1 Corinthians 3:3
Ps Paul Cheng
Dear Bethelites,
The Apostle Paul had used two terms, (1) carnal, (2) babes, to describe the abnormal spiritual condition of the Corinthians who were behaving carnally and immaturely. Then he moved on to illustrate the third term, (3) self-centred.
III. The Self-Centred Man
1 Corinthians 3:3, For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
The phrase walk as men means the immature Corinthians - thinking and acting in a very human manner. It is a reference to man to his fallen state or in rebellion against God; being self-centred, self-willed, self-reliant, and trusting in his own humanistic ideas, values and characteristics rather than on God’s authority.
Self-centred immature men and women would always disagree with one another and tend to be quarrelsome, unlike the mature believer who practises love and is able to get along with others.
The immature children in Corinth were fighting over which preacher was the greatest, some would say, “I am better than you because I am with Apollos, who is a better preacher than Paul,” others would reply, “Who says Apollos is better than Paul, he is not an Apostle like Paul,” yet others would say, “I am better than you because I am with Peter, and he was there with Christ together with the twelve disciples.”
Sadly, this is exactly what is happening in many churches today, as people are proud to be members of mega-churches and being baptised by prominent pastors. There are people who are more concerned about how many members, programs and mission stations they have than about the truth of God’s Word being preached and the souls of men being saved. Such attitudes should never be found amongst God’s people for they ought to be God-centred and not man-centred.
In other words, the immature believer is not only a milk drinking babe, but he is also a self-centred crying babe, and he would create a scene if he does not get his way. One of the worst problems is to have a congregation full of such babes in Christ. Imagine yourself being the teacher taking care of one big nursery, full of babies; crying if they do not get their way, fighting and snatching things from one another. It would be most chaotic, right?
Envying is the attitude of being jealous of someone else’s success. Strife is the action that comes out of the sinful attitude of being envious, and the result of it is, there would be divisions.
Take a moment and consider the divisions and splits that had occurred in many churches. Was it not in the same pattern? It began with envy that led to strife and ultimately to divisions! In the case of the Corinthians, they had built up factions; some professed loyalty to Paul, others to Apollos, and yet others to Peter. When a congregation had developed loyalties around individuals instead of God, it was not only a sign of spiritual immaturity but big trouble.
Dear friends, it is a normal process for believers to grow from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity, and then die as spiritual adults. There may be situations where there are believers who would die as spiritual babes because they have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ at the last moment of their lives. Such believers would die as spiritual children. But it is the exception rather than the norm!
Tragically, there are some professed Christians who believe that they can live and die as spiritual children. That is an abnormal spiritual life. How can he or she stand before Jesus Christ on the day of reckoning and say, “Lord, you have saved me! You have washed me with your precious blood! But I am still carnal!” May the Lord have mercy!
Instead of remaining as carnal, babes and being self-centred, let us grow unto spiritual maturity through diligent study and obedience to God’s Word, in the power of the Spirit.
In Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng