ICS Daily Devotions
Growing Into Maturity
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able. …for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
The Apostle Paul was dealing with practical problem in the church when he wrote the Corinthian Epistle. One aspect of the problem was the division among the people regarding the leader whom they are following. Some of them were saying that they are followers of Paul and others of Apollo, thus it caused a great division among the people. The Apostle Paul had to deal with the believers with harsh words in order to deal with the division, and strife among the believers. One of the problems that Paul was dealing with in Corinth was the divisive spirit.
God is a God of order, structure and system. He gives direction, mandate, vision and purpose. He gives us very clear direction regarding how the leadership structure is like in the country, church, home and the office. Jesus is the very foundation for the Church, the family and the individual who works in a company.
The President is the head of the country, the Pastor directs the church, the Husband is the head of the home and the CEO is the head of the office unit. Everything will or should operate smoothly when this order or structure is followed and correctly administered. There is always only one head in the organization, so is the body of any creation. God has never intended anything to have more than one head. God is the head of the church.
God expects love, submission and unity in His church. All the ministers of God are like building contractors with restricted permits to build on only the prescribed foundation which is God. Division, strife, playing politics and usurping authority are not the attributes of God but the devil’s. All these qualities are found in the sin nature. Divide and conquer are tactics of the devil.
Paul being a great teacher of the Word was able to differentiate between spiritual infancy and maturity in a very clear manner. Paul expected the church members to grow from infancy to maturity and to walk in the newness of life! He expected them to live from inside out through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as the spirit man yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Heb 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Someone who is spiritually mature is able to discern and exercise the knowledge of what is good and evil. It is very clear that envy, strife and division is evil and it is not of God. We should resist the temptation of being envious, taking sides and causing division, but to intentionally walk in love and embrace differences.
1 Cor 14:20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
One who is mature in understanding will constantly use the Word and is able to teach, instruct and partake strong meat. Even with differing opinions, he is able to practise self-control to discern good from evil and is able to recognize God at work and be led by the Spirit.
How can we grow to be mature Christians? We need to first make a decision to put off carnality which was our former conduct that belonged to our old man.
Ephesians 4:22-24 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
If we continue to walk in carnality, we will become corrupted. The deceitful lust of wanting to have attention to ourselves and envy of others leading to strife and division will destroy our career, our family and our walk with God! As James says in 1:22, therefore, we should be doers of the word, and not only hearers. Be a doer of the Word because once we have the Word firmly abiding in us, we become the new man in true righteousness and holiness!
Sermon series: Inner Man
