How to Grow in Christ

How to Grow in Christ
1 Corinthians 3:1-15
July 14, 2024

     The Church of Corinth was still a very young church, only five or six years old. So Paul writes this letter to them after reports of things that were wrong in the church.

     Many of them were still young believers, and as such they brought a lot of the world into the church with them as they were still spiritually immature. Paul addresses these things as he urges them through this letter to grow into maturity. In short, he is saying, Grow up!

     In the previous passages, Paul has addressed what it looks like to be a natural man who cannot discern the things of God. Then he described what the spiritual man looks like, the one resting on the wisdom of God.

     Now in this chapter, we find the in-between. It describes the believers that have come to put their faith in Christ, but they are still permeated by the carnal things of this world. Paul says they are babes in Christ. That was the problem in the church in Corinth.

     Paul points out examples of areas that they are still immature so that they can see it and start to grow into what God’s plan is for them.

     There is nothing wrong with being a baby. Everyone in life starts out as a baby. Everyone has to be fed, cleaned, rocked to sleep, carried around, and all the other things that pertains to a baby. In fact, those doing all these things for the baby enjoy it because it is part of the growth and relationship.

     The aim though, is that the baby would grow, start to talk, start to take care of themselves, go to the bathroom for themselves, wash their own hair, grow in speech and be able to speak full sentences and later, as a teenager, to communicate effectively and with knowledge that has grown.

     If someone at the age of 18 years old, who had the capacity to grow, chooses to still wear a diaper and make goo-goo gaga noises sitting on his dad’s back, it would be very sad and disturbing.

     In the same way, it very sad to see people that might have been in church and have been born again for many, many years, but spiritually they are still babies. They have never grown in faith, never matured in spiritual things. And sometimes people make huge, smelly messes of their lives.

     All fathers want their children to grow and mature. The same is true with God.

     Paul speaks harshly in these passages, not to break them down, but to shake them from their slumber, encouraging them to grow into maturity and into that which God has purposed them for.

     Then he addresses what foundation our lives should be built on, and then how you continue to build on that foundation. The outcome is also closely related to what spiritual house you are built into, what you allow being built into your life.

     This chapter also stands as a stark warning to the church to stay focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be very attentive on what is built on that foundation, that it should be based and rooted in the word and the principles of God’s Kingdom.

     This letter is filled with instruction, but also encouragement to strengthen their faith.

I. Eat Healthy Spiritual Food

• What does it take to grow in spiritual maturity? Paul uses the analogy of food.
• For a baby to mature, he needs food. He starts out with milk because his system can’t tolerate anything more. But as he grows, he moves to soft foods and finally to meat, potatoes and vegetables.
• In order for the mind to mature, a baby starts out with simple words, then learns to read, write, and do math problems. His mind is able to handle greater and greater challenges.
• In the same way, a spiritual baby starts out with simple things, but then needs to take in spiritual truths, spiritual thoughts and spiritual words and wisdom from God to grow into deeper and deeper maturity.
• That spiritual maturity will be seen in deeper faith, in an appetite for deeper things, in not easily becoming offended or taking things personally, by appraising the value of things spiritually, by having a heart that is thankful to God for all things.

A. Milk is a good start

• In verse 2 Paul says that he gave them milk to drink, not solid food because they were not able to receive it. Milk is not bad, it’s a great way to start.

1 Peter 2:2-3, Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, since you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

• Paul refers to spiritual milk as the elementary principles of the faith; literally the ABCs.
• When a person first comes to Christ, we often ask them to start out by reading the gospel of John because they get to know Jesus personally and to understand how much God loves them. There are many deeper things to discover, but it’s a great place to start so they can get to know Jesus.
• You don’t ask a new believer to understand the nuances of Jesus being a priest in the order of Melchizedek, for example. Nor do you have them read the visions of the prophet Ezekiel.
• They must first be grounded in salvation.

B. But be able to receive solid food

• Staying on milk though, is not enough. Just like a baby need to change his diet as he grows, the believers diet also changes as he moves on from the basic ABC’s into the deeper things of God growing in maturity.
• When we think of maturity, we commonly think of age. In other words, the common assumption is that as a person gets older, they grow in maturity. But in reality, age alone does not produce maturity.

Illus – Have you ever come across an older person that dresses like a teenager and looks quite inappropriate? Especially here in Portland, I have noticed people who must have been part of the hippy movement, and it looks like they got stuck there. The clothes might have looked cool on them when they were twenty, but now that they are 70, not so much. You immediately notice it because they stick out like a sore thumb. It just doesn’t sit right. It is like they are stuck in being a teenager.

App – You can be stuck in the same issue for 40 years, every year revisiting the same issue.  Time alone does not heal a person of a hot temper, or of a sharp tongue, or of an unforgiving heart, or a bossy attitude, or a bitter spirit. It takes the Spirit to do that.

• However, it’s very possible to be young and quite mature in your faith. Timothy was a young man and yet Paul entrusted him with great responsibility.

1 Timothy 4:11-12, Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.

• Paul wants them to move beyond elementary things spiritually so they will be able to receive solid food and mature in their faith.

Hebrews 6:1, Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God…

Hebrews 5:12-13, For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

• We see here that milk is the elementary teachings, like salvation, repentance from dead works, faith in God. Many don’t grow past this point. They stay focused on repentance from dead works, wavering in their faith in God.
• Questions like ‘Is God real or not, can I really trust God, does he really care, am I really forgiven?’ They keep struggling with the basic principles of faith.
• How do you grow past this? Those verses give us a key – we must become accustomed to the word of righteousness. That word accustomed means to be comfortable, adapted, skilled. This is why Paul keeps hammering on it.
• When you have the revelation of your righteousness in God, it sets you up to grow. Otherwise, you will always be turning back, looking at your own failures, wondering if you are doing good enough, stuck in the milk phase.

Illus – There is a song by Josh Baldwin – Made for more, that captures it brilliantly.

I know who I am ’cause I know who You are

The cross of salvation was only the start

Now I am chosen, free and forgiven

I have a future and it’s worth the living

‘Cause I wasn’t made to be tending a grave

I was called by name

Born and raised back to life again

I was made for more

So why would I make a bed in my shame

When a fountain of grace is running my way

I know I am Yours, And I was made for more.

• This sets you up to grow in maturity in faith and character.
• It’s not just knowledge, it’s based on practical experience.
• In faith you believe the principles in God’s word and that He empowers them by His Spirit, so you trust those principles and those truths and put them into practice.
• Principles like sowing and reaping, forgiving those who hurt you, being humble and a servant which becomes a blessing. Trusting God when everything looks impossible.
• God even sometimes grows us by allowing us to go through things so we can grow to maturity in faith. But to grow, we need to be grounded in righteousness.

Romans 5:1-5, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Hebrews 5:14, Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

• You are able to discern differently because you start to see the world from a Godly perspective. The word becomes your foundation. It sets you up for a biblical worldview.
• The more you understand the truth, the more you can discern that which is false.

Illus – When you talk to someone, you can quickly discern what the foundation is that they are built on. Do they have a biblical world-view, or a worldly world-view. In other words, do they see things form a God perspective, or a worldly perspective. Things like creation, racial tension, sexuality, finances, religion, and many other things. The closer we get to the end times, the more there is a stark contrast between the humanistic world view and the biblical world view.

C. Have an appetite for good food

• The word of God is often compared to food in the scriptures.

Matthew 4:4, Jesus answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

• That said, it’s absolutely essential that we have an appetite for good, healthy food. We live in a culture that in many ways is addicted to junk food and the same can be true spiritually.

Illus – There was an interesting case reported recently of a teen who started going blind and deaf. When the doctors started investigating, they found that he has exclusively been eating junk food his whole life. As soon as his diet was adjusted to healthy eating, his vision and hearing came back.

• We need healthy food from the word. Good teaching grows us. Studying the word might seem like eating vegetables, but it is good for you. And you come to realize that the more you do it, the sweeter it gets.

Psalm 119:103, How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

• The more time yo spend in the word, and the more you meditate on, it the more the Holy Spirit reveals truths to you. It becomes like a treasure hunt where you unearth these treasures and it becomes like fresh food to your soul.

II. Be Careful how You Build Your Life

• Paul then goes on to explain that all those factions and divisions were spiritual immaturity because we all share the same foundation on which we build our lives.
• Verse 9 – we are God’s fellow workers, which is an amazing thought, and God is using us to build and edify those around us.
• Some erroneously think that Paul is only talking to pastors and teachers, but this is written to everyone that is part of the spiritual temple of God.
• Therefore, be careful how you build, be careful how you live because we’re living before God and it has an impact. That’s the eternal perspective we need.

A. There is only one spiritual foundation

• There is only one foundation for the church and only one foundation for our lives, the Rock, Jesus Christ.
• This is spiritual wisdom, this is spiritual truth. There is no need for division and strife when we share the same foundation.

Psalm 133:1, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!

• But make sure that you are not adding to the building that which is not aligned with the word.

Illus – The problem today is that you have many organizations that call themselves a church, while not even having Christ as foundation. Then there are some that acknowledges Christ, but he one they believe in looks nothing like the Jesus of the Bible. Slowly things have been added into the “building” that is not aligned to the word.

• I do not say this to sound judgmental, but Paul warned us in the latter days to be vigilant against deception.
• The point is that when Christ is your foundation and you take hold of His words and live according to them, He causes the increase, the blessing. (Verse 6)

Matthew 7:24, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

B. Build those things which are eternal

• Verses 12-13 – How you live matters to God and has eternal consequences. These things are spiritually appraised; discern the spiritual value of everything.
• Notice the distinction in this list in verse 12; wood, hay, and straw all burn up in a fire, but gold, silver, and precious stones will survive a fire.
• What is wood, hay and stray? It is perishable, not eternal.
• It represents their immature, fleshly attitudes, focused on temporal earthly things which dictates their works and actions. In the end, it is all burned up. Although they looked very busy, it was worthless.
• Verse 15 – …saved, so as through fire. When all is said and done in regard to how you lived your life, and all you have to show for it is wood, hay, and straw and it all gets burned up, then you’re not left with much, but at least you yourself are saved. At least you’ll have your robe of righteousness.

Illus – A robe is a wonderful thing. If someone comes knocking unexpectedly in the middle of the night, the first thing you grab is your robe. When death comes knocking unexpectedly, you have your robe of righteousness.

• Our aim though, should not be to be saved by the skin of our teeth. There is so much more. It is a better way to live to be led by the Spirit of God, letting Him direct your actions.

Phillipians 2:13, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

• God’s heart is that you will have a blessed, fulfilled life in this life, but his fulfilled life is measured differently that the world measures it.
• We build our lives on the word, which changes who we are and how we live. This becomes the precious things we build with. In the end we are blessed by it, now and in eternity.

Illus – There is something you can take with you, your relationships. Have the heart of Christ in them.

Matthew 6:20, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”