I have fed you with milk, and not with meat

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat

If I was referring to a secular curriculum regarding mathematics, or computer programming, or any other trade or discipline, the word “milk” would refer to the basics, or introductory topics, and “meat” would logically be the more advanced levels of the curriculum. Now, though we can apply the same milk and meat logic to our biblical curriculum of Romans to 2-Thessalonians, we must also understand that the bible defines milk and meat as much more than just basics to advanced concepts. Scripture provides us with a much deeper understanding concerning the believer who is living on milk versus the believer that appreciates the meat. Let’s dive in and learn what the bible says about these things.

MILK:

1Cor.3:1-3  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  [2]  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.  [3]  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Heb.5:13  For every one that useth MILK is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

There is a lot packed into these two verses above. The first of which is: did you notice that the verses do not target the progression of the topic (as a secular curriculum would do), but rather, it targets the progress of the spiritual maturity of believers who receive the curriculum. That, my friends, is a significant difference, highlighting a different context for assessment or judgement. This curriculum is not man-made. It is a doctrine by inspiration of God. Let’s remember that!

Off the bat, Paul tells us that those who are babes in Christ, could not receive spiritual truth because they were carnally minded. They had to be given milk. The "milk of the word" refers to the foundational and basic teachings of the grace doctrine. This includes essential principles such as justification, faith, fellowship, humility, (to name just a few), and the use of physical allegories providing a simpler and more digestible form of spiritual truth for new or immature believers.

Paul mentioned that the Corinthians were not able to bear the meat, meaning that they we not able to process or understand those concepts, even after teaching them the foundational principles for 1½ years prior to his letter, Acts 18:11. Some characteristics of carnal believers are listed as envying, strife (conflict, friction, disputes), and divisions. All these typically relate to the way humans interact with the physical world around them, with their 5-senses, the outward man, and with emotions, each of which have no ability to understand and receive spiritual, invisible, immeasurable concepts.

In this respect Paul had to speak in the manner of men to them so that they could relate to spiritual concepts, as he also mentions in Romans and Galatians. See the following verses for examples:

·         1 Corinthians 3:1 - "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ."

·         Romans 6:19 - "I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness."

·         Galatians 4:3 - "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world."

·         1 Corinthians 2:14 - "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

·         Galatians 3:15 - "Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto."

·         Romans 7:1 - "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?"

Babes in Christ have not yet matured in knowledge and understanding to receive spiritual truth because they are still influenced by their human desires and behaviours. This spiritual immaturity prevented them from grasping the deeper ‘meatier’ truths because of a lack of faith and spiritually exercised discernment.

The passage in Hebrews adds further detail to this concept of milk and babes. The writer of Hebrews specifies that babes in Christ are unskilful in the word of righteousness. Unskilful is to be ignorant, incompetent, untrained, and inexperienced in the word of God. Carnal believers would typically interpret scriptures by what they relate to in the physical, visible realm, by their outward senses, or by emotions. At other times they would skew spiritual truths by interpreting it incorrectly due to ignorance or inexperience. Paul instructs us to study the word to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen who rightly divide the word of truth. The lack of right division of scripture is one of the surest ways to identify immature believers who have not progressed beyond one of the basic principles of the grace doctrine, introduced in Romans 9 to 11.

Our biblical curriculum of Romans to 2 Thessalonians is divinely designed to guide believers from spiritual infancy to maturity. By first embracing the foundational teachings and learning to rightly divide the Word, believers are equipped to grow beyond the milk, so that they can handle the spiritual meat of God’s Word. This progression transforms us from babes in Christ to sons of God, empowered to grasp the deeper, spiritual truths intended for our knowledge of God and our purpose in His plan. The only way to effectively get to the meat of the word is to spend time in the foundational concepts of the grace doctrine and allow it to grow and strengthen our knowledge in the principles of our faith. As that work of faith matures it will bring us to the point of partaking in the meat of the word which is what we will deal with in the next post.

God bless.