The Bible Edge
Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have a Bible Edge
I Corinthians 3:1
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Babies do not understand insurance, paying a mortgage, marriage, algebra, or the laws of thermodynamics. These are adult level issues to grasp and understand. Similarly, babes in Christ cannot receive and understand spiritual matters. But babies do not remain babies. They grow, become educated, their mind changes throughout the years, they do not stay babies for 10, 20, 30, or 70 years. Likewise, those in Christ are to grow past being a baby Christian.
There is nothing wrong with baby, or new, believers in Christ. They are wonderful to be around, always hungering for food, asking questions, soaking up Biblical teachings that are new yet seem to be so familiar. The Holy Ghost of God (by the way, since that term was just used, understand this, in our Bible the term Holy Spirit is used 7 times. Holy Ghost, 89 times.) that abides within the soul of a child of God leads them into understanding, making God’s teachings a part of their core belief system. To them the things of God just seem right because of the testimony of the Holy Spirit in them.
Peter also visits this thing of being a babe in Christ. He wrote, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (I Peter 2:2). In fact this thing of childlike growth in the Lord is so vital that Peter’s last recorded words in the Bible are But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18) Remember, Peter did not choose these words on his own, he was moved by the Holy Ghost to pen them.
With all that said, let today’s Bible edge be understood clearly. New Christians are likened to babes in Christ. But they are not to stay there. They are to grow. How do they grow? According to Peter they grow through receiving the sincere milk of the Word. To further understand how a person grows spiritually go to the Old Testament prophet of Isaiah. He said it like this: 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.
This is why Bible reading, church attendance, and Scriptural obedience are so important. From them doctrine can be understood, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. It takes years, but Christian growth is possible. The wonderful thing about this growth process is it never ends, not until that time that we enter into that place called heaven. Then our understanding will explode in climax by seeing our wonderful, perfect, and free eternal home. Like the old song says: “Just think of stepping on shore - And finding it heaven! Of touching a hand – And finding it God’s! Of breathing new air – And finding it celestial! Of waking up in glory – And finding it home!”
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
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