(Transcript of lessons taught at Hope Bible Church, Locust Grove, GA, on January 15, 22, and 29, 2017; hopebiblechurchga.com.)
Texts: 1 Cor. 3:1-2; Heb. 5:11-6:3, 13:9; 1 Pt. 2:1-3
The scriptures use
numerous metaphors or symbols to describe the word of God—e.g. light, water,
fire, and sword—but also food metaphors like bread, honey, milk, and meat. The
last two metaphors are the ones I’d like to consider in this study.
At the end of it, I
hope that you’ll have a better understanding, not only of what constitutes milk
and meat in both the kingdom and mystery programs, but of the importance of
each and how to view them.
Just as we need
physical food to sustain and nurture us physically, we also need spiritual food
to do the same spiritually; that food, of course, being the word of God. Since
the scriptures appeared, beginning with Job and the law of Moses, we see this
principle.
·
Job
23:12b, “…I have esteemed the words of
his mouth more than my necessary food.”
·
Deut.
8:3, “…that he might make thee know that
man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD…”
The Bible not only
describes the word of God as our spiritual food in general, but it also uses
different foods in our physical diet as metaphors for different parts of the
word of God. Some parts of the word of God are simple to understand, while
others are quite difficult. The Lord kindly uses physical foods to illustrate
this for us:
·
Milk
is easily digested: it’s all babies live on for a time, until they’re able to take
semisolid food, then solid in increasing complexity.
·
Meat,
on the other extreme, is not easily digested, and it takes time for the child
to grow to where he can stomach it.
Two apostles and the
writer of Hebrews mention spiritual milk and meat. What arrested my attention
and prompted this study was that milk and meat are discussed not only in the
mystery program, but also in the kingdom
program. Because these programs are different, there are differences in what
constitutes milk and meat in them, but also similarities, both of which I’d
like to address in this series. I’ll begin with the kingdom program, since it
came first, and since Hebrews, which says more about milk and meat than any of
the epistles, likely preceded 1 Corinthians.
KINGDOM PROGRAM
Three passages in
the prophetic scriptures, all in the new testament, mention milk and/or meat.
1.
Heb. 5:11-6:3
(both)
2.
Heb. 13:9 (meat)
3.
1 Pt. 2:1-3 (milk)
Because of the dual
application of these passages to the “little
flock” in the Gospels-Acts period and to saints in the great tribulation,
and because Paul mentions it in his epistles, milk and meat have been “on the
table,” so to speak, for at least 2000 years. We’ll look at that more shortly,
but let’s begin with definitions of milk and meat, both of which can be found
in our first passage.
Heb. 5:11-6:3
This passage, which
begins as a reproof and ends as an exhortation, follows a discussion of the
priesthood of Melchizedek, a striking but mysterious figure in the kingdom scriptures
(Paul never mentions him). He’s mentioned once by Moses in Genesis 14:18, once
by David in Ps. 110:4, and nine times by the writer of Hebrews. So three
witnesses vouch for him in different parts of the kingdom scriptures,
especially the third witness. The discussion of Melchizedek spills into that of
milk and meat, since the writer wanted to tell the Hebrews more about him but
couldn’t, since they were “dull of
hearing” (v. 11). In other words, their spiritual senses were dull and not
fully developed, so they couldn’t handle any deeper discussion about
Melchizedek. Remember Christ’s words to his followers en route to Gethsemane?
In John 16:12, he tells the eleven that he has more to tell them about the
future, but they weren’t ready for it yet. They weren’t mature enough at that
point, but once the Spirit came upon them and indwelt them, they obtained the
mature discernment that they lacked.
The next three
verses provide us with definitions of milk and meat that will work, generally,
for both the kingdom and mystery programs. I say generally since the specific constitution of milk and meat differ by
program, but the principle behind the metaphor doesn’t.
Heb. 5:12, “need…the first principles of the
oracles of God…need…milk”
·
Heb. 6:1-2, “…the principles of the doctrine…the
foundation…the doctrine…”
So milk is the
first or foundational doctrinal truths in a program, be it kingdom or mystery.
What about meat? Taking the passage as a whole, I think that scripture defines
meat as this:
·
Doctrinal truths discerned by mature believers from their
knowledge and use of truths more easily discerned.
The use of what
they could discern gave them spiritual exercise, if you will, and enabled them
to discern more deeply. Think about it: how do you become a black belt in
karate? By learning the first principles of karate as a white belt, using them,
learning the principles of the second belt color, using them, and so on. Black
belts are using the principles they learned at each level in aggregate, giving
them a bigger picture. The same goes for mature believers. They’re able to
discern more and more broadly, since they’ve learned and applied more truth.
These two
definitions lead into the exhortation in 6:1-3. Kingdom believers are urged to
leave “the principles of the doctrine of
Christ” and “go on unto perfection”
where they can handle the meat of the word. So vv. 1b-2 actually provide
examples of “milk” under the kingdom program.
·
Repentance from
dead works
·
Faith toward God
·
Baptisms
·
Laying on of hands
·
Resurrection of the
dead
·
Eternal judgment
These are all
basics, because they’re all connected with the gospel of the kingdom, the
beginning of their kingdom faith. In Mt. 3:1-12, John the Baptist come
preaching this gospel, and notice how five of these six things are present:
·
Repentance from
dead works (vv. 2, 8)
·
Faith toward God
(cf. Mk. 1:15)
·
Baptisms (vv. 1,
6-7, 11)
·
Resurrection of the
dead (v. 9)
·
Eternal judgment
(vv. 7, 10-12; “unquenchable fire”)
“Laying on of
hands” associated with receiving the Holy Ghost, either at salvation, as with
the Samaritans (Acts 8:14) or for empowered service, as with the seven
ministers supporting the twelve (Acts 6:6-8; Stephen already full of the Holy
Ghost personally, per v. 5, but the laying on of hands empowered him further, I
believe)
So those are the
milky subjects which the writer said that his audience needed brushing up on
before they went on to perfection, the ultimate goal, as it is for this age (2
Cor. 13:9, Col. 4:12).
But what about the
meat? Was any example given of that? Yes, and that example prompted the
digression to begin with. The writer had been discussing Aaron and
Melchisedec’s priesthoods as types of Christ’s, and it seems that the writer
wanted to expound this more deeply, but knowing his audience, felt like he
could not. I think he sensed that they needed more grounding in the truth right
in front of them (Peter calls it “the
present truth” in 2 Pt. 1:12) before they delved into deeper pictures of it
in the past. They couldn’t digest the meat about Melchizedec before they digest
the milk about Christ (6:1).
I think that’s a
good principle for us in teaching: introduce new converts to the Lord himself
first before trying to explain how others in the Bible are figures of him. They
need a good foundation in who he is himself before they can connect others to
him, just like a child learns to relate to other adults by first relating to
his parents.
Heb. 13:9
Only meat is
mentioned in this passage, and the dangers thereof, but there’s an implicit
reference to milk which I’d like to point out as well. Tying v. 9 back to
5:11-6:3, we see that a kingdom saint needs to go on to perfection through the
meat of the word, but not get off balance with advanced truth. Occupation with “meats” can lead to being “carried about with divers and strange
doctrines,” indicating that some meats are that. Nothing wrong with meats,
but they need to be kept in their proper place and not abused.
What’s the key to
maintaining balance with them? The middle of v. 9: “for it is a good thing for the heart to be established with grace.”
Chasing strange doctrines is evidence of heart trouble, a temptation that even those mature in the word have to
resist. But if your heart is established like it should be, with a foundation
of grace, you’ll be balanced and know how to use the word properly, like we
read in 5:13-14. A key word in the last phrase is “occupied”: meats are profitable, but we don’t need to be unduly
occupied in them, lest we lose our balance and begin chasing strangeness. A
balanced spiritual diet might look something like this:
·
Milk: foundational
truth (strong bones for life; muscles
are useless without strong bones)
·
Bread: core
doctrines about Christ (daily energy/power)
·
Meat: advanced
truth that adds to spiritual strength (muscles)
Note two important
things that precede v. 9: the figures in vv. 7-8.
A proper
relationship with the Lord and your elders will help you avoid the pitfall of
v. 9. You need to be occupied with your faithful, unchangeable Lord as a
person, not with just learning “some new
thing.” Your elders are given to you as examples of balance in this respect
and to warn you when you’re getting off track. Not accepting pastoral
correction, where it’s based on scripture, is a sure sign of stupidity.
Did you know that
rebuke is a means of grace? 2 Tim. 3:16 mentions four benefits of scripture:
doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. So you can’t
get the maximum benefit from scripture by refusing reproof and correction, as
well as doctrinal teaching and instruction in righteous living. Bottom line is,
if you get off track, your walk with the Lord and relationship with your elders
in the Lord isn’t what it ought to be. I see renegade preachers as men who will
not submit to the authority of others in the body more mature than them. I
think that Terry McLean and Richard Jordan are a good example of this scenario.
Bro. Jordan isn’t perfect, but he’s a very mature and meek man, who’s taught
the things McLean objects to in the right spirit, with scriptural support. IMO,
McLean should submit to that, but he won’t, and he’s the loser, not Jordan.
To wrap this
section up, it’s a shame for believers to stay on milk too long, but it’s also
a shame for believers on meat to lose their moorings to grace and get occupied
with the novel and strange. Grow up and stay balanced, and that will make you a
profitable to the most, like Paul was (1 Cor. 10:33).
1 Peter 2:1-3
Remember that this
is addressed to kingdom saints and not to members of the body of Christ. I used
to point out that this was a command
and not saying that newborn babes will automatically
desire the word. For the believer in this age, I think that both are true. Your
new nature will draw you to the word,
but you must yield to it.
·
But the kingdom saints also need this
exhortation, which closely resembles James’ in Jas. 1:21, “Wherefore laying apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness,
receive with meekness the engrafted word…” Saints in all ages separate unto
the word and the word separates them (John 17:17; Eph. 5:26).
·
Context of milk
here: 1:23-25, which deals with the gospel of the kingdom, and 2:4-10, which
continues the kingdom/covenant context (vv. 5, 9-10).
·
“Grow thereby”: in grace and knowledge (2 Pt. 3:18). Now it’s a different
grace than ours; their grace was prophesied (1:10) and connected with the second
coming; in light of 1:13, I think that it’s persevering
grace: the better they know the word, the more likely they’ll be able to endure
to the end and be saved.
·
For us, the better
we know the word, the more we’ll understand the salvation we already have (2
Tim. 3:14-17) and work it out. See how the growth is reversed between the
programs? A good cross reference for 2 Pt. 3:18 is 2 Pt. 1:4-10. This describes
the desired growth of a kingdom saint: he grows in virtue to bear fruit and enter the kingdom (v. 9), not because
he’s already entered it like we have
(Col. 1:13).
MYSTERY PROGRAM
Only one passage in
Paul’s epistles deals with spiritual milk and meat, but it’s descriptive enough
to shed light on what they constitute and who they’re for. The passage also
provides a superb example of something that can be milk at one level, but meat
at another. I think that’s true for Paul’s doctrine in general. It can be
understood at a basic level, but with spiritual growth, at ever deepening
levels also.
1 Cor. 2:6-3:4
Most of 1 Cor. is
practical, not doctrinal, since these carnal believers weren't ready for advanced
light. When Paul finally does come to a
doctrinal discussion in 1 Cor. 15, it’s on a basic doctrine, the resurrection,
and still prompted by errors in the church’s thinking. So one could almost say
that the entire epistle is corrective.
Milk and meat are
mentioned at the beginning of chapter 3, but these verses are connected to most
of the material in chapter 2, especially v. 6ff. In the larger passage,
2:6-3:4, we learn about three levels of spiritual life in this age (nature,
carnality, and spirituality). The categories in 1 Cor. 10:32 (“Jews,” “Gentiles,” and “the church of God”) are ethnic and
emphasize that ethnic differences are
lost in Christ, as far as our standing before God goes. It’s important to understand
the three levels of spiritual life to make sense of Paul’s metaphorical use of
“milk” and “meat.”
·
Natural: does not
have the Holy Spirit; hence no supernatural discernment (beyond conscience,
which he’s born with) and dominated by flesh
·
Carnal: indwelt by
Holy Spirit but dominated by flesh
·
Spiritual: indwelt
and dominated by Holy Spirit
Per verse 14, the
natural man cannot discern milk or meat, since he lacks the spiritual capacity
for it, being devoid of the Holy Spirit. The carnal man, however, does possess
the Holy Spirit and hence has some spiritual discernment, but it is limited by
his frequent yielding to the flesh, hence “ye
were not able to bear it” (3:2), i.e. meat. The spiritual man, however, has
developed discernment (“judgeth all
things”) through yielding to the Spirit and obeying the word of God (v.
13), and hence is able take on a spiritual diet of increasing complexity. This
matches Heb. 5:14, “But strong meat
belongeth unto them of full age, even those who by reason of use have their
senses exercised to discern good and evil.” Both sets of saints have the
indwelling Spirit, which gives them spiritual understanding (Job 32:8); the
difference is that the Spirit in this age baptizes us into Christ and consequently
indwells us forever. Neither is true of the kingdom saint.
The “spiritual” man is the one referred to
in v. 7, “them that are perfect” or
mature. That type of man can discern deeper truths about the cross, as touched
on in vv. 8-9, and elsewhere, which we’ll see.
Babes, however, cannot, and they must be taught the “first principles”
again, just like the kingdom saints; hence Paul mainly covers the basics of the
gospel in 1 Cor. 15, not deeper things about it.
But not with every
church. In Ephesians and Colossians, for example, he’s writing to mature
believers and unfolds deeper aspects of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection,
and ascension, which are hardly mentioned in Paul’s other epistles. Let’s look
at a few examples:
·
Eph. 2:11-22: union
of Jew and Gentile in one body made possible at Calvary
·
Col. 1:20-23:
reconciliation of things in heaven and earth
It’s ironic that
though the Corinthians had “superpowers,” they were immature. Superpower in
this age is charity, not miraculous
deeds.
Compare kingdom
milk to mystery milk:
·
Resurrection milk
in kingdom age too (Heb. 6)
·
Baptism (1 Cor. 1:14-17)
·
Signs & wonders
(laying on of hands); milk! not meat
·
Repentance from
dead works (putting away old man)
·
Faith (trusting
God)
·
Eternal judgment
(hell is milk)
So Calvary is milk
in one sense (Christ died for our sins; 15:3-4); meat in another (all that was
achieved there gets deeper and deeper; 2:10).
Meat is not just
what Christ did for us, but what Christ did in us (Eph. 1:19, 3:20; Col. 1:27;
etc.) and what he made us in him. Babe doesn’t really understand this (1 Cor.
3:16, 6:19-20), because he’s more in touch with his flesh than the Holy Spirit.
But when he begins to hearken and yield to the Spirit more and more, by means
of the Spirit’s words (2:13), the flesh is put down and his discernment
continually grows.
CONCLUSION
That’s what God has
for you, brethren, if you’re willing to reckon yourself dead indeed unto sin
and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11). God can’t and
won’t make you grow; that’s up to you. Our salvation is unto a relationship,
and just like any other one, it must be cultivated for there to be growth. God
has done his part to create this relationship and foster it, so the ball is in
our court. We have as much of God as we want, and for many of us, we’ve settled
for far too less than we should.
With prospects like
scripture describes, like having the mind of Christ practically, who wouldn’t
want to “go on to perfection”? Only
those, I suppose, who have other priorities, ones they’ll wish they hadn’t when
all is said and done. “Let us go on”!!
