SOUND BITES/SOUND THEOLOGY?

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants 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, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? (Corinthians 3:1-3)

I’ve jumped on the blog bandwagon (according to my adult children—too late), but I don’t particularly like this form of medium. Why? For the same reason I don’t particularly like sitting under pastors who give a 20 or 30-minute sermonette to cater to the lack of strong spiritual appetites of the congregation. There, I said it. Call me judgmental. Call me unkind. It is a pet peeve I have—one in which I struggle to maintain a godly and balanced perspective. It concerns me that believers can sit for almost anything that appeals to their fleshly appetites for longer periods of time and with more intensely focused interest than a soundly exposited sermon.

From a selfish perspective, I’m always longing for fellowship with believers whose hunger and thirst for truth matches mine. I don’t mean getting together and laughing and talking about ‘life’. There’s nothing wrong with that. But what I crave are mutually beneficial, deep theological discussions with other women as we do life together. I need iron sharpening iron types of relationships. Don’t get me wrong: I love all believers. Especially precious to me are those newly born who want to grow up, maybe even too quickly. But those who have professed to follow Christ for years who act like children are just not cute!   

We live in a world where adults everywhere are walking around with listening devices attached to their heads intently focused on one-sided conversations. If it takes more than clicking a thumbs up icon, any amount of feedback or real communication is not taking place. Why is this such a problem? There’s little interaction. People are no longer really communicating in a way that leads to real intimacy. That’s a real problem for believers! Even if I am listening to ten sermons I day, I need to talk about it with another human being. We were created to share our lives and our hearts with each other. We grow together!

This same concept can be applied to our relationship with Christ. If I am ten years old in the Lord but don’t know Him on a more intimate level than I did when I was two years old, I’m not growing spiritually. Let me use an example. Say I’ve been married for ten years. My husband has proved himself faithful to me in his provision and protection, but I don’t know anything else about him. I don’t seek to get to know him on any level, but I am just happy receiving these benefits. What would you think of me? You would think I’m awfully selfish and shallow. You would say that I must think the world revolves around me, right?

Just like marriage, our relationship with the Lord is not one-sided. A healthy marriage is one that involves my getting to really know my husband—his likes and dislikes, learning how to please him, coming alongside him to join him in his work as his helpmate. We are one. A healthy relationship is not stagnant. It is alive and growing.

Just as God has given us an appetite for food in order that we may grow, He gives us an appetite for His Word that we may grow in our sanctification. In John 17:17, Jesus prays to the Father: Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. The word sanctify means to make holy. When God saves us, He justifies us. In justification, God declares the sinner’s status before Him as righteous. Justification doesn’t change the sinner’s nature or character. When God justifies us, He also sets us apart or separates us for Himself. He sanctifies us. From that moment on, He is sanctifying us as we grow up into the image of His Son. That sanctifying grace is a process whereby we cooperate with the Lord in the work He is doing in us. If there is no evidence that God is sanctifying us (we are becoming more like Christ), then we should question whether He justified us.

Not unlike what we are experiencing right now in the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter in his first epistle is writing to believers who are scattered and suffering. He says that they are encountering trials for the purpose that the proof of their faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. After he encourages them by focusing their eyes on what is to come—to lift their focus to what is beyond their circumstances, he gives them some commands. Prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. He calls them to be obedient children and to be like the Holy One who called them, holy in all their behavior. He tells them they were born again from the seed implanted in their hearts, a seed which is imperishable, that is through the living and enduring word of God.

In Chapter 2 of 1 Peter, he tells them to put off fleshly sins in order that they may grow up. How were they to do that? They were to be like newborn babies, longing for the pure milk of the word, so that they could grow unto salvation. That growth would only take place if they had truly tasted the kindness of the Lord in salvation. If they had truly tasted the Lord’s grace in salvation, it would necessarily lead to an ever-increasing appetite for the Word that saved them. Growth is part of life. No appetite for truth (spiritual food) can signify that there is no real life!

Can you hear the frustration in Paul’s words in the passage I opened with? He has poured himself into these people for years, and they weren’t exhibiting signs of growth. They had no excuse for their immaturity. The author of Hebrews was dealing with a similar issue in 5:11-14. Would your pastor say that you are growing up? You may think you can hide it, but he probably knows. Did you ever hear a mother speaking to her child who has been away from home, “You are losing weight, are you eating enough?” How did Paul know? He could look at their fleshly behavior.

How hungry are you? If your spiritual taste buds have become dull or have never been stimulated by the sweetness of God’s Word, ask the Holy Spirit to create a deep hunger in your soul that only He can satiate. Ask Him to teach you as you learn to dive deep into the waters of His Word, so that you might grow up in respect to your salvation so that your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.