A few years ago, I did a study by T.W. Hunt called "The Mind of Christ". He talks about the difference between the mind of Christ and the natural mind. Just as Paul does here in 1 corinthians chapters 2-3. Paul says that as believers, we have been given the mind of Christ through the Spirit of God. God gives us the ability to understand the Scriptures through the Spirit. But, then we also see that as a believer you can still be fleshly and not spiritual when he speaks to them in chapter 3. The chapter starts this way,
"And I brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able." One of the signs of this spiritual infancy Paul says is that there is strife and jealousy in the body of Christ. The Corinthian church is described also in this book as complacent with sin in the church and allowing believers to sue each other. They are not of the mind of Christ. They cannot understand it at this point.
If anything, I think this serves as a warning to the church today. Much of the church is like the Corinth church. They are on milk and not solid food. The reason for it is that they have not applied what they have heard. They have grown apathetic in the things of God and comfortable with sin. Paul groups people in three groups in his writings. 1. natural. 1 Corinthians2:14 says that this person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God and cannot. Rather, it is foolishness to this person. 2. The spiritual. This is the person who is walking with the Spirit and is not indulging in the flesh. He is putting into practice what is heard. 3. The carnal, the babe in Christ. This is the Corinthian church. They are saved, but it is hard to tell. They enjoy the milk of the word.
My prayer for myself and anyone reading this is that you and I would press on to the meat of the word and grow up in our faith and not follow the multititude into spiritual apathy and neuropathy.
