1 Corinthians 3:2-3 “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; (3) for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”
We saw earlier that the way we think ultimately determines our behaviour. And so as we receive revelation of His word, God expects us to begin to act on that revelation received. In other words we need to change our behaviour accordingly. In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that he was not able to feed them with the solid food of God’s word. In other words they were not able to receive any further revelation of God’s word. The reason that they couldn’t receive any further revelation was because they had not yet changed their behaviour to fall in line with the revelation they had already received, for Paul said that they were still carnal in their behaviour. And so we see the very clear principle, which is that failure to act on God’s revealed word prevents the saints from receiving any further revelation in His word.
Luke 8:18 “Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
The whole purpose of renewing our minds is so that our behaviour will change from being carnal to becoming spiritual. If we choose not to change our behaviour and walk in the light of that which we have already received however, then God will not allow any further revelation of His word to be given to us. In the above quoted passage of scripture our Lord confirmed that same truth to us when He said that our attitude to God’s word will determine how much revelation of His word will be given to us. In other words to the degree of obedience to His word that we display that will determine how much revelation of His word we will receive.
Hebrews 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”
Although the process of renewing our minds takes time there should always be progress. In other words each day we should become more like Jesus in our lifestyle. It takes discipline to read God’s word, meditate in it, pray about it and then begin to act on it. That is why the Lord calls us His disciples, for a disciple is one who is disciplined in their lifestyle. The carnal mind will rebel against this process; nevertheless as believers learn to take control over their thought processes and are diligent in doing this, they will see the change beginning to take place in their lives. Sadly because of a lack of discipline not all believers make spiritual progress in their walk with the Lord, and their thinking remains carnal even years after having been born-again. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit, in writing to the church in Jerusalem, told them that they should have matured as believers by that time but sadly they were still only babes in Christ.
Michael E.B. Maher
Comments