1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (ESV) — But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 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?

I have three children. Each of them came into the world as an infant. Little babies are completely helpless and dependent. They have no capacity for feeding themselves. When hungry, they cry. That’s all they can do. They need someone to provide for them their nourishment, and that nourishment must be milk or formula because they don’t have the motor skills and ability to chew food and swallow. That takes time to develop. 

Our passage today reminds us that this has a spiritual parallel in our lives. Paul writes to the church in Corinth: “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 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?” Paul calls these believers infants in Christ. They are babies in the faith. This means they are young in the faith. They don’t have wisdom, insight, or knowledge a more mature believer would have. They are still on spiritual milk. This means they are still learning the foundations and basics. They cannot handle more complex and difficult ideas yet. They are not ready to bite, chew, and swallow meat.

The issue is that each of us should be growing spiritually. We progress from milk to meat. We progress from the elementary teachings about Christ and move into more depth and maturity. Christians should desire this kind of maturity. Not only should we have the ability to eat meat, but we should have the ability to help feed others who are infants in the faith. It is a pity that many Christians have been believers for decades but are still on spiritual milk. If an adult is still on milk instead of solid foods, you can be sure it is because there is some kind of medical issue. In other words, it isn’t normal. The same is true for the Christian life. 

Reflection & Journal: 
- Why does Paul use the illustration of babies drinking milk and adults eating solid food? 
- What are examples of spiritual milk teachings? What are some solid food teaching examples?
- How do Christians grow spiritually and advance in maturity? 

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