JC Blog

“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” ( Hebrews 5:13-14 )

When a baby is born they are fed their mother's milk for the first six months of their lives. Then as they grow they are slowly introduced to solid food. First in the form of baby foods, pureed fruits and vegetables that are easy to swallow and digest. Then small amounts of prepared food, cut into little bits. Eventually they are given solid food, once their teeth have come in and they have learned to chew and swallow it. It is a natural process that one does not have to teach with much effort.

As children grow, they also begin to feed themselves. Every mother knows that at a certain point, the baby will not allow others to spoon feed it any longer. The child wants to use the utensil to bring the food into their own mouth. What begins as a messy process is also a necessary one. They learn coordination from working the spoon when they eat. They develop skills, early on, to feed themselves for the rest of their lives. This is the way it should be. After all, no one would want to spoon feed a forty year old baby, it would be quite embarrassing.

The same natural principle can be used for Christians. At first, they should be gathered and taught the first principles of God's Word. They should be encouraged and led into these amazing truths by those who are older in Christ. As this happens, their own skills should start to develop for reading and understanding the Word for themselves. They should ask questions seeking comprehension of what they are studying. All the while being trained through the power of the Holy Spirit to understand what has been written to them in the Scriptures. As they do this, the Lord speaks His powerful truths into their hearts illuminating their lives with this knowledge and truth.

This is a process which requires solid doctrine as its foundation. The footing must be set on the basic principles of God's Word to understand the other truths that are recorded for us. No one would give a child a steak; so in the same way a new believer must start out on the milk of the word and grow in the knowledge and truth of God.

Problems arise because we have a multitude of Christians who are not progressing in the natural process of growing up. The writer of Hebrews is chiding the people for their laziness in understanding the principle he is writing about. He told them that they ought to be teaching others by this time and yet they are still feeding on the milk of the word, needing someone to each them the very first principles over and over again ( Hebrews 5:12 ). He goes on to say that anyone in this condition is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, “For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!” ( Hebrews 5:13 Amp ). These are harsh words, but the truth in them rings clear, just as it is not acceptable for an adult to continue to nurse, a believer should not remain an infant in the knowledge of the Word.

The remedy to this problem is growing up! It takes time and it takes discipline to get in the Word regularly. But Jesus is the one who said, "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" ( John 6:63 ). The written word is our handbook for this life, Peter said that everything pertaining to life and godliness is found there ( II Peter 1:3-4 ). The writer of Hebrews closes chapter 5 with these words, “But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law” ( Hebrews 5:14 Amp ). As we grow, the more skilled we are in the word, the more we will understand these truths when we hear or read them. We will not need anyone to first explain the foundation again, instead we will build upon it entering into the fullness of God with the complete understanding that belongs to the spiritually mature.

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” ( Hebrews 5:11-12 )

This is a word for the modern church today. We have congregations of people who neither know the truth of the Word or the power of God. They remain in infancy, hovering around the door of salvation without desire to walk into the fullness of God to which they have been called. Placing no importance on God's Word in their own lives, they starve on half truths and “feel good” sermons. They cannot accept the deep things of God because they haven't strived to understand even the foundation.

This is exactly what the writer of Hebrews is chiding the reader about. The wonderful truth being explained of Jesus' priesthood being on the same order as Melchizedek’s is hard to comprehend, not because it is impossible but because we are unable to receive it. This is due to dullness in our spiritual understanding and being undisciplined in God's word. The Amplified Bible records it this way, “Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even slothful in achieving spiritual insight]. For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God's Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food” ( Hebrews 5:11-12 Amp ).

I believe this epidemic of infancy is twofold. First, since those who call themselves teachers do not have a full understanding of the scripture as a whole, they deliver the same message over and over packaged in different forms with a witty title. They spoon feed these elementary truths again and again without offering to lead their congregations deeper in their understanding of God. Secondly, because of this, people have no desire to find out for themselves what God's Word says. They take at face value what they've been taught without verifying or knowing it for themselves. They do not allow themselves to feast on anything other than the milk of the Word. Because of this, we have congregations full of people who look more like the world, than like Jesus.

As believers we must place the utmost importance on knowing God's Word. Not just reading it to check it off the list, but studying it to gain spiritual understanding and revelation knowledge. This is our handbook for life. This is God's love letter to us to show us the person of Jesus Christ. John tells us that Jesus is the Word ( John 1:1; John 1:14 ), which means that these written truths are living and once we digest them they will activate within us and change us forever.

Peter said "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires" ( II Peter 1:3-4 ). Paul told Timothy, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" ( II Timothy 3:14-17 ). James said something similar, "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does" ( James 1:25 ). All of these great men placed an importance on knowing the Word. Scripture was given for us to help us through this life. To remind us of everything Jesus said and did. To show us what is to come. And to protect us from everything that Jesus died to set us free of. The Bible is full of amazing truths and wonderful promises, but unless you know them you will never own them.

The Bible is not hard to understand because we have a capable teacher. This is one of the functions of the Holy Spirit. I John 2 says, "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him" ( I John 2:27 ). The Holy Spirit will guide you to understand the Bible as you start to explore. He will speak these truths into your life, bringing understanding. All you need to do is start planting the seeds of life and He will do the rest.

Paul's charge to Timothy is a good one for us today, He told him, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" ( II Timothy 2:15 ). We study not to prove ourselves to God, but to show ourselves that we are approved by God. We will never be ashamed before Him when we accurately handle and skillfully teach the truths of the Word.