By Bob Vaughn -
uca@uncommonanswers.com
"Contending for the faith once delivered to the saints"
Uncommon Answers
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Milk Or Meat?
Babies
must be feed properly. The
nature of things is that they can not feed themselves. Usually parents,
and possibly siblings, are responsible for their feeding. But the day
does come when - although the spoon may be held wrong - they take that
first bite for themselves. Parents and siblings begin to clap and cheer
their encouragement. It isn’t long before baby is expected to do his
own feeding.
Much the same is true for new converts. The
scriptures call them “babies in Christ.” Like parents and siblings,
pastors and other believers must nurture them until they are able to
feed themselves. We have a responsibility to spiritual babes.
Young siblings have at times given babies
solid food that they were not yet ready for. Such as meat or some other
food that they would possibly choke on. The same is true for spiritual
babes. We need to be sure they are ready for what we are trying to feed
them.
Just as babies don’t need solid food,
spiritual babies may not be ready for some truths. Also, those who are
more mature need more than only milk. There are spiritual truths -
faith and repentance - that are milk. There are also truths for the
more mature that are solid food and may choke a spiritual babe.
Be encouraged not to force solid food on a
spiritual babe, we also need to be careful, as they grow, to adjust
their diet to include some solid food and to teach them to feed on the
“word of God” themselves. Remember, milk for the babes and solid food
for the more mature. 1 Cor. 3:1-2, Heb.
5:12-14, 1 Peter 2:1
Bob Vaughn