How Old Are You (2)

1 Corinthians 3: 1 .And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. 2. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; 3. for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men? 4. For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?

Today's passage talks about how we grow. Now Paul uses babies as an example. So let’s start with that.

We all started out as babies. I was born at a very young age so I believe I know what I am talking about.

I learned from my daughter about “no than you bites”. Most kids automatically say they don’t like something, even if they haven’t tried it. My daughter tells my grandchildren to at least try it and if they don’t like they say “no thank you”.

When I was younger, I didn’t have a choice - “eat it or go hungry”. Pretty harsh.

Paul is telling the Corinthian church that they haven’t grown up enough to be fed solid food. They need further maturing. So let’s look at the stages of spiritual life.

BABY CHRISTIANS

Look at verse 1.

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

The term baby Christians may offend some people but in reality that is what a new believer is. There is a lot to learn as we grow in Christ.

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SIGN IN A NURSERY

“We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.”

(1 Corinthians 15:51)

You wouldn’t feed a newborn a steak right off. A new Christian shouldn’t expect to be an expert immediately after salvation, although some do believe they are.

New Christians need a mentor. Someone to help them through the rough spots and get them on the path to maturity.

Unfortunately, the church has fallen short of that task. Too often someone gets saved and everyone pats them of the back and tells them how happy they are and tell them - “Welcome to the family of God” and then forget about them. We let them fend for themselves with no direction of guidance. So they don’t grow properly and are still babes in Christ.

Paul gives us the main reason for this disconnect. Look at verses 2 and 3.

2. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; 3. for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?

He tells us we are carnal - of the flesh. All of our base instincts such as jealousy and strife (quarreling) get in the way. It stunts our growth. I am sure you know that when you are mad you don’t make very good decisions. Your emotions are controlling you.

Paul is saying that just like a baby that throws temper tantrums, baby Christians are still relying on self and not God. They are walking around on their own without thinking of God to direct their path.