70; emphasis mine). “The problem for translation and for theology is that the English word ‘worship’ is generally used too narrowly.”

When we begin to live a life of obedience, we begin to grow up and need and can receive solid food.

When we begin to build people up and not tear them down, we are growing up. When we begin to be kind with our words and refrain from gossip and slander, we are growing up. When we begin to have gentleness and self-control and do away with outbursts of anger, we are growing up. When we begin to be soberminded and no longer use foul language at others, we are growing up. When we come to know more about God and the deeper truths of the faith, we are growing up. When we spend time with God daily, we are growing up.

3. What are some Evidences of Spiritual Immaturity? (3:3-4)

Jealousy and Strife (v.3)

1 Corinthians 3:3 NASB95

for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

“Jealousy” (ζῆλος) = where we get our word “zealous” - in the context here means “jealous” - when you are upset and desirous of what someone else has, often accompanied by anger or sense of unhappiness, discontentment - you envy what someone else has

Corinthians were jealous in many respects: (1) the teachers they followed (2) probably other husbands’ wives (3) material possessions - many lawsuits among themselves (4) freedom they took in Christ, e.g., eating meat sacrificed to idols (5) spiritual gifts

“strife” (ἔρις) - contention, battle, quarreling, wrangling, disputing (i.e, can’t get along, like little children fussing all the time)

Amp Paraphrase: “For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?”

Another evidence of spiritual immaturity is:

Cult of Personality (v.4)

1 Corinthians 3:4 NASB95

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

We often think of a cult of personality in the context of politics. We think of like a Hitler or a Stalin. But cults of personalities are often found in religious circles. In religious circles, a cult of personality develops when people gravitate toward and elevate/venerate a particular person. Often, the person is a charismatic leader or someone who has a strong personality and has ways of persuading/manipulating people. Sometimes a cult of personality is not the fault of the person whom the crowd follows. Often, a cult of personality can arise because of what the group of people do.

This is what we see here at Corinth. The Corinthians were placing particular preachers and teachers on a pedestal. Some Corinthians were saying, “I follow Paul.” Others, “I follow Apollos” or “I follow Cephas/Peter.”

Of course, there are other characteristics or evidences of spiritual immaturity. Paul just mentions these two presently. He will discuss a lot more throughout the entire letter of 1 Cor.

So the Corinthians have an issue: they are spiritually immature. They cannot handle solid food. What can they do? What is a solution? Or, what is the solution for us to grow spiritually and put off immaturity?

4. What is a Solution to Spiritual Immaturity? (3:5-7)

Recognize that You are a Mere Servant (v.5)

1 Corinthians 3:5 NASB95

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.

Paul, the one who was called specifically by Christ in a vision on his way to Damascus, had things revealed to him directly by Jesus, a man who was becoming a leading Pharisee, very educated, knew the Scriptures backward and forward, kept the Law of Moses well, called directly by Jesus to be an apostle, and one who wrote 13/14 books of the NT (the majority). And he calls himself what?

“Servant” (διάκονος) - Where we get our word “deacon” - lit means “one who serves tables” - Paul does not see himself as the master of a house, but as a servant of a house. He sees himself as one who washes the dirty feet of the master and guests who enter the house.

In addition to recognizing that we are mere servants, we also must”

Recognize that God Builds His Church (v.6-7)

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 NASB95

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

“God was causing the growth” - Paul, Apollos, etc. cannot take the credit for the Corinthians conversion or growth of faith in any sense. They were mere servants; it is God who caused their growth. It is God who gets the credit for their salvation.

In fact, Paul states it very strongly: “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything.”

Paul is saying to the Corinthians: “To raise your hand and say, ‘Look what I did! Look at the ministry I built,’ or ‘I’m going to follow Paul/Apollos because they built this church,’ is flat out false.” All of us are nothing. God builds his church.

We see this over and over in the Scriptures:

Foundationally, Jesus est his church: Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Pentecost - Acts 2:46–47 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Paul would tell the Corinthians in his second letter that even those who plant seeds (Paul) do not even provide the seed itself: 2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”

To make it more clear, NIrV: “God supplies seed for the person who plants. He supplies bread for food. God will also supply and increase the amount of your seed. He will increase the results of your good works.”

Illustration:

Christianbook.com, typed in the search bar “church growth,” 8868 results popped up.

There are literally thousands of books written on how we can grow a church. The most ironic thing is that the Bible never attributes to us the growth of the body, but to God.

This does not mean that we are not involved with the process. We obviously are. We are seed-planters and we water. But it is God who gives the growth. We can never say, “Look at how I build this church and ministry.”

Application:

Do we want to grow spiritually? We, too, must recognize that we are mere servants, and we are nothing and we build nothing.

We must never lose sight of the fact that all glory goes to God. He grows his church.

This calls for us to be humble.

But God does use us, as servants, as vessels (as a means) to build his church. So what are we doing?

We need to maintain our focus on the mission Christ gave to us: make disciples - our part in this is to become equipped on how to speak and teach the word of God to others and spread the Gospel.

We need to become stronger disciples: learn to love and serve each other better; Study God’s Word more deeply so we understand God and his will better; incorporate the practice of spiritual disciplines in order to allow the HS to mold and shape us

Conclusion

We all have a spiritual problem. Believer as well as unbeliever.

Believer: we are still in need of renewal, overcoming the sinful habits of our flesh.

Unbeliever: you need your nature changed.