Commencement
By Jennie Pierce
“But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast…”
1 Corinthians 3:1 (MSG)
It’s that sentimental time of year when some precious child prepares to walk across the stage to be handed a certificate of accomplishment. Whether it be a sweet little kindergartner, an awkward eighth grader, a know-it-all senior, or finally-an-adult college graduate, no doubt the parents who witness that moment are filled to the brim with pride and a sense of accomplishment of their own. Your baby is growing up, and that thrills you so.By Jennie Pierce
“But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast…”
1 Corinthians 3:1 (MSG)
In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul was hoping for a commencement ceremony of sorts. One to be held in honor of the Corinthian Christian who decided to grow up spiritually…who decided that drinking a bottle was getting old, and that it was time to graduate to meat and potatoes. But Paul saw that they were content being “mere infants in Christ” (chapter 3:1), rather than spiritually healthy and mature. What proof did he have? Their own actions. Paul accused them of quarreling like children, giving in to jealousy and allowing disagreements and divisions to distract them in their Christian faith walk. Similarly, Paul admonished the Jewish Christians who still needed to be taught when they should have been teachers themselves (Hebrews 5). They were too comfortable in their own traditions, being content to blend in rather than stand out for Christ.
Paul said it was time to grow up! But he warns that maturity is more than just a decision. It requires dependence on the Holy Spirit’s enabling power, as well as the purposeful disciplining of the Christian to live a life of discernment in order to “distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). A Christian’s actions become the ultimate proof of maturity in Christ. For the Christian, “our capacity to feast on deeper knowledge of God (‘solid food’) is determined by our spiritual growth. Too often we want God’s banquet before we are spiritually capable of digesting it. As you grow in the Lord and put into practice what you have learned, your capacity to understand will also grow.” (1)
Dear Christian, keep on growing, knowing that someday you will achieve ultimate maturity in Christ on that final commencement day when Christ returns and we are made complete in Him.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you content where you are, or do you desire to grow in your Christian faith?
2. Share that desire with a friend, and take the initiative to move forward.
FURTHER READING:
Hebrews 5:11-14; 1 Corinthians 3
(1) Life Application Study Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2005, page 2072.
Jennie is a wife and mother of three. She is active in Oakwood’s musical worship ministry and works part-time for a chiropractor.
