The importance of growing up

Mothers know that very small infants require milk not steak. However, as soon as a child is able, she will graduate him to pablum or fruit or something a bit more solid. If she does it too soon, the child cannot deal with it, but if she leaves it too long, the baby will suffer setback.

This is the language Paul uses as he writes to the immature Christians at 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?” (1 Corinthians 3:1–3)

In this and in other contexts, milk and solid food are contrasted:

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:2–3)

When a person is newly born into the family of God, the ‘milk’ of God’s Word is vital to their spiritual growth. This applies only to those who know Jesus for without a relationship with Him, there is no life and no desire for this milk.

At one point, Jesus told His disciples, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." (John 16:12) He gave them milk (meaning the basic principles of the faith) but since they were still infants in their walk with Him, they were not ready for steak. The writer of Hebrews echoes this:

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:12–14)

Those who first read this epistle had been Christians for awhile and should have been beyond the basics, but they were still acting like children. In their immaturity, they could not discern good from evil the way they should so were told they needed more of the basics until they grew up.

What is the difference between a babe and a mature Christian? Those verses in 1 Corinthians say that a babe is one who operates in the flesh and behaves like an unsaved person more of the time than he walks in the Spirit. This person lives more like he once did and is not consistent in living a Spirit-filled life. For the Christians at Corinth, this was identified in the way they fought and were jealous of one another.

There are many markers of babyhood. From my experience, I can identify some of them, such as not realizing my own immaturity. Full of milk, I’ve been content for short times without realizing that milk (knowledge) was not enough. I had to go for more solid stuff that only comes when obedience shows I’m ready for it.

Another marker is self-focus. A babe might interact with others but is mostly concerned about having his or her own needs met. I can be a baby in that way too.

A baby also wants its own way; ‘I want what I want when I want it.’ That impatience reveals the lack of an eternal perspective, a focus on this life only. Maturity is more concerned with eternal matters and becoming more like Jesus. A baby does not even think about those things, caring only for personal comfort, personal attention, and earning the smiles of those around them.

Tozer says that our Father wants me to prove in my life that all things written in His Word are true and that His words become a “new and living edition of flesh and blood” in me. This phrase is totally meaningless to a baby Christian. I have talked about being a good person while consuming milk, but the Author of life has far more to put on my plate.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I get it. The steak is sometimes called ‘heart’ knowledge compared to milk’s ‘head’ knowledge, but the meaning is the same. Knowing what You say is not the same as having all of it become part of the way I think, talk and live. Growing up is about feeding on You so that everything I do and say is done in total reliance upon You. Milk may produce some growth, but steak produces energy, muscle and the spiritual power of a grownup!

The power of the Sword

My hubby and I both have e-readers. With access to the same account, we can be reading the same book at the same time, and reading anywhere, including in the dark. We can check books out of our library and they are automatically returned in three weeks.

Writers and publishers wonder if electronics will replace books made of paper and ink. Christian leaders are also wondering but for different reasons. In our church of 500 or so, Scriptures projected on the wall and on the screens of smart phones mean that almost no one carries a Bible.

One Sunday, I helped in a class of three and four-year-olds whose topic that day was the value of the Word of God, but there were no Bibles in the room except mine. The story teller was forced to ‘pretend’ as she read a child’s version of the Bible story from a curriculum guide.

During the time just before the Israelites were taken captive into Babylon, the prophets rebuked them for their disobedience to God’s Word. They had it, but were ignoring it. The Lord said to them, “Behold, the days are coming when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11–12)

God’s people rejected this warning from Amos and went into exile where there was no word from the Lord at all. Its absence left a great gaping hole in their lives, and they realized God’s revelation to them had been their most precious possession.

The psalms begin with this: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2)

Psalm 119 particularly lifts up the Word of God as precious in verses like these:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18)

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9–11)

Scripture had been valued, but by repeatedly rejecting God’s word, it was suddenly absent. At first, this severe judgment came to the priests, but eventually to the people as a whole for the same sin.

Jesus shows me one huge reason for needing Scripture. When tempted by Satan, He answered with the Word of God. He said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) The Word of God is the very source of spiritual life. We need it for renewal, guidance, and to feed our souls.

It is also vital in fighting the Liar, as Jesus did. Regarding my spiritual battles, I must wear the armor God gives for protection, and use my weapon, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

Of course, this sword can be read from a screen, but there is something ominous when so many Christians are not carrying the book. Does it indicate we are not reading it as much as we used to? Have we lost familiarity with its pages, where to find the cutting edge needed in our spiritual battles?

Maybe some do not read it because this sword works two ways. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

God’s Word drives the Liar from us, but also exposes those things in us that inclined our hearts to listen to our enemy instead of God. While learning all about my sinfulness is not exactly a pleasure, I know the spiritual danger if I decided not to read the Bible. Without God’s Word, I’d wind up in exile, held captive in a foreign place where I’d hunger for what I once had but not be able to find it.

When my appetite is dull . . .

Milk is not one of my favorite beverages, probably because it makes my teeth and the inside of my mouth feel coated. I drink it for the calcium but would rather drink water. I’m sure I’ve not always felt this way. As a baby, I must have been like all babies and craved milk. For a time, it would have been my only sustenance.

For this reason, milk makes a good illustration for how a Christian should feel about reading the Bible. Peter wrote about the power of God’s Word and how it endures. Then he said,

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2:1-2)

He makes an arresting connection. While a newborn is not going to stop craving milk for any reason, growing Christians can stop craving the Bible if we are acting in sinful ways. Knowing the appeal of sin makes the reason obvious; if I am doing the wrong thing it is because I want to, and therefore I will not read the book that is going to condemn those things that I want to do.

Sin is insidious. It keeps trying to rule my life and my appetites. Note that this list is not for those who don’t know Christ; it is directed to God’s people, me included, and includes some really rotten behavior.

With a peek into a Greek dictionary, I found that malice is a general term. It is about being wicked or evil and not even ashamed of breaking God’s laws. It covers both evil thoughts and actions. That is, malice does harm but also is the idea of wanting to do harm to someone else even if I don’t do it. Every time the notion of getting even with someone who has hurt me, or even thinking nasty thoughts toward someone who thwarts my plans can be called malice. Malice destroys my appetite for God’s Word.

Deceit is another general term for sin. The root is to “decoy” and this suggests a deliberate use of guile, treachery, or some sort of falseness in order to mislead another person. Thankfully, I’m not into games like that, but have been tempted. People may not like my straightforward style, and to be more popular I’ve wondered about being subtle or sly when trying to say what I want to say. All my Greek dictionaries use subtlety in their definitions of this word deceit. Going along with this sort of nonsense kills my desire to read the Bible.

Hypocrisy is a common criticism of Christians. I don’t want to be labeled with this either. The word that Peter uses is a plural noun that indicates how any act of hiding evil intentions toward another behind a mask of piety is wrong. The word comes from the practice of actors holding a mask over their face to indicate the role they were playing. Because of this, I see hypocrisy from two angles. I’m not to be evil and pretend to be good, but I’m also not to be God’s child and pretend I am just like those who are not. Faking who I am will dull my appetite for God too. He wants the opposite — integrity, being the same on the inside and the outside.

Envy is a plural noun that represents feelings of ill will or jealousy against someone else because of a real or perceived advantage that they have. Some will say envy is worse than jealousy because it is not only wants what others have, it also doesn’t want the other person to have it. Either one says I am not content with His provision, and takes my eyes (and hunger) off God and on something else.

The last one says evil speaking. The actual word is more like defamation or slander, saying words that are designed to ruin another person’s reputation or position. It is one thing to alert someone about their sinful behavior and want it fixed, and quite another to talk about that sin behind the person’s back to make myself look better and that person look worse. This is so shameful, and it also ruins my appetite for the Bible.

Instead I’m supposed to desire it like a baby desires milk. Desire means not merely to want something, but to long for it with all of my being. It is a constant hunger like any person has for food — which not only brings health, but is necessary for life. Peter says “that you may grow” and I know that without the Word of God, my spiritual life will atrophy. I’ve seen it in others and felt it at times in my own life.

I can make myself drink a glass or two of milk every day so that I will be healthy. I’ve no excuse for not craving the milk of the Word. Peter spells it out quite clearly — if I’m not hungry for God’s Word, then I need to check and see what is happening to kill my appetite, then get rid of it.