Milk or Meat
In a recent Bible class we were discussing gospel preaching and how it helps the local congregation grow in maturity. We first looked at Hebrews 5:12-14, where the author is chastising Christians for their lack of progress toward maturity. He writes, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food…” (verse 12). It is important to back up and realize that their lack of growth is, at least in part, because they had become “dull of hearing.” A quick look at Vine’s Expository Dictionary reveals that the word “dull” can mean “sluggish,” or “indolent.” In other words, they were no longer actively seeking to grow, so they weren’t. They were getting returns equal to their efforts.
What I want us to notice is the milk versus the meat of the word mentioned in verse 12. The implication is that maturing Christians should be familiar with the milk. We shouldn’t need to brush up on our basic facts because they should have become part of who we are. While I agree with this sentiment, I don’t want to throw out all of the milk for a meat-only diet. To go a step further, I don’t think God wants us to do that.
Consider Peter’s thoughts in 1 Peter 2:1-3 where he writes, “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” Just like a child matures physically and needs more in their diet than just milk, a Christian should mature beyond the basics. However, even adults still need milk.
Here was my thought … Peter tells us to long for that pure spiritual milk. Wasn’t it Jesus who told us to “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14)?
So yes, let’s dive into the weightier matters and challenge ourselves, but let us never grow too mature to delight in the basic principles of God’s love for us and His amazing power displayed in narratives throughout the Bible and in our daily lives. Take the time to wonder at the variety of flowers in spring and the beauty and promise contained in a rainbow. Marvel with children at the God who could keep a man safe even in a lions’ den or the belly of a big fish. Between your study sessions where you seek to grow a deeper understanding of the “plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God” (Ephesians 3:9), pause to sing loudly and proudly with the children as they declare:
“My God is so big, so strong and so mighty,
there’s nothing my God cannot do!”
AUTHOR: Amber Tatum