by Chris Schlect
I
was recently* involved in a conversation regarding two distinguished,
voluminously-published theologians. Both are divorced; their wives left them
because they spent so much time reading, writing, and teaching that their
families suffered from neglect. I was also disappointed to hear of a pastor who
wrote a rather helpful book on child discipline, yet has a rebellious child.
All three of these men know their Bibles very well, but their lives have not
demonstrated practical godliness.
Practical
godliness lies at the heart of the Christian life. Knowing good and evil is important,
but it is not enough. Good must be practiced.
The
Scriptures speak of a difference between milk and solid food.
Milk is for the immature, and solid food is for the mature. We often associate
milk with simple, basic truth, and solid food with lofty theological concepts.
But Scripture denies any necessary correlation between godliness and vast Bible
knowledge. The men mentioned above could tell us much about the Bible’s
teaching on family life, but I would never recommend them as family counselors.
We
read in Hebrews that solid food belongs to “those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (5:14). The
difference between milk and solid food is practice. Truth doesn’t impact
lives when it is merely affirmed; it must be applied.
A
particular verse may be milk to one person and solid food to another; the
difference lies in how the verse affects lifestyle. When Paul tells the church
in Corinth that he feeds them only milk because of their inability to take in
solid food (1 Cor. 3:2), we should not conclude that his first letter to them
is full of fluff. Quite the contrary—it carries good instruction for both the
young and the mature in Christ. Through perseverance, the young will become
mature.
John
Calvin once wrote, “Christ is milk for babes and strong meat for men.” He was
correct. Every doctrine which can be taught to theologians is taught to
children. As we mature in Christ, we don’t move on to different, “deeper”
topics. The maturing Christian is the one who remains in pursuit of that which
he has sought from the beginning. Solid food always leads Godward. The Lord
remains the same; our lives change.
*Written in 1991.
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