1 Corinthians 3-3.7.22

Scripture

‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?”

Observation-What does it say?

Paul is writing a letter to the church in Corinth. He is basically scolding them for their foolishness and lack of spiritual growth. They are arguing and jealous with one another. They should be maturing in their faith, but instead they are still stuck in the “infant” stage of their faith. As Christ Followers, they should be holy, set apart from the world. But instead, they are stuck, continuing to do worldly things and letting their sinful desires control them, rather than being led by the Holy Spirit.

Understanding-What does it mean?

It’s time to grow up!

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”-‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2a

Paul uses the perfect analogy here when referring to the Corinthians. He referred to them as infants “in Christ”-(vs.1). Instead of growing in their faith, they were stagnant, and struggling with issues they should have grown out of. It’s like a baby that needs to be fed and changed. Sure you expect to have to do that when they’re still young and small. But how would that look if you’re still feeding, bathing, and changing them when they’re years older and bigger?..Pretty silly right?! They should have grown up and matured by then. They should be able to do those things on their own now. The same goes with us as Christians. We should constantly be growing and maturing in our faith. Don’t be a Christian who has been in the faith for years and years, only to be repeating the same grade over and over. It’s time to graduate! It’s time for us to grow up and learn to feed and change ourselves.

Life Application

Sunday mornings should only scratch the surface for Christ Followers.

If we want to grow and mature in our faith, it’s going to take a lot more than just going to church each Sunday. That’s just scratching the surface in my book. But what are we doing the other days of the week to live out our faith? Are we just expecting to learn and grow from what the Pastor tells us on Sundays? How are we feeding ourselves? That’s why I highly encourage all of us to get some PB&J (Praying, Bible readings, & Journaling) done throughout the week. It helps us grow and mature because we begin reading, understanding, and applying God’s Word in our lives. Another thing we can do is join and be part of an ITC/Small Group. It’s a great way to get plugged into our church family and connect with each other on a deeper level. It’s a way we can support each other and pray for one another. Finally, find a place to use your God given talents and gifts to serve in ministry. It’s a great way to allow God to use you and stretch and grow you in ways you couldn’t imagine! So what are we all waiting for?! Let’s do life together! Let’s all grow together and grow God’s family while we’re at it! 😊

-Moses Gaddi