1 Corinthians 3: 1-3
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 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.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Paul in his letter to the Corinthians helps them understand that he could not give the full account that he had desired because the people were not ready for them. He compares the people to “Babes in Christ.” This could sound somewhat demeaning, and perhaps it was intentional, yet Paul made his point clear. He uses not only another comparison but also imagery when he speaks of the difference between milk and meat to help make his point. It would be preposterous for a babe to consume and digest meat. This is why a babe is fed milk until they can reach the proper maturity to consume meat. Because these “Babes” or the Corinthians cannot figuratively consume the meat (or the spiritual) Paul must continue to help them understand and consume the milk (or the Carnal)
I like how he used very concrete metaphors like meat and milk. Kids do really well with concrete metaphors rather than abstract ones. i think that Paul uses a simple concrete metaphor because religion alone is extremely abstract so two abstract concepts would lead to immense confusion.
ReplyDeleteEveryone understands food; it's a pretty solid metaphor to go for. But I also love the extended running metaphor (we have a term for that, but it's slipped my mind), because it allows us to delve deeper into what was presented as an analogy at first, and learn something more than just the relationship between milk and the basics of the gospel, contrasted with meat and the fullness and complexity of it.
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