Infantile Thinking

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

There are some Christians in our day who push back on the spiritual disciplines as being too legalistic for their liking. They actually scoff at the idea of reading their Bible every day, or memorizing Scripture, or fasting, or putting great effort into studying Scripture. When they think of such discipline all they see is Pharisaic attempts to earn God's favor. But this is folly!

It is true that any good deed can become a striving after legalism, but surely that does not mean that Christians should no longer commit good deeds! No! We are called to produce good fruit for the kingdom of God. We can't refuse to bring in the harvest now just because there is a possibility of doing so in a wrong way. That would be absurd! Instead, we should continue to bring in the harvest while being extra careful to do so rightly.

The same is true with spiritual disciplines. Just because it is possible to read your Bible daily and not really know God, doesn't mean we should stop reading our Bibles. Just because it is possible to fast and pray only to convince yourself that you are better than others, doesn't mean that we should no longer seek God's help in the manner He has prescribed for us. No! 

Hebrews 5:14 says, "Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Maturity in the Christian faith comes from constant use and training. It is wholly by God's grace, but it often encompasses and utilizes our efforts as His means. Be careful not to give in to legalism. Don't practice the spiritual disciplines to prove your worth. But DO practice the spiritual disciplines! Because they are the means God has given us to grow in our faith. So be careful to set aside time to read your Bible, study your Bible, memorize and meditate on God's Word, fast and pray, share your faith, serve the church, give sacrificially and everything else that is proclaimed to be good and right in God's Word. Work hard at growing in your faith. Watch out for legalism, yes, but guard against laziness and stunted growth just as fervently. Let us no longer be infants but grow in our walk with the Lord!