BABY FOOD

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 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. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

One species of the animal kingdom is mammals. This species has females with milk-secreting glands for feeding their offspring, which is a physical characteristic that distinguishes them from other animals. Having this characteristic, human beings are included in this broad classification known as mammalians. All newborns need milk, or in today's world, a substitute that is just as easily digestible. Today there are also available formulated baby foods, which makes a child's transition from milk to solid foods more easily accomplished. Even these early childhood foods are broken down into two or three stages of pureed consistency, so that at approximately one year old, the child can more easily assimilate solid table foods.

Paul addresses the Christians at Corinth as babes in Christ. Having heard the gospel of Christ preached to them; having believed it, repented of their past sins, confessed Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and having been baptized into the body of Christ, they had, indeed, been added to the church of Christ by God. And yet they were still babes in Christ. They were still in the stage of Christian infancy. This was especially true because this particular congregation was made up of Christians that had come from misinformed Jewish heritage, pagan Gentile backgrounds, and from decadent conditions, such as those that existed at that particular time in Corinthian history.

O, that preachers, elders, as well as all spiritually "adult Christians," like Paul, would fully realize the delicate condition of a newborn Christian, and feed these infants the proper, spiritual nourishment they areable to assimilate; feed them with the word of God, but administered it with subject matter and quantities that can be easily spiritually digested. This need, all teachers of the gospel of Christ should remember: feeding babes in Christ must be done with patience, understanding, love, and with full realization of the ability of the young Christian to comprehend, accept, and believe the message being taught.

The Christians at Corinth, to whom this letter of admonition and encouragement was written, Paul refers to as carnal ...babes in Christ. No, they were not carnal, in the sense that they were outside the body of Christ. Yet, coming from a culture that was given to carnality, the tendency to allow worldliness to come back into their life, and unfavorably affect their conduct, as Christians, was definitely apparent to Paul. How did he know this to be true? Although he had not witnessed it first hand, Paul had heard about some of their erring ways. Here he relates their current condition by stating that there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions. With this being said, Paul asks this question, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? The answer indicated by this question was definitely, YES! They were indeed acting as carnally minded men of the world, because such derisive actions that result from envy, strife, and division are not to be found in a congregation of God's people made up of fully understanding, adult Christians. Therefore, Paul tells them that they were stillbabes in Christ.

When first the church of Christ was established in Corinth, Paul said that he fed them with milk - spiritual milk that could beeasily understood, rudimentary doctrines that allow one to become a member of the church of Christ. By hearing and obeying these first principals one can become a Christian. Growing into Christian adulthood requires more than milk - it requires meat - it requires solid food. However, neither individual nor congregational growth can take place when there is envying, and strife, and divisions in the body of Christ. They should be growing and becoming strong children of God, bearing fruit, and teaching the gospel of Christ to others. However, this requires hearing, understanding, and obeying the "meat" found in God's word. Knowing the carnality that existed in the church at Corinth, Paul tells them that when you first became Christians,ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

The two greatest commandments ever given require true followers of Christ to love God with heart, soul, and mind, and to love all others as yourself (See Matt. 22:38-40). Obedience to this required tenet of God, cannot exist in any church of Christ that is divided by envy and strife. These commandments are basic doctrine - they are "baby food." Unless they can be fully digested, gospel "meat" cannot be understood.