(Second part)
Memory verse (1Cor3: 1-3): “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able ”
The Greek translation for this word baby is “nepios”. It means a little child, a minor, not of age. It also means one who is childish, one untaught and unskilled. Paul called the believers in Corinth, babies. They were born again, but they were at the level of spiritual infancy. They were not of age spiritually, they were childish spiritually, they were untaught and they were unskilled spiritually. The writer of the book of Hebrews had the same observation of the Hebrews brethren. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe, (Heb5: 13). Spiritual babies can’t discern what is good and wrong, i.e. they lack spiritual sensitivity development (Heb5: 14). In fact, the Hebrews problem was not that they were not taught but their hearts were dull. Their religiosity dulled up their spiritual senses. They were supposed to be teachers but there had been no spiritual growth. So they were childish in their thinking and behaviors.
Paul watched the behaviors and speech of the brethren in Corinth and he saw childishness. He saw strife, divisions etc in them. Spiritual babies are unstable (Eph4: 14). Spiritual babies can’t possess their inheritance in Christ (Gal4: 1-2). Spiritual babies walk in bondage; the flesh, the lust of the world and satanic temptations, controls them. The church has a responsibility to discern the spiritual babies and prepare the right food, i.e. milk for them, (1Pet2: 2.) When you give food for mature people to babies, it will harm or even kill them. Peter said, spiritual babies need spiritual milk of the word. It’s that milk that will cause them to grow to the next level of spiritual children. Hebrews gives the list of spiritual food to give to the spiritual infants (Heb6: 1-2). We need new converts class in our churches to care for the little children that are born of God through the gospel. We need to take good care of God’s spiritual babies. All believers need the shepherds God has provided in his church to take care of your spiritual life.
Tomorrow’s subject: “Spiritual little children”
