1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (ESV)
[1] But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as
people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. [2] I fed you with milk, not solid
food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, [3]
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? [4] For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow
Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
Writing
to the Corinthians believers, Paul is a little harsh here. He just explained to
them, in chapter 2, that as believers they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.
Now he calls them “people of flesh” and “infants in Christ.” He tells them that
when he planted their church he only gave them what he calls “milk, not solid
food.” The sad thing is that they still do not appear ready for “solid food.” How
he distinguishes between milk and solid food is not clear, but what is clear are
his reasons for calling them infants.
Paul
points out two reasons in particular for calling these Corinthian believers “people
of flesh.” The first is their jealousy and strife. “While there is jealousy and
strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way” (1
Cor 3:3)? This topic could easily become a dissertation in itself. We seem to
live in a world where dissatisfaction is the common experience of our day. We are
jealous of the newest technology. We are jealous of someone with a nicer car, a
bigger salary, or more prestige in the community. We do not embrace the old
caste system of Hinduism, but we sometimes live as though we do. Cliques don’t
just occur in middle school. They exist in our churches.
Church
leadership is not exempt either. Pastors are too often jealous of other
ministries. Another pastor makes more money. Another church has a better
building. Another ministry seems to have the funds for the latest technology. The
church across town is stealing all the good people. Like people on Facebook,
pastors too often share only their best stories, leaving their brothers in
ministry wishing they had as fruitful a ministry. Additionally pastors seem to
be easily intimidated by pastors of bigger churches, pastors with more
education, or pastors who simply drive newer cars. Pastors are not immune to
the “grass is greener” mentality.
Paul
points out two reasons, in these verses, for calling the Corinthians fleshly
babies. I will attempt to address the second reason in a following blog, but the
first is reason enough. Spiritual maturity is not determined by how much
education you have, how big your church is, how much money you make, how well liked
you are, or what spiritual experiences you have had. The mature believe finds
identity in Christ and is able to celebrate the victories of others without
jealousy or strife.
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