Doug Van Meter - 12 March 2023
Merely Human? (1 Corinthians 3:1–4)
Even with a fully regenerate membership, it is possible for a church to, at times, behave in ways that belie its profession: for the regenerate to behave in ways that are unregenerate, displaying the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:16–21). This will not be characteristic of the church, but it may be true occasionally and sinfully. As was the case in Corinth. The church had grown in a number of ways, but not in Christlike maturity. The church looked too much like the world in which it existed. It was tragic. It needed to change. Repentance was called for. We will consider Paul’s call for repentance under three broad headings: 1. A Disappointing Contrast (v. 1) 2. A Debilitating Condition (vv. 2–3a) 3. A Dominating Culture (vv. 3b–4)
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 3:1-4
From Series: "1 Corinthians Exposition"
An exposition of 1 Corinthians by Doug Van Meter.
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From verse 1 of chapter 3 through the end of chapter 4, the apostle Paul applies what he has been saying about the cross of Christ to Christian ministers.
Until point, Paul has been boasting in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, while exhorting the church to do the same (1:31). He has reminded them of the powerful message of the cross by which by the power of the Spirit of God they had believed (2:1–5). He elaborated on their incredible privilege to have been given the Spirit of God enabling them to live enigmatically before the world (2:10–16). That is, as those who are now “spiritual,” they should see the world two dimensionally. They were able to see beyond the obvious and the temporal to the not-so-obvious yet the eternal. It is this maturity that Paul, the pastor, desires for them (2:6–9).
Disappointingly, and inexcusably, the Corinthians were behaving immaturely, like “infants in Christ” (3:1). Rather than feeding themselves on Jesus Christ and his gospel, they were choking their spiritual life by a feeding frenzy on their favourite Christian teachers and leaders. And this frenzy was fracturing and factious. Rather than growing in Christ, they were going away from him through a worldly obsession, by a superficial assessment, and by a fleshly evaluation of the ministers of the cross rather than being consumed with Jesus Christ, the one to whom the messengers were pointing!
Rather than being focused on and passionate about Jesus Christ crucified (who he is and what he did), the Corinthian congregation was focused on and passionate about those who proclaimed that message. Rather than being obsessed with the content of the message of the cross (the gospel), they were obsessed with those who communicated that message. That is, the Corinthian church was guilty of attitudes and actions that were “merely human” (v. 4). Paul was grieved over this, for though he as an apostle was “merely human” in comparison to Jesus Christ, he knew that, because they had God’s Spirit, both he and his readers should be characterised by behaviour that was far more than merely human.
As we study this passage, I trust that we will come away with a greater appreciation of the meat of the gospel and that our attitudes and actions, impacted by this, will be everything but merely human. And if you aremerely human, then, by God’s grace, may you today come to experience the person and work of Jesus Christ who, by his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, transforms sinners into saints—the merely human into those who have the Spirit of God. We will study this text under three headings.
- A Disappointing Contrast (v. 1)
- A Debilitating Condition (vv. 2–3a)
- A Deforming Culture (vv. 3b–4)
A Disappointing Contrast
Paul begins by highlighting a disappointing contrast: “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ” (v. 1).
Paul’s opening words are rather jarring. The words “But I” introduce a contrast. Having just exulted in grace (2:16), he is immediately forced to acknowledge that the Corinthian church was behaving as if they did not have such a mind. In a sense, they were behaving as if they were out of their spiritual mind! Though Paul assumes the Corinthian church was Christian (“brothers,” “infants in Christ”), he nevertheless notes they were living as though Jesus Christ crucified meant nothing to them. They were therefore living “only in a human way.” They are behaving in a deeply debilitating immature way. This is revealed in everything that follows in the letter: factions, immorality, idolatry, self-indulgence, etc.
In a period of four years this church had not matured spiritually. She may have grown in numbers, in wealth, in giftedness, and in other ways, but, in the most important way, she had not. The church at Corinth looked an awful lot like the world in which she existed. It was tragic and it needed to change. Repentance was called for.
After contrasting the Christian’s privilege to understand the things of God by the ministry of God’s Spirit, over against those who are not able to receive the things of the Spirit of God, Paul says something quite unexpected as he tells the Corinthian church that he cannot address them as spiritual people but rather as “people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.” His last description qualifies what he has said. They were behaving as though they were “merely human” (vv.3b–4). Thiselton paraphrases: “For my part, my Christian friends, I could not address you as people of the Spirit, but as people moved by entirely human drives, as people who in Christian terms are infantile.”
These believers were behaving as though they did not have God’s Spirit. They were living like natural people, like the world. That is a serious and striking statement, which is inherently disappointing.
In previous studies, we noted that Paul’s use of “us” and “we” (2:6,7,10,11,13,16) referred to Paul (and the apostles) to whom God had revealed truth that they then proclaimed to others. Their goal was to proclaim this truth, to disciple believers to maturity (2:6). So the words, “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people’ indicates a spiritual contrast, a contrast between those who got it and those who didn’t. As we will see, Paul is contrasting spiritual maturity with spiritual immaturity. It is a sad, a disappointing contrast, for there was no good reason for this local church to behave so immaturely.
Having said this, perhaps this would be a good place to pause and consider what has proved a problematic interpretation of this passage.
A common, but distorted, interpretation of this passage is a three-fold designation of humanity: the naturalperson, the spiritual person (Christian), and the carnal Christian. The carnal Christian is a genuine believer who is characterised by the works of the flesh. Perhaps the stark language with which Paul commences this chapter tempts interpreters to this erroneous categorising of human nature. But a proper interpretation of these verses reveals that, as we saw in chapter 2, there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who have the Spirit of God (i.e. those born again) and those who don’t (i.e. the “natural person”; i.e. those not born again). Those with the Spirit of God may at times live as though they do not have the Spirit: nevertheless, they will never live categorically as though they are absent the Spirit.
The phrase “as people of the flesh” translates the Greek word sarkinos, that which speaks of the physical dimension: a person’s body. It can refer to behaviour that is typical of human nature; that which is typical of ordinary humans, “merely human” behaviour. As we say in chapter 2, such a description implies living bound to and in one dimension. This congregation was worldly and therefore not much different from the world. The culture of the church at Corinth was little different from the culture of Corinth. Whereas Paul had great hopes that the church would be mature (2:6) clearly, they were not. They were behaving similar to the humanly immature, undeveloped, time-bound, one-dimensional, fleshly, sensual culture. This was tragic.
The sad reality of this verse is that it is possible, and all too frequently so, for a true Christian to live as though they are not a Christian. And it appears that this possibility exists for an entire congregation. Rather than being Christian in one’s attitudes and behaviour, a local church may be carnal in its attitude and behaviour. This is shameful. But thanks to God, it can be reversible.
Paul will next explain why he makes such a shocking statement, but before we proceed to this, we should pause and consider the reality of disappointment with one another in the local church and how to respond to such disappointment.
It is interesting that Paul did not give up on this congregation (more on this later). Rather, he wrote to them (a total of at least four letters of which we are aware). He did not mince his words but spoke straight to their true condition. He did so because he was “spiritual.” He did so because he lived two-dimensionally and knew the power of the Holy Spirit to do the same in the lives of those who were currently living as though they were merely people of the flesh.
An important lesson from this text is that we should not be afraid to speak the truth to one another, of course, in love. We need to remind one another that, by God’s grace, we are better than this and should therefore dobetter than this. The truth often hurts but, like a scalpel to a tumour, the pain is necessary for health. May this verse, and what follows, humble us to help us even though it may at first hurt us.
A Debilitating Condition
Paul now elaborates concerning the immature condition of the Corinthian church, and it proves quite enlightening: “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh” (vv. 2–3).
Note that Paul does not say that they were mature when he was there but, now, no longer. When he planted the church they were infants in Christ and, four years later, they remained infantile. When he was with them, they were not ready for “meat” but only for “milk.” Four years later, they remained on a milk diet. They remained immature. Like infants, the Corinthian church could only stomach pre-digested food.
We need to understand what Paul meant by the terms “meat” and “milk.” What is the difference?
A popular understanding of these terms is that “meat” refers to deep doctrine while “milk” refers to the basics of Christianity. In other words, “milk” refers to the gospel while “meat” refers to doctrinal truth that comes after the gospel. But this is a problematic interpretation.
The word “milk” is used twice more in the New Testament with reference to the Christian (Hebrews 5:12–13; 1 Peter 2:2). The writer of Hebrews rebuked his readers because of their stumbling over the gospel. They had not taken to heart the deep life and loyalty implications of the gospel. They had not considered and digested its depth. The result is that they had not grown to the point where they could feed others. The writer thus challenged them to grow up, grasping the gospel and then living like they grasped it.
In 1 Peter 2:2, the apostle exhorts his readers to continue to hunger for the “milk of the word”: the gospel of which he had just written (1:22–25). In both cases, as here in 1 Corinthians 3, the difference between milk and meat has to do with depth of appreciation and understanding of the message of the cross, not the message itself. In other words, those whose lives are determined and designed by Jesus Christ crucified are meat-eating Christians, growing up and growing deeper in the love of Jesus, whereas milk only Christians have a shallow and often crossless lifestyle and mindset.
Paul made much of the fact that, when he was with them, he preached to them “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Was this merely “milk”? Hardly. By “meat,” does he mean doctrine that moves beyond the “simple” gospel? I don’t think so. Rather, what Paul has in mind is properly appreciating the message of Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Corinthians clearly had not taken this message to heart. And hence they were still like infants who could only handle pre-digested food. They could not properly digest the depth of the message of the cross. And therefore they were living like they were yet “of the flesh.” As Schreiner suggests, “Those who drink milk … are not able to digest what Paul teaches as solid food. Milk does not denote the content of the teaching but the receptiveness of the hearers.”
When I preach, I never think, “How can I provide milk and meat?” Instead, I think, “How can I clearly, accurately, effectively, reverently, and simply preach Jesus Christ and him crucified?” Those who can only handle milk will leave burping and soon empty, while those who are serious about the Lord will leave filled to the brim still chewing on the meat.
When Paul uses the word “flesh” the second time, he employs a different Greek word: sarkikos. This term does not refer the body but rather to the sinful nature. It refers to life lived in rebellion to God, “nature governed by mere human nature, not by the Spirit of God” (Louw/Nida). Paul is saying that the Corinthian church was characterised by “the passions of the flesh” (1 Peter 2:11) rather than by a passion for Jesus Christ and him crucified. They were “milky” rather than “meaty.” The result is that their church had become man-centred rather than gospel-centred. They had become worldly.
Don Carson nails it when he paraphrases such immature behaviour:
Not for them solid knowledge of Scripture; not for them mature theological reflection; not for them growing and perceptive Christian thought. They want nothing more than another round of choruses and a ‘simple message’—something that won’t challenge them to think, to examine their lives, to make choices, and to grow in their knowledge and adoration of the living God.
It is tragic when Christians and even entire congregations are worldly. We often associate “worldly” with sexual immorality, drunkenness, and moral compromise. Certainly these were problems within the Corinthian church. But a church can be morally squeaky clean and still be worldly. When a church becomes man-centred and personality-driven, it is infantile. I care not how well-known or how doctrinally solid it is.
Those for whom the gospel is solid and substantial food are those whose values and loyalties are radically changed by the gospel. They are others-centred. They are serious and sacrificial servants of the Lord. They are busy helping others to grow meaty (Hebrews 5:11–12). They are peaceable, righteous, and wise. Those for whom the gospel is solid and substantial food are those whose loves are radically changed by the gospel. And therefore those who are able to digest the meat of the gospel are those whose lives are radically changed and are radically different from those who do not believe the gospel.
On the other hand, milk Christians—those for whom the gospel is superficial and Sunday-only food—live just as immaturely as the world. They live, as we will see, like others, like those who are merely human. That is, their loyalties are not discernibly distinct from the unregenerate, their loves are, at least on the surface, not different than the loves and lusts of the unbeliever, and therefore their lives, though religious, are not reverent.
A study of the remaining words will perhaps help us to further grasp the distinction between milk and meat and immature and mature.
A Deforming Culture
The immature are those who live dominated by one dimension, a dimension they can see, one that they can sense. Much like an infant. For them, the culture can be deforming: “For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human?” (vv. 3–4).
An infant is dominated by his feelings, by self. He has no understanding of the wider world. Further, most children struggle with sharing. The presence of jealousy and strife indicated woeful immaturity in the Corinthian church. It indicated a woeful falling short of their potential. As Rosner and Ciampa note,
Paul’s basic accusation against the Corinthians is that in acting divisively they behave as if they belong to “this age” and as if they do not have the Spirit. In other words, they live as if they were no different from anyone else in Corinth…. Whatever the exact shape of Corinthian divisions, Paul judges them unbecoming of those who have the Spirit and belong to the age to come.
“Strife” and “jealousy” are works of the flesh. As Stephen Um points out, these are “on par with idolatry, sorcery, and sexual immorality” (Galatians 5:19–20). In Galatians 5, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. The former are ugly whereas the latter are beautiful; the former mark the world, while the latter mark those who have the Spirit. Sadly, the Corinthians smelled of rotten fruit rather than the glorious fruit of the Spirit. At least for now, in several areas, Paul’s characterisation of them was disappointing, to say the least.
Paul identifies a particular problem in which this strife and jealousy was rearing its ugly head: “One says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human?” (see 1:10–17). There is nothing mature about this. Schreiner comments, “The Corinthians believed their partisanship reflected their spiritual perception, but Paul says that it points to their spiritual poverty; they are actually living on a human level instead of relying on the Holy Spirit.”
Their factionalism displayed that they were not taking seriously Jesus Christ crucified. Had they done so, they would have died to self, focused on the Lord and the message of the cross, and lived gospel-centred lives. Sadly, they were not living spiritual lives, imitating their Christ, but were rather mimicking their culture. This was a major problem for this church.
Cultural Sins
We need to pause at this point and explore an important reality about cultures and the local church.
As I was preparing this message, I reached for a bag of Halls throat lozenges. On the back of the package were these words: “Choking Warning: Not for children under 4.” Well, when the church at Corinth was less than four years of age, they could not handle the meat of the gospel and were apparently choking on it. Four years later, they were still choking on the meat of the gospel. Sadly, Paul, sometime later, would write another letter to this immature church, and a man named Clement would write still another letter—some forty years later—addressing some of the same issues! Interesting.
This church obviously struggled to be a healthy church. We know that Paul wrote at least four letters to them (two of which were inspired). Again, Clement wrote to them, long after Paul was dead, to address similar challenges. What we should note is that, apparently, despite its immaturity, this congregation was worthy of being helped. Clearly, Paul did not give up on them in their immaturity. Clearly, Clement did not. Clearly, Goddid not!
This should encourage us to not so easily dismiss the problematic because immature Christian and/or congregation. We should realise that some Christians, and some local churches are so infected with their culture that it is quite difficult to move beyond it.
The Corinthian culture put a premium on rhetoric and philosophical persuasion. Externals were more important than internals. This was clearly the mindset of the Corinthian church. So much of what follows in the letter bears witness to the cultural sins of me-centredness, of boasting in that which is flashy, of pride in that which seems sophisticated, as well as obsession with the here and now. The church at Corinth, in other words, was too much the church of Corinth. Paul aims to show them a better way, but it is work that will have to be done continually. As Clement would testify!
Here’s the point: Cultural sins need to be considered wherever a local church is planted. For example, when Paul instructed Titus to set things in order in the local churches in Crete, he made what seems to be a rather pejorative judgement by quoting a Cretan writer: “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Nice. He then proceeds, “This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (v. 13). Paul recognised what was generally true of the Cretan culture and he knew that this characteristic sin would be present, to some degree, in the church. Spiritual maturity would require working hard at applying the gospel deeply to uproot such sinful tendencies. And this is no less true today.
For example, picking on my land of birth, American culture suffers from sins of arrogance and a passion for independence (and being loud!). This is not easily uprooted. Mere milky understanding of the gospel will never overcome these sinful tendencies. Rather a meaty understanding of Jesus Christ and him crucified is its only hope. Only by being slain, as it were, by the cross of Christ will such cultural sins be left at the threshold of the church.
So much of the COVID-19 conflict in and between churches in the United States was precisely because these cultural sins were not confronted with the message of the cross. The same can be said concerning the disappointing political factions among Christians in the United States.
Consider our own cultural sins. In a diverse country like South Africa, these cultural sins are likewise diverse.
For example, one of our cultural sins even had an official name: apartheid. Racism is a reality wherever there are different ethnicities living alongside one another, but South African culture is globally notable for it. This sin is fuelled by an inflated view of our own importance, and is a sinful mindset that is difficult to overcome. I hear it expressed occasionally in our congregation: derogatory and condescending terminology as well as a lack of cross-ethnic hospitality. Such attitudes and behaviour are “merely human.” Maturing believers will apply the gospel and will grow up ,while immature believers will hang on to their sinful prejudices while their local church is hindered in her maturity.
Various African cultures are plagued with the evil of ancestor worship and many pastors are faced with the challenge of this cultural sin becoming a stumblingblock in their church.
Another cultural sin—and one that thankfully our congregation is often called upon to pray about—is that of grumbling and complaining coupled with a lack of appreciation. This is especially prevalent in these days. Yes, Christians grumble and complain. Yes, Christians can be cold refusing to affirm and encourage others. And this is unhealthy for the local church. We need to be on guard for this and ready to fight it. Old habits die hard, it is said. So do old habits of the heart as well as old heresies. It is not that these believers and churches are not Christian. In many cases they truly are, but they are immature, fleshly, and believe and behave often like they are merely human. Constant teaching is necessary. Sometimes frequent correction is called for.
There are doubtless other cultural characteristics that the church must guard against, and work to renounce. But this is the point: Gospel formed local churches are worth the effort of painstaking correction—even over the long haul.
Paul did not consider it a waste of his time to confront this church, repeatedly, because he believed what he wrote in chapter 2. That is, he believed that those born again receive the Spirit of God and therefore have the potential to grasp the great things God has provided for them (2:7–10).
Brothers and sisters, we need to heed this lesson and to take heart. Those who are truly saved have great potential for spiritual maturity in this life and therefore we need to persevere with one another.
It must be emphasised that we, being aware of sinful cultural proclivities, must never excuse sinful tendencies with a shrug of shoulders: “That’s just the way we are.” God forbid. Rather than surrendering to sinful ways and immature living, Christians are to live what they are: spiritual persons, people with the Spirit of God.
Merely Human?
As indicated and emphasised by Paul, the problem with the Corinthian church was that, in their attitudes and actions, they were being “merely human.” That is unhealthy, unproductive, and, in the end, unacceptable. Those who have experienced the power of the gospel are more than merely human for they have the Spirit of God dwelling within (6:19–20). And we are to live like it. We are to be distinctively different than those who aremerely human: in our values; in our loves and hates; in our loyalties; in our ambitions and therefore in our priorities; in our others-centredness; etc.
The title of this sermon is in the form of a question. So I conclude with a question: Are you merely human? If so, then God’s response to you is as one who is merely human, and therefore under his wrath (John 3:36).
Thankfully, however, you neither have to live or die this way. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, who was both human and divine. He was not merely human or—and I say this reverently—only God. Because he was the God-Man, he was able to live perfectly, to die substitutionally for sinners, and to rise from the dead so that repentant sinners could be more than merely human. By God’s Spirit, those who repent of their sins trusting Jesus Christ alone to be reconciled to God are saved. Their loves and longings and loyalties are radically changed and they grow up into the godly, Christlike maturity they were designed to be.
Christian, this maturity is not for the “special” Christian; it is, rather, for every Christian. So, because we have the Spirit of God, let us no longer live as though we are merely human. Let us rather live as mature children of God, feeding on the meat of the gospel.
AMEN