“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (NKJV)
One way to discern whether or not we are mature in the faith is to look at this passage and then to think about the kind of teachings that minister to us: the kind of Christian books we read, the sermons that attract us, the teachers we like. Just because a teacher or a book is popular doesn’t mean that it is mature food for the mature believer.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that those who are unskilled in the word of righteousness are spiritual babies. That is, these believers need to learn again the basic things of the faith: how to live righteously, how not to sin, how to turn from temptation, how to trust the Lord. However, the mature believer has used her senses (has exercised them) in discerning both good and evil. She doesn’t have to rely on a Christian self-help book to know that gossip or envy or lust is bad; she knows that it is and turns from it. She knows how to recognize temptation and how to rely on prayer to avoid it.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:3-5 NKJV).
As we listen to various preachers or read Christian books, as maturing believers, we will become easily aware of who is offering milk and who is offering solid food. Unfortunately, much of American Christianity has become a business, rather than a ministry. And while the Christian industry is helpful in that we have all nature of books, Bible translations, study helps, videos, and other media for learning, it is also dangerous in that we may be attracted to the “top 10" lists (that which is popular), rather than challenging ourselves spiritually. We need to ask ourselves several questions:
• Do the books we read or the sermons we hear make us feel good (or better)?
• Are we still questioning whether or not (or when) we should turn from our sin?
• Do we struggle with the basic sins (lust, substance abuse, envy, gossip, etc.)?
• Do we want to be happy rather than obedient in suffering?
• Are we attracted to teachers who promise us happiness or material prosperity?
There are many other questions we could ask, but if we say “yes” to any of these, then there is a good chance that we are still babies in the faith and need to turn ourselves away from milk to meat. What’s interesting about babies is that they may not self-wean. In other words, babies may want to stay on mother’s milk (which is easy to ingest) rather than to move onto solid food which requires work to eat. As Christians, if we “wait” to mature, we may never! Paul warned Timothy (v. 5) to be watchful in all things and endure afflictions. One way we can be watchful is to be watchful or suspicious of any and all of our own motives! Even if what we are doing seems right, our motives may make it a sin. We may be doing what we are doing to avoid suffering. Our hearts are so wicked. Only through the power of the Spirit can the Lord create pure motives within us.
Paul writes:
“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:2-7 NKJV).
There are two important truths here:
• Having a form of godliness, but denying its power
• Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth
These are the two summaries or reasons of the list of behaviors. In other words, if any of these other things is true about us, then these two things are likely true about us. Here is the list:
• Loving myself
• Loving money
• Boasting
• Prideful and/or haughty
• Blaspheme (saying God’s word says one thing when it says another)
• Disobedience to parents (Interesting that Paul would include this in a list to adults)
• Unthankful
• Unholy
• Unloving
• Unforgiving
• Slanderers (gossiping about others)
• Without self-control
• Brutal
• Despisers of good
• Traitors
• Headstrong
• Lovers of pleasure
I see myself listed here and I’m not happy about it. But the only way that I can change is to confess those sins, go to the Throne for forgiveness, and depend utterly upon the Spirit to purge them from my life. I need to set aside those teachings (books, sermons, everything) that encourage my immaturity and embrace those which compel me to grow up as a Christian!
© 2010 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.
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