When Christians Act Unchristian by Still Being Breast Fed..

At the church where I serve, we have been looking at a letter in our Bibles that, if we did not know any better, could have been written today about many of the problems that plague the modern church. And in this letter, we have already seen many of the problems that can plague a church when Christians act unchristian. And as Paul continued in his letter to this church, we see him reveal another problem that can plague a church when Christians act unchristian:

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 1 Corinthians 3:1-2

Paul begins by explaining that he could not speak to the members of the church of Corinth as to spiritual men but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. And it is in this sentence that Paul reveals a timeless problem that has plagued the church. At the timeless problem that can still plague the church is followers of Jesus who are still being breast fed.

The point that the Apostle Paul is making is that he was unable to proclaim the deep truths of the wisdom of the message of the gospel to the church because the members of the church at Corinth were not reflecting a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ in their day to day lives. Instead, the members of the church at Corinth were thinking and living life as though they were nonchristians. Paul uses the phrase infants in Christ to paint a word picture of an infant still breast feeding to describe the churches spiritual immaturity.

And because of the reality of their spiritual immaturity, in verse 2 Paul states that he gave the members of the church at Corinth milk to drink not solid food. Paul then explains that the reason that he was only giving them milk to drink and not solid food, was because they were not yet able to receive it. Instead of communicating the deeper and transcendent truths about Christianity, he was only able to give the church the elementary truths and instructions when it came to following Jesus. He was unable to provide the deeper truths of the faith to the church because they had not demonstrated the ability to process and integrate the deeper truths of the faith into their lives. Just as an infant would become sick and vomit up any attempt to give them solid food that required their digestive systems to work harder than they were equipped to work, the church at Corinth was unable to digest the deeper truths that would result in spiritual growth and maturity.

But this morning, what would keep followers of Jesus on the bottle, when they could and should be eating steak? What would keep followers of Jesus from being weaned from the breast so that they could feed themselves and grow in their faith? Tomorrow, we will see Paul answer these questions and expose a problem that still plagues churches today.

So this morning, are you a Christian who acts unchristian because you are still being spiritually breast fed?