The Solid Food of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

“1 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?”

Paul wrote that the Christians of the Corinthian Church were like babies.  Despite having been Christians for some time, they had not matured in their faith.  

They have had the opportunity, offered by the Holy Spirit, to grow, but because of their pettiness and unwillingness to let go of their grudges and jealousies they had quenched the power of the Spirit in their lives.  They behaved as if they did not have the Spirit of God at all.

When they were saved, Paul had taught them the basics of the Christian faith.  This “milk” as Paul called it, was meant to inspire them to grow and mature; to hunger and thirst for God; to pursue righteousness.  Instead, they chose to remain as children, pursuing old quarrels and jealousies.

God’s Holy Spirit is given to us so that we may grow in our faith; so that we can become a new creation in God; so that our lives may reflect the fruits of the spirit.

When we get bogged down in worldly things such as divisiveness and quarrels, we quench the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

Do we need more “milk” or are we hungering for the solid food of the Spirit?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)