For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
To live on milk is to still need the elementary teaching and first principles of God's word, and to remain a babe who is spiritually immature, inexperienced and unskilled in the word of righteousness. That lack of skill is ignorance of the first principles of righteousness that form a character approved of God, which no mere book learning can remove without the renewing knowledge of God as Creator and of Jesus Christ as Redeemer. Full age comes only by taking strong meat and by constant use having the senses exercised to discern both good and evil, for maturity is gained by practicing the truth and not by merely hearing it. Those who stay on milk remain at deficient attainments, so believers must continually advance by exercising the mind on the things of God and studying the Word to grow in wisdom, experience, strength in Christ and true godliness. For this reason babes in Scripture must be fed simple spiritual teaching gradually and with discretion according to what they can receive, while strong and difficult truths must not be thrust upon hearers before they are prepared lest prejudice be deepened and they be driven farther from the truth.
Milk, Babes, and Meat
To use milk is to still need the elementary teaching and first principles of God's word, and everyone in that condition is a babe — spiritually immature, inexperienced, childlike, and unskilled in the word of righteousness. Immaturity of this kind stands in contrast to full age, which comes through practice that trains the senses to discern both good and evil. The rebuke falls with special force on church leaders who for the time ought to be teachers yet still need to be taught again the first principles, for while they remain in need of milk they are babes unfit to guide the church faithfully. Those at this stage are to be fed the sincere milk of the word rather than strong meat, with teaching suited to their maturity and dealt out gradually with discretion and care for what they can receive. Strong meat must not be thrust upon hearers before they are prepared, since giving what they are not ready to receive can deepen prejudice and opposition and drive them farther from the truth.
To be unskilful in the word of righteousness is to be ignorant of the first principles of righteousness that give a character approved of God. Gathering all the knowledge that books can give cannot remove this lack, for it is not removed by mere book learning. Without the knowledge of God the Creator and Jesus Christ the Redeemer that renews the mind and transforms the character, even the learned remain spiritual infants.
Milk is only for the first conviction of truth, while strong meat is all the straight truths of the Word of God and the straightness of the Christian way. Once conviction is yielded to and the heart is willing, there is no further need of milk, because the truth then works like leaven to purify the heart and purge away the passions of the natural heart. So late in time, those embracing the Third Angel's Message must step fast with brokenness of heart before the Lord, with rending of heart and not the garment, and must learn in a few months what others spent years learning. Those only a month or two old in the truth must hear all the straight truth and endure the strong meat of the straightness of the way, or they will not stand in the day of battle in the time of trouble such as never was. If those weeks and months in the church have not learned the straightness of the way and what it is to be Christians, it were better they were cut off from Israel. For those years in the truth to talk of feeding milk to those months in the truth is a disgrace, showing they know little of the leadings of the Spirit and do not realize the time.
Growing Toward Maturity
Remaining on milk instead of reaching for stronger nourishment keeps believers at deficient attainments, marking them as immature and unskilled in the word of righteousness. Growth requires continual advancement rather than settling where one is, exercising the mind in the things of God so that deeper truths can be understood and good discerned from evil. Christians must seek that stronger nourishment of the word in order to grow in wisdom and experience and strength in Christ. Studying God's Word develops true godliness and opens the deeper truths of the gospel to the understanding.
Full age means taking strong meat and by reason of use having the senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The one who still needs only elementary teaching is like a baby, spiritually immature and not yet skilled in the word of righteousness. That immaturity stands in contrast to maturity developed through practice, which trains the person to discern good from evil. Maturity is shown by practicing the truth and learning discernment, rather than by merely hearing.
Spiritual infancy is marked by continually receiving instruction without sharing it with others. When new converts are left without responsibility and without work to share what they learn, their experience stays at the ABC of divine things and they remain unable to receive the deeper teaching described as gospel meat. True Christians take in instruction from God's Word and impart what they have learned. Exercising that work of receiving and giving enlarges the capacity to receive and promotes growth beyond the infant stage.
Feeding Others Wisely
Those new to Scripture, recent believers, and new believers in Christ are babes who are spiritually immature and unskilled in the word of righteousness and are not yet ready for the strongest spiritual teaching. They need the first principles of truth in the form of the sincere milk of simple spiritual teaching suited to their stage of growth rather than strong meat they cannot yet understand. That milk must be given gradually and with care for what learners can receive, with discretion to feed what is suited to their maturity and with sincerity that presents Scripture without mixing God's precepts with human ideas or traditions. Those entrusted with the care of such babes must themselves show Christ's grace and wisdom in character and in the home.
Strong, weighty, difficult and unfamiliar truth almost overwhelms those hearing it for the first time, taking away breath and senses because it is so different from popular error, and babes ignorant of the truth cannot digest so much at once, grasp it, or profit from a long discourse that only wearies and confuses so that most is lost. The meat must therefore be dealt out judiciously point after point, cut into smaller portions with time to digest the wonderful truths, since some minds are quick and others slow to comprehend new truths that involve great changes and present a cross at every step. Teachers are to give only a few essential points at a time, spoken slowly and distinctly with clear utterance, carrying the understanding and sympathies of the hearers rather than soaring too high or placing the crib too high for them to follow. They are to stop when enough has been given while interest remains, so that hearers sustain interest and are eager to hear more.
Strong meat must not be thrust upon hearers before they are prepared, but teaching should meet people where they are. Giving a difficult subject too soon can deepen prejudice and opposition instead of winning hearers, and can drive them farther from the truth. The verse rebukes church leaders and ministers supported in the field who for the time ought to be teachers but still need to be taught again the first principles of the oracles of God and need milk and not strong meat, leaving them like babes, inexperienced and unskilled in the word of righteousness and unfit to guide the church faithfully. Every laborer should feel the burden of his work, consider whether more effective methods can be devised to bring truth to minds, and desire and seek to improve his manner of teaching, and God will reveal methods by which ministry becomes productive of more fruit.
The same condition describes those who claim to labor in the ministry while preaching fanciful imaginary doctrines, productions of perverted imagination, odd strange ideas, and day-dreaming and reverie without foundation in Scripture. They need to return to the basic teachings and first principles of the doctrine of Christ, study the Word with experienced believers, and follow high and noble principles, since maturity belongs to those of full age who by reason of use have the senses exercised to discern both good and evil through practicing the truth. Living on milk leaves believers weak, helpless babes unable to stand alone and unstrengthened in the word of righteousness. Continual preaching to established churches keeps them in that milk-fed, dependent state as consumers and not producers instead of helping them become workers who reach those outside, so ministers are to stop hovering over the churches, leave the ninety and nine to hunt for the lost sheep, and leave members to put trust in God and let Him guide them so they grow from milk to meat.
God's people are babes unskilful in the word of righteousness who are famishing for wholesome gospel truth and dying for nourishing meat, backsliding and in peril. That hunger has come because time, labor and money have been spent on mechanical tract and missionary working that reduces the work to system and form almost destitute of true godliness while neglecting other work just as important. The hours in gatherings should be more earnestly devoted to teaching people how to become Christians and to feeding the flock with pure provender, thoroughly winnowed, with sufficient attention and labor to the spiritual, devotional exercises of the church. Instead of occupying most of the time, even Sunday at quarterly meeting, with business about tract and missionary work that causes outsiders to lose interest, those meetings should nourish the flock in this way.
To live on milk is to still need the elementary teaching and first principles of God's word, and to remain a babe who is spiritually immature, inexperienced and unskilled in the word of righteousness. That lack of skill is ignorance of the first principles of righteousness that form a character approved of God, which no mere book learning can remove without the renewing knowledge of God as Creator and of Jesus Christ as Redeemer. Full age comes only by taking strong meat and by constant use having the senses exercised to discern both good and evil, for maturity is gained by practicing the truth and not by merely hearing it. Those who stay on milk remain at deficient attainments, so believers must continually advance by exercising the mind on the things of God and studying the Word to grow in wisdom, experience, strength in Christ and true godliness. For this reason babes in Scripture must be fed simple spiritual teaching gradually and with discretion according to what they can receive, while strong and difficult truths must not be thrust upon hearers before they are prepared lest prejudice be deepened and they be driven farther from the truth.
Milk, Babes, and Meat
To use milk is to still need the elementary teaching and first principles of God's word, and everyone in that condition is a babe — spiritually immature, inexperienced, childlike, and unskilled in the word of righteousness. Immaturity of this kind stands in contrast to full age, which comes through practice that trains the senses to discern both good and evil. The rebuke falls with special force on church leaders who for the time ought to be teachers yet still need to be taught again the first principles, for while they remain in need of milk they are babes unfit to guide the church faithfully. Those at this stage are to be fed the sincere milk of the word rather than strong meat, with teaching suited to their maturity and dealt out gradually with discretion and care for what they can receive. Strong meat must not be thrust upon hearers before they are prepared, since giving what they are not ready to receive can deepen prejudice and opposition and drive them farther from the truth.
To be unskilful in the word of righteousness is to be ignorant of the first principles of righteousness that give a character approved of God. Gathering all the knowledge that books can give cannot remove this lack, for it is not removed by mere book learning. Without the knowledge of God the Creator and Jesus Christ the Redeemer that renews the mind and transforms the character, even the learned remain spiritual infants.
Milk is only for the first conviction of truth, while strong meat is all the straight truths of the Word of God and the straightness of the Christian way. Once conviction is yielded to and the heart is willing, there is no further need of milk, because the truth then works like leaven to purify the heart and purge away the passions of the natural heart. So late in time, those embracing the Third Angel's Message must step fast with brokenness of heart before the Lord, with rending of heart and not the garment, and must learn in a few months what others spent years learning. Those only a month or two old in the truth must hear all the straight truth and endure the strong meat of the straightness of the way, or they will not stand in the day of battle in the time of trouble such as never was. If those weeks and months in the church have not learned the straightness of the way and what it is to be Christians, it were better they were cut off from Israel. For those years in the truth to talk of feeding milk to those months in the truth is a disgrace, showing they know little of the leadings of the Spirit and do not realize the time.
Growing Toward Maturity
Remaining on milk instead of reaching for stronger nourishment keeps believers at deficient attainments, marking them as immature and unskilled in the word of righteousness. Growth requires continual advancement rather than settling where one is, exercising the mind in the things of God so that deeper truths can be understood and good discerned from evil. Christians must seek that stronger nourishment of the word in order to grow in wisdom and experience and strength in Christ. Studying God's Word develops true godliness and opens the deeper truths of the gospel to the understanding.
Full age means taking strong meat and by reason of use having the senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The one who still needs only elementary teaching is like a baby, spiritually immature and not yet skilled in the word of righteousness. That immaturity stands in contrast to maturity developed through practice, which trains the person to discern good from evil. Maturity is shown by practicing the truth and learning discernment, rather than by merely hearing.
Spiritual infancy is marked by continually receiving instruction without sharing it with others. When new converts are left without responsibility and without work to share what they learn, their experience stays at the ABC of divine things and they remain unable to receive the deeper teaching described as gospel meat. True Christians take in instruction from God's Word and impart what they have learned. Exercising that work of receiving and giving enlarges the capacity to receive and promotes growth beyond the infant stage.
Feeding Others Wisely
Those new to Scripture, recent believers, and new believers in Christ are babes who are spiritually immature and unskilled in the word of righteousness and are not yet ready for the strongest spiritual teaching. They need the first principles of truth in the form of the sincere milk of simple spiritual teaching suited to their stage of growth rather than strong meat they cannot yet understand. That milk must be given gradually and with care for what learners can receive, with discretion to feed what is suited to their maturity and with sincerity that presents Scripture without mixing God's precepts with human ideas or traditions. Those entrusted with the care of such babes must themselves show Christ's grace and wisdom in character and in the home.
Strong, weighty, difficult and unfamiliar truth almost overwhelms those hearing it for the first time, taking away breath and senses because it is so different from popular error, and babes ignorant of the truth cannot digest so much at once, grasp it, or profit from a long discourse that only wearies and confuses so that most is lost. The meat must therefore be dealt out judiciously point after point, cut into smaller portions with time to digest the wonderful truths, since some minds are quick and others slow to comprehend new truths that involve great changes and present a cross at every step. Teachers are to give only a few essential points at a time, spoken slowly and distinctly with clear utterance, carrying the understanding and sympathies of the hearers rather than soaring too high or placing the crib too high for them to follow. They are to stop when enough has been given while interest remains, so that hearers sustain interest and are eager to hear more.
Strong meat must not be thrust upon hearers before they are prepared, but teaching should meet people where they are. Giving a difficult subject too soon can deepen prejudice and opposition instead of winning hearers, and can drive them farther from the truth. The verse rebukes church leaders and ministers supported in the field who for the time ought to be teachers but still need to be taught again the first principles of the oracles of God and need milk and not strong meat, leaving them like babes, inexperienced and unskilled in the word of righteousness and unfit to guide the church faithfully. Every laborer should feel the burden of his work, consider whether more effective methods can be devised to bring truth to minds, and desire and seek to improve his manner of teaching, and God will reveal methods by which ministry becomes productive of more fruit.
The same condition describes those who claim to labor in the ministry while preaching fanciful imaginary doctrines, productions of perverted imagination, odd strange ideas, and day-dreaming and reverie without foundation in Scripture. They need to return to the basic teachings and first principles of the doctrine of Christ, study the Word with experienced believers, and follow high and noble principles, since maturity belongs to those of full age who by reason of use have the senses exercised to discern both good and evil through practicing the truth. Living on milk leaves believers weak, helpless babes unable to stand alone and unstrengthened in the word of righteousness. Continual preaching to established churches keeps them in that milk-fed, dependent state as consumers and not producers instead of helping them become workers who reach those outside, so ministers are to stop hovering over the churches, leave the ninety and nine to hunt for the lost sheep, and leave members to put trust in God and let Him guide them so they grow from milk to meat.
God's people are babes unskilful in the word of righteousness who are famishing for wholesome gospel truth and dying for nourishing meat, backsliding and in peril. That hunger has come because time, labor and money have been spent on mechanical tract and missionary working that reduces the work to system and form almost destitute of true godliness while neglecting other work just as important. The hours in gatherings should be more earnestly devoted to teaching people how to become Christians and to feeding the flock with pure provender, thoroughly winnowed, with sufficient attention and labor to the spiritual, devotional exercises of the church. Instead of occupying most of the time, even Sunday at quarterly meeting, with business about tract and missionary work that causes outsiders to lose interest, those meetings should nourish the flock in this way.