Thread: A question on Christian Scripture.

I would like to spare you all from some apologizing introduction. We all know why difficult questions are brought here rather than some topic specific realm. My reading of the Guidelines suggest all topics may be broached. Let me make clear my only agenda is to further my understanding.

The question arises from the metaphor of the following King James scripture: 1Corinthians 3:1
¹And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. ²I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
³For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Following the babe and the milk, I am unfamiliar with the specifics or scriptures that tell; what is the meat.

Do you know what practices are considered the meat?

I might further suggest to guide your thoughts consider this, which sounds to be a direct command* requiring a well balanced meal of solid food :John 18:11

¹¹She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: *go, and sin no more.


Please, if you have no inkling for spiritual matters, or only wish to entertain with smarty quips, please save yourself the effort of replying.

I am no expert by any means but I think what Jesus is saying partly is that Mankind is immature spiritually and could not understand many things about the spiritual realm (the meat). So he has told us the parts that we can understand (the milk). Thats what I get from reading it at least. I could email the question to My friend hew is a pastor if you would like a more accurate interpretation though. Remember that almost all scriptures can have many meanings or at least interpretations may very.
The reference about eating a well balanced meal from the other scripture could be referring to something altogether different.

Meat has reference to the deep understanding of scriptures, not just "first principles"

Hebrews 5:12-14 "12For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

In the first example Paul the Apostle is speaking to the members of the newly founded church at Corinth. Note in the first chapter of that epistle Paul tells them that some of them are engaging in behavior that not even pagans practice. So he is dealing with 'babes in Christ' and therefore giving them, metaphorically speaking milk because they cannot yet comprehend the more advanced spiritual principles. the meat. He is pointing out to them that they have not yet 'put off the old man, behold all things become new', evidenced by their continuing to engage in envying, strifes and divisions.

Paul's epistles were letters to the early Christian groups giving them exhortation and correction. The 13th chapter of that book deals with people who were demonstrative of 'gifts of the spirit' in church but didn't demonstrate the fruits of the spirit once they walked out the door. So Paul tell them 'if I speak with the tongues of men or of angels and have not charity (love) I am as a tinkling cymbal or a clanging brass.' We see the same things today as we did then because times change but people aren't much different.

I once heard the great Presbyterian pastor Donald Barnhouse say, "If you want to know what a born again Christian is capable of doing read the epistles and see what he is told not to do. It say let him who stole steal no more, lie not to one another seeing ye have put off the old man." And he goes on but I can't remember the rest.

Sorry I thought it was Jesus speaking in the quoted scripture Thanks Jimmy for pointing out it was Paul.

It looks like you guys have a good idea of what's what. I agree with all that has been said so far.
I just had to add that I appreciate the respect of this thread so far. This group seems to understand when to offer respect. And it is nice to see people educated beyond our education system.

Thank you fellas.
I understand the context. Paul could not share the spiritual truths with them, being yet carnal they would not understand. In razor speak-you have just honed your first edge with N4/8 you might not yet be able to max out that big$ nakayama.

What he is describing with their quarrels and boasting etc is the ego-that constantly babbling mind we have that wants to analyze, label, compare, project, sin, etc. 1Cor is just a jumping off point that gives us a nice metaphor of the suckling babe.

so somewhere in the text must be the information, practice, knowledge, wisdom allowing us to act upon the command of Jesus to; "Go, and sin no more"
That's what I'm looking for, so yes ask anyone you feel might be able to make a list

Originally Posted by gandrw

Sorry I thought it was Jesus speaking in the quoted scripture Thanks Jimmy for pointing out it was Paul.

Any New Testament book that is not John. Luke, Mark or Matthew are not the words of Christ.

They are the words and opinions of Paul. Paul never met Jesus and was dead-set against James who did receive the word of Christ directly.



So personally, I only read the 4 books mentioned above.

Originally Posted by Desdinova

Any New Testament book that is not John. Luke, Mark or Matthew are not the words of Christ.

They are the words and opinions of Paul. Paul never met Jesus and was dead-set against James who did receive the word of Christ directly.



So personally, I only read the 4 books mentioned above.

Well Paul says that he did meet Jesus on the road to Damascus. If you believe the gospels you may as well believe the epistles. While it is true that the canon was chosen by men I would think that the Spirit had something to do with it whether they knew it or not.

Originally Posted by Desdinova

Any New Testament book that is not John. Luke, Mark or Matthew are not the words of Christ.

They are the words and opinions of Paul. Paul never met Jesus and was dead-set against James who did receive the word of Christ directly.



So personally, I only read the 4 books mentioned above.

Easy on that... If you read Galatians, you will see that you're erroneous in that though (unless you are calling him a liar).

Gal. 1

Originally Posted by Paul

¹¹For^V)'>(V) I would have you know, brothers, that^W)'>(W) the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.^c]'>[c] ¹²^X)'>(X) For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it^Y)'>(Y) through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ESV

Additionally, he asked these rhetorical questions in I Cor. 9

Originally Posted by Paul

¹^A)'>(A) Am I not free?^B)'>(B) Am I not an apostle?^C)'>(C) Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?^D)'>(D) Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? ²If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are^E)'>(E) the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

And he certainly was not dead set against James
Back to Gal 1

Originally Posted by Paul

¹⁵But when he^AD)'>(AD) who had set me apart^AE)'>(AE) before I was born,^d]'>[d] and who^AF)'>(AF) called me by his grace, ¹⁶was pleased to reveal his Son to^e]'>[e] me, in order^AG)'>(AG) that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;^f]'>[f] ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
¹⁸Then^AH)'>(AH) after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But I saw none of the other apostles except James^AI)'>(AI) the Lord’s brother. ²⁰(In what I am writing to you,^AJ)'>(AJ) before God, I do not lie!)

They taught the same things but to get into all that stuff here would require some serious "meat"

The greatest evidence of Paul's Apostleship, IMHO isn't what he said, but what Peter said about him

Originally Posted by Peter

¹⁵And count^AF)'>(AF) the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as^AG)'>(AG) our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you^AH)'>(AH) according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.^AI)'>(AI) There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction,^AJ)'>(AJ) as they do the other Scriptures. II Pet. 2

He called him a "beloved brother" and referred to the "wisdom given him" while comparing what he wrote to "other scriptures". That's a pretty hearty endorsement, IMHO.

I think anyone that professes Christianity should think long and hard about flippantly disregarding everything that Paul said. Additionally, the first 4 books of the New Testament aren't the "words of Christ" per se. They are accounts of his life written by men (I believe they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, but that's another discussion).