1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 3:1-8,
“Milk Or Meat Of The Word?”
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.
Our last study was a sequel of the previous message, and it’s theme was
resting on the wisdom and sufficiency of God
1.1.1. We saw that the apostle Paul
wrote to the Corinthians that when he came to them that he did not rely upon
human wisdom or eloquence of speech but instead spoke simple concepts from the
Word of God as the Holy Spirit led and anointed him to do
1.1.2. We saw how Paul relied upon
the simple gospel message whenever he preached
1.1.3. We saw that Christ Himself
is the sufficiency of the believer
1.2.
In our study today we are going to see that the apostle Paul now gets
deep into his corrective for this church in Corinth, the purpose for which he
wrote the book
1.2.1. We will see that he begins
in this section to really get to the root of all of the problems that were
occurring in the church in Corinth
1.2.2. We are going to see that
there are two different places spiritually speaking where a Christian is going
to be in his walk
1.2.2.1.He is spiritual (or
spirit-filled, or controlled and empowered)
1.2.2.1.1.Thus, he can digest solid
food, the meat of the Word of God
1.2.2.2.He is a babe (or spiritually
immature)
1.2.2.2.1.He cannot be benefited by
the meat of the Word of God but instead must be pampered and taught the milk of
the Word
2.
VS 3:1 - “3:1
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to
men of flesh, as to babes in Christ.” - Paul tells the Corintians that when he was with them that he had
to talk with them as if they were ‘babes’ in Christ
2.1.
Having
rebuked the church in Corinth for their divisions and party spirit, Paul then
contrasted the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God and exhorted the
church to rest in the wisdom and sufficiency of God in all things. Now Paul begins to explain to the church the
real underlying reason for all of the problems that they presently had in the
church.
2.1.1. All people have codes or
philosophies by which they live their life, and after a person comes to know
Christ God begins to lead him to that place in his life where those codes or
philosophies by which he lives his life are based upon Christ and the truth
that God has given us in His Word. In
this process, there is a tremendous amount of learning as well as unlearning
the stuff from our previous life before coming to Christ. In order for us Christians to grow in our
faith we must learn to daily have the habit of seeking the Lord in our quiet
times where we pray to the Lord and let Him speak to us and teach us of His
ways from His Word. Our growth and
maturity in Christ are hinged upon whether or not we are willing to heed and
conform our life to those things that God reveals to us daily from His Word.
2.1.2. Spiritual maturity in Christ
is not based upon just getting knowledge about God from His Word, like in the
sense that the Gnostics had their secret knowledge that they gained, but rather
it is based upon our conforming our lives to what God’s Word teaches us.
2.1.3. When Paul had first gone and
planted the church in Corinth, the people were coming out of idolatry and from
a horribly sinful and corrupt culture, and thus Paul put up with a lot of
things in their lives as they came into the church and then began to grow.
2.1.3.1.When a person places seeds
in his yard to grow plants, he places the seeds into the soil and then begins
to water the seeds each day. Then,
after a few days the little shoots begin to come up, however they come up with
weeds around them. To avoid damaging
the plants he does not prune the little shoots for a sufficient amount of time
in order for those plants to grow up to a size where they could survive a
pruning. Thus, he puts up with some
unhealthy growth of a plant and even weeds that come up around it for a period
of time. Then, finally at a point of
time the plant will possibly need some pruning of dead parts if it is to grow
up to be healthy. In the same way, when
Christians are new in their faith they need that tender nurture and care not
harsh rebuke in order for them to be able to grow up in their faith. However, there comes a time in Christians’
lives in which some form of correction (or pruning) from brothers and sisters
in Christ will probably be necessary in order for them to grow.
2.1.4. In this Letter, Paul has now
begun the process of correcting the Corinthians. In this section today, he really gets to the root of all of their
problems.
2.1.4.1.Paul now begins to explain
to the Corinthians that their understanding of spiritual things has been
hindered because of their spiritual immaturity in Christ.
2.1.4.2.Paul tells them that the
entire time that he was initially with them (during his second missionary journey)
that he had to always talk with them as if they were still just babies in their
faith. He had to give them milk for
spiritual food.
2.1.4.3.Paul will tell them next
that he still has to give them milk for there are still not able to take solid
food.
2.2.
In
this section of scripture, Paul contrasts two kinds of Christians: those who are mature in Christ or spiritual men, and those who are
immature in their faith and are therefore carnal
or men of flesh. Both kinds of men
are saved, however they are each in a different kind of a relation to God in
their lives. As Paul writes in
Galatians chapter 5, the spiritual man is controlled
and empowered or filled with the
Holy Spirit (the fruit of the Holy Spirit is manifested, Gal. 5:22,23), but the
carnal man is controlled by his
selfishness and fleshly passions and desires (characterized in Gal. 5:19-21):
2.2.1. Galatians 5:16-23, “16 But I say, walk
by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.17 For the
flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for
these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that
you please.18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.19
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity,
sensuality,20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of
anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and
things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that
those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
2.3.
When
a person becomes a Christian, the “old nature” (or flesh) is positionally
crucified and rendered powerless and ineffective, however God does not remove
its influence in the Christian’s life.
The Christian must learn to “reckon” the old man to be dead to
sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:11), and he must begin putting the deeds of the
flesh to death, appropriating what Christ has done positionally to his old
sinful nature.
2.4.
The
Corinthians had not evolved very far in regard to putting to death the deeds of
the flesh, and as a result they were often found yielding to the sinful
passions and desires of the flesh. The primary purpose for this entire letter
is to point out those areas where the Corinthians had compromised and were
sinning, and then to exhort them to repent of those sins.
2.5.
Being
a “babe in Christ” is
not determined by one’s physical age, nor by how long it has been since a
person received Christ into his life, rather it is determined by how far the
person has progressed in his walk since receiving Christ.
2.5.1. A sixty year old man who
receives Christ into his life is initially a “babe in Christ”
2.5.2. A person who has been a
Christian for forty years and yet is not mature in his faith is still a “babe”.
2.5.3. Likewise, it is possible for
a young man or woman to be mature in the Lord.
2.5.3.1.For example, Hudson Taylor
comes to mind who at the age of 16 hopped a ship for China with basically the
clothes on his back in order to try and win a nation for Christ as a
missionary.
2.5.4. In the case of the Corinthians,
they had for the most part been Christians for a good amount of time, yet they
had remained in a very immature walk with Christ and therefore they were still “babes
in Christ”.
2.6.
Paul
was frustrated that the last time he had been with the Corinthians he had not
been able to admonish the church in any of the deeper aspects of the Word and
of Christian living, and even now he was not able to exhort them in anything
but the most basic of Christian truths.
The reason is because then as now the church was primarily walking
according to the flesh and they would not be able to understand or be benefited
by anything but the elementary doctrines and teachings concerning salvation and
the Christian life.
3.
VS 3:2 - “3:2
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.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that when he was with them he fed them
milk of the Word for they were not able to handle solid food
3.1.
Paul
recalls that when he last was with the Corinthians that he was not able to give
them any meat of the Word, because they were just babes in Christ. As babes in Christ they couldn’t understand
or be benefited by anything but simply the milk of the Word.
3.2.
Just
as a baby cannot digest anything but its mother’s milk at birth, so Christians
cannot initially after conversion digest anything but the milk of God’s
Word. Solid food would cause a baby to
choke and get indigestion, likewise the meat of the Word will cause a carnal
Christian to choke and have spiritual indigestion.
3.3.
By
‘milk’ Paul refers to those most basic principles of the gospel and the
Christian walk. Paul hadn’t been able
to share anything deeper than those things because the Corinthians couldn’t
receive anything more, and Paul was surely frustrated from having to constantly
go over those same basic concepts.
3.4.
Paul
(the alleged author of the book of Hebrews) wrote his letter of Hebrews to
Jewish Christians, and in that letter he explains to them that they too had
remained carnal Christians for much too long, and they were not growing in
their faith, Heb. 5:12-6:2, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all
over again. You need milk, not solid food!
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not
acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have
trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and
go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that
lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying
on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”
3.4.1. It was to the shame of the
people in Corinth as well as the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews that
so many had remained in an infantile state of understanding and conduct in
their Christian life.
3.4.2. Notice in these verses also
that Paul tells them what the ‘milk’ of the Word consisted of, it was the
teachings about those most basic principles of the Christian walk including:
3.4.2.1.Repentence from acts that
lead to death
3.4.2.2.Faith in God
3.4.2.3.Instructions about baptisms
3.4.2.4.Laying on of hands
3.4.2.5.Resurrection of the dead
3.4.2.6.Eternal Judgment
3.5.
A
baby is very cute and adorable after birth, yet as a child begins to grow in
age childish behavior becomes less and less endearing and acceptable for a
child. In the same way, we Christians
who remain as babes in Christ long after we are saved are a shame and discredit
to the name by which we have been saved.
There is nothing cute and endearing about a Christian who has been saved
a long time and yet has no maturity in his walk.
3.5.1. In light of the incredible
opportunities we in the church in America today have to know God’s Word and
live for Him, I wonder what Paul might write to some of us as to where we ought
to be in our walk?
3.6.
The
primary reason that a child of God has stunted growth spiritually is
two-fold: ignorance of what God’s Word
says, and lack of obedience to what it says.
3.6.1. Just as babies are born to
grow up into adults, Christians are born to mature and be built up in their
faith in such a way that God can use them.
3.7.
It
is primarily by feeding upon the Word of God that a Christian grows in his
faith. We Christians need to be in a
church where we can be fed God’s Word so that we can grow and be healthy
Christians.
3.7.1. We also need to learn to
feed ourselves the Word of God daily so that we can grow spiritually. Peter wrote about this in 1 Peter 2:1-3,
“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy
and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that
by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of
the Lord”.
3.7.2. As these verses in 1 Peter 2
teach us, we have to put away or repent of the sins (such as malice, guile,
hypocrisy, envy, and slander) in our life and as we do that long for and begin
to drink daily from the milk of God’s Word as we have our quiet times.
3.7.3. Just as in order for a baby
to begin to grow strong bones and muscles it must begin to eat meat and other solid food, so too in order
for Christians to begin to grow in their relationship with God they must
graduate from being able to eat only milk but also the solid food of the deep
concepts of the Christian life and walk.
3.8.
We
Christians must progress on in our life to be “spiritual men” who
forsake walking after the desires and passions of the flesh.
3.8.1. As we read this letter to
the Corinthians, we Christians ought to ask ourselves whether or not our lives
are characterized by the deeds of the flesh or the deeds of the Spirit?
3.8.2. As we read this book, we
Christians ought to ask ourselves how wide is the door of our heart open to the
teachings of God’s Word.
3.8.3. Are we doers of God’s Word
or just hearers?
3.8.3.1.When we read or hear God’s
Word is our response immediately to see how that we can be able to apply it to
our lives?
3.8.3.2.Or, are we content just to
read or hear it.
4.
VS 3:3 - “3:3
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?” - Paul tells the Corinthians that their present behavior shows that
they are walking in the flesh and not the Spirit
4.1.
A
person who is walking according to the flesh, as the Corinthians were, is one
who is serving his own passions and desires wherever they may lead him. Self, not Christ, is on the throne of his
life calling all of the shots.
4.1.1. Selfishness is the primary
characteristic of the flesh life, and therefore jealousy and strife is often
going to result from one who is yielding to live for self.
4.1.1.1.Jealousy and envy occur in
our lives as Christians when our lives are so centered around ourselves that
all we are concerned about is what benefits us. When someone else is blessed in some way or promoted in some way,
instead of being genuinely happy and rejoicing for the good done to the other person
we feel that we deserved that instead of that other person.
4.1.1.1.1.This is such a horrible sin
that the first murder occurred in the first family when Cain was jealous that
his brother Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God while his wasn’t, and he
murdered his brother.
4.1.2. Strife occurs when a person
puts his own interests over the interests of others to the extent that he is
willing to stir up trouble even though doing so will just cause hurt feelings
and divisions.
4.2.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that the jealousy and strife which were present in their
life demonstrated that their life resembled their sinful flesh life or carnal
nature, and that their lives were not controlled and empowered by the Holy
Spirit.
4.2.1. Paul described how the
nature of the flesh behaves in Rom. 8:5-9, “For they that are after the
flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit. For
to be carnally minded is death; but
to be spiritually minded is life and
peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”.
4.2.1.1.To be carnal, or walk after
the flesh Paul says is to:
4.2.1.1.1.You mind or are concerned
about things of the flesh.
4.2.1.1.2.It is death.
4.2.1.1.3.It is ‘enmity’ or hostility
against God.
4.2.1.1.4.It is to not be subject to
the law of God, and not to even be able to be so.
4.2.1.1.5.You cannot please God.
4.2.1.2.To be spiritual or filled
with the Spirit is to:
4.2.1.2.1.To be after the things
(interests and activities) of the Spirit.
4.2.1.2.2.It is life and peace.
4.2.1.2.3.You have the power through
the Holy Spirit to obey God’s laws.
4.2.1.2.4.You are at peace with God
because you relate to and know Him as Your Father.
4.2.1.3.Paul writes that if anybody
does not have the Spirit of God in his life he does not belong to God.
5.
VS 3:4 - “3:4
For when one says, “I am of Paul”, and another, “I am of Apollos”, are
you not mere men?” - Paul asks
the Corinthians if their party spirit did not in fact reveal that they were
walking like the men of this world in rebellion against God
5.1.
The
factional party spirit was not the result of the leading of the Holy Spirit, for
as Paul has already mentioned, the Holy Spirit cannot be divided against
Himself.
5.2.
The
party spirit just proved that the people were carnal and walking after the
flesh, and thus thinking only of themselves, that they were not under the
leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit.
6.
VS 3:5 - “3:5
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 grown.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that Apollos and himself were just
servants of God and that it was God who was working through them
6.1.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that he, Apollos, Peter, and all the rest of the
ministers and leaders of the church are merely instruments in God’s hands. It is God who is primarily responsible for
any spiritual benefit that came through their ministries.
6.1.1. Paul uses the analogy of
growing a garden. We stick a seed or a
shoot in the ground and simply water every day, however we did not create such
a wondrous process as that which causes a small little seed to grow into a full
and mature plant.
6.1.2. We servants of Christ do
almost nothing in comparison to the amount the God is responsible for in
bringing a person to salvation as well as in growing them up in all aspects in
their Christian walk.
6.2.
When
a great fine arts painter, such as say Salvadore Doli, paints a master piece,
we don’t see people admiring the paintbrush that he used, but we do see people
admire the hands of the one who used the paint brush to create a beautiful work
of art. When a carpenter builds a
beautiful mansion, we don’t see people admiring the hammer that he used but
rather the handiwork that is created by him.
Likewise, we Christians should never look up to and idolize too much
those who minister to us, for they are mere tools in the hand of the
Master. We ought to appreciate the one
who led His servants to us and inspired their work in our lives, and we should
never be too carried away with the instrument which God used.
7.
VS 3:8 - “3:8
Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that everyone who waters God’s garden will be rewarded for
his work
7.1.
It
is encouraging to us as Christians that the smallest labor done for Him is
guaranteed a reward on the day of the Bema Seat Judgment of rewards for
believers in Christ.