Babes
Today’s Passages – Isaiah 24 – 28; Proverbs 4
(Second Milers also read – John 1 – 2; Memorize Matthew 7:7 – 8 )
“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” – (Isaiah 28:9-10)
he immediate context of chapter 28 of the Book of Isaiah has to with God’s people, the children of Israel (see verse 5). However, according to verses 7 – 8, we find that God’s people have gotten away from His will, and have become drunkards. Verse 8 states that they “err in vision, they stumble in judgment”. In many ways they are like little children. In our text verses above, God says that He cannot teach people like this because they are babies. In order for God’s people (then or now) to learn the deeper truths of the Word of God, they must grow up. Unfortunately, we have many Christians today that have never matured spiritually, and though they have been saved for many years, they are still spiritual infants.
Consider, some of these New Testament verses that deal with the same subject:
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” – (1 Peter 2:2-3)
Milk is where we all get started. It is certainly not wrong for a baby to drink milk. My son and daughter-in-law have been blessed with a wonderful new baby boy, Jaxon Philip. Jaxon does not eat what the rest of us eat yet, because his little body cannot handle it. He drinks milk. Likewise, baby Christians need milk. The milk for the new believer should consist of the foundational truths of the Word of God. Passages that deal with salvation, and the security of the believer, etc. Babes in Christ should be instructed through a biblically sound discipleship program. Our church uses Daily in the Word, which was developed by veteran missionary John Honeycutt. It is amazing to me, however, that many new believers will never complete the discipleship program, and as a result the majority of them never mature.
“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.” – (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)
The Apostle Paul teaches us that baby Christians can cause a lot of problems within the local church, because they do not think spiritually. Their minds have never been renewed with the mind of Christ. Therefore, they reason as the world reasons, and they fail to understand or discern the purposes of God.
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” – (Hebrews 5:12-14)
The writer to the Book of Hebrews tells us that there should be a lot more teachers of the Word of God out there, but unfortunately too many believers who have been saved for a number of years have never graduated from the nursery.
So what is the solution to this problem? How can you grow and mature in the Lord so that He can teach you the deeper truths of the Word of God so that you can be a more effective ambassador for Him? Here are three thoughts:
1 Spend time in the Word of God every day. Develop a routine of daily devotional reading, along with some Scripture memorization. This website provides a Bible reading format that allows you to go through the entire Bible at least once per year.
2 Faithfully attend all of the services and Bible studies at your local church.
3 Complete a good discipleship program.
If you will be faithful to do al three of these, you will mature spiritually, and you will grow enough to where God will be able to trust you to teach the truths of the Word of Life to others.
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