1 CORINTHIANS 3
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. – 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
1 CORINTHIANS 3 INFANTS IN CHRIST
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When a believer is unable to let go of the old self
He will struggle with the cravings of the “self”
As a follower of Jesus, we are called to die to our flesh
Otherwise, we will be unspiritual and infants in Christ
If we take our Lord seriously, we will grow our faith
We will no longer continue to feed on spiritual milk.
In this letter, Paul likens the life of believers to infants. He said that it was difficult for him to give them solid food or truths because they were still unable to understand it. They are still stuck just taking spiritual milk. They are incapable of incorporating teachings in their lives. They are still living shallow lives catering to their flesh.
How would the baby Christian be different from the mature one? You will see it in the way they live. The mature ones manifest the fruits of the Spirit which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. There is less jealousy and strife in their lives. They are content and they don’t make a habit of sin. They prioritize the Lord in all they do.
REFLECTION
- How would you deal with a Christian who wants to stay an infant in Christ no matter how long they have been Christians?
