Spiritual Growth According To Paul.

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Law: Milk; Grace Solid Food.

The law was GIVEN by Moses; Grace and truth CAME by Jesus Christ.  Now, because of Christ’s finished work, we are now called, “Huiós,” which in Greek means, “Mature sons.” We are weaned from the baby’s milk bottle–THE LAW. You are able to partake of solid food, i.e. Bread and wine.

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Think of it this way: If you, as an adult, went to the home of your friend and that person told you not to play with the knives because they are sharp or to stay away from the stove because it was hot, you’d probably be offended.  As an adult, you do not need to be warned about such things.  You already know.  Children, on the other hand, do need to be protected from such dangers. They need the “law,” so to speak.

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Hebrews 5:13 says, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is UNSKILLED IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR HE IS A BABE.”  

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Paul is describing how to recognize who are spiritual babies in this verse.  He calls the Law, “Milk.”  Those who partake only of “Milk” are “Unskilled in the word of righteousness.”  

Righteousness is not an action you perform; it is a gift you receive.  It seems counterintuitive to our finite minds, but it’s true nevertheless.  You see, man wants to make it all about man.  We want to be able to “Do” something to merit our salvation. The very word “Merit” indicates that righteousness is not a gift but a reward. Church, if we could be good enough or do good enough, Jesus died for nothing.  

The truth is, there is NOTHING to “Do.”  Jesus has already “DONE IT ALL.” IT IS FINISHED! Salvation is Jesus…..plus NOTHING.

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God Is Really That Good!

That is why it is so important to always go according to the scriptures and not try to use our finite, puny minds to reason out spiritual truths.  Grace is not logical to us.  It goes against our nature.  Man cannot make rhyme or reason out of it because it goes against the grain, like something too good to be true.

Can God really be that good?  YES, HE IS!  He is always doing what we least expect.  He is always going out of His way to use the weak things of this world to confound the so-called, “Wise.” He will anoint the person with no qualifications to do the job at hand so that all the glory goes to Him Who gave it.

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Low, Lower, Lowest.

The Apostle Paul at one time mercilessly persecuted the church.  He even stood by, applauding the stoning of righteous Stephen.  He is our best example of spiritual growth.

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After his conversion, Paul became THE GREATEST APOSTLE OF ALL TIME. Yet in his own estimation he considered himself the least of not only the apostles but of all the saints!  In one of his earliest epistles, according to the date of it’s writing, he says, “For I am the LEAST of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” 1 Corinthians 15:9

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After he had grown a bit more in the Lord, he makes this declaration in Ephesians 3:8. “To me, who am LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL THE SAINTS, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”  The more he grew, the lower his estimation of himself.   Yet the estimation of God’s grace toward him greatly increased!  Here, he not only considered himself least among all the apostles, but the least of the whole church combined.

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In an even later-written epistle, 1 Timothy, when he had grown even more, look what he wrote in chapter 1, verse 15– “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF.”

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Wow! That’s about as low on the totem pole as you can go. The more he grew in the Lord, the less he thought of himself and the more in awe of Grace he became. Even the meaning of his name tells a story. Paul means “humble.” He’s kinda like the Moses of the New Testament, whom God called the most “Humble” of all His people,

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You and I often see our sins, our lack, our failings.  God, on the other hand, sees ONLY His Son’s perfect work in us. He doesn’t look at you to evaluate you; He looks at your PERFECT LAMB, your Glorious High Priest, Jesus, Who is forever righteous!

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