The Normal Christian Life, part 2

Where do we see differences in how Christians are referred to in Scripture? What does this mean for us as believers?

1. The baby/mature believer

I have heard this phrase used countless times as an excuse for why some Christians are just not “ready” for ministry, or need to be in a place where they hear “shallow” sermons, or don’t study their Bibles, or continue to treat their families and others in ungodly ways. But this implies that there are two types of Christians, instead of one type of “normal” Christian. A “normal” Christian is “born” as an infant and instantly seeks the nourishment needed to steadily grow up (funny how brand new believers / “infants” are often deeply hungry for spiritual truth and changed lives vs. old Christians claiming to still be “babes in Christ”).

Scripture compares believers as baby Christian, needing spiritual milk and full grown, mature believers, able to eat “meat”. In 1 Peter 2:1-5, Peter uses the analogy not to indicate that they are immature in their faith, but that they are to long for the word of God. He tells his audience that they are to long and crave for pure spiritual milk, “like newborn infants”…but it does not end there. He tells them to crave it “so that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

The other places in scripture do not look highly on those in need of “milk.” The idea of a baby believer is not a pass for someone to be this way their entire life. If you were to see a full grown man breast feeding, you would be very concerned…that is what scripture compares spiritual immaturity to. In Hebrews 5:11-14, the author calls those breastfeeding adults “dull of hering” “unskilled in righteousness” a “child”. If we meet someone who has been a believer for years and they still act and live as though they are infants, then we should question if they are truly in Christ (as well as examine ourselves if we have been using that excuse for a long time). This is not judgmental, Paul does it himself. In 1 Cor 3: 1-3 Paul actually tells the Corinthians that he can’t even address them as spiritual people, but needs to address them as unbelievers (people of the flesh) since they are still not ready for “solid food.” Paul questions if the Corinthians ever really heard the gospel because they had been entrusted with such great truth, yet were still living in a way that was not honoring and pleasing to God. Just like in nature, no where in scripture is there the idea that it is “okay” to be a five-year old infant. As we “grow older” in our faith, the “normal” Christian is called to also grow deeper (and up) in their understanding of the word of God, in loving others, in caring for others, in theology, etc. A “mature” believer should not be an exception, but expected.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, to building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, to mature manhood, to the measures of the same stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning by craftiness in deceitful schemes…” Ephesians 4:11-16