1 Corinthians 3:1–2: “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;”

May 14th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In grace, Paul began to lovingly confront the Corinthian’s sagging spiritual condition. He called them brethren, so they were part of the family of God. And he indicated that though they were “in Christ,” they were like babies. This tells us they were indeed true believers, but they were not behaving like spiritual people but immature people. As Pastor Alan Redpath said, “The carnal believer is a child of God, born again and on his way to heaven, but he is traveling third class.”

Paul wrote of 2 classes of people in chapter 2: spiritual and natural. Although the Corinthian believers were no longer “natural,” they were not fully “spiritual.” So he introduced a third class, the un-natural, those who are still carnal, literally “pertaining to flesh.” This carnality, or spiritual immaturity, may mark a genuine believer, but it can only be a temporary condition. Like in the natural world, everyone starts out a baby, and the baby things they do are considered cute. But if a teenager is still acting like a baby, then there are big problems ahead. Paul had been teaching the basics (milk), but they had an inflated view of their own spirituality. Their main problem was their attraction to spiritual junk food, which was based on man’s wisdom and eloquence.

If you travel to Russia, you will find in St. Petersburg, in the square in front of St. Isaac’s cathedral, the huge equestrian statue of Peter the Great, who has been called the father of modern Russia. His hand is lifted, pointing his nation onward and eastward toward the sea. In many respects, he deserved the name Great, but he was subject to maniacal outbursts of anger. During one such outburst, he killed his own son. Toward the end of his reign, Peter the Great remarked, “I have conquered an empire, but I was not able to conquer myself.” What a sad statement to make about anyone’s heart.

“LORD, we need Your grace to grow and walk in maturity this day.”