For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby.For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.
3 sermons cite this verse
… the first principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. This tells us two things. The word of God comes to us in several forms, or the word carries several different roles or assignments. One is the milk of the word. The milk of the word is that which comforts and encourages. The meat of the word, he identifies here as the word of righteousness. The meat of the word is that which provokes and brings about change. It's the transformational word of God. It provokes us to recognize what God is saying needs to happen, and it brings us into a place where we yield to that which God has purposed. So there's the milk, that which comforts, that which gives encouragement, and then there's the meat, that which confronts, exhorts, and provokes us to change. But the third area that is going to be especially important for this morning is the area of promise. There are over 7,700 promises of God in the scriptures, in the word of God. And what happens is the Lord with his word deposits promise in us to describe our hope-filled future. What is possible for us should we embrace what God has said over our life. …
… I promise. Hebrews 5, 13 through 14 says, for everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. For he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age. How do we know who's of full age? Full age is those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and bad. When we exercise our senses, we can discern both good and bad. You want discernment? Look at your senses. Interrogate them. Am I seeing this right? Am I hearing this right? Or is my brokenness and my ambition blinding me from what this moment is? Paul has a fully embodied faith. This is what I am asking you to make your pursuit as a believer. to have a fully embodied faith that Jesus senses would become your sense. And we see this happen with Paul. We see his sight change. We see his hearing change. He heard Stephen preaching and martyred him. But then he heard the Macedonians calling for his anointing after his conversion. …
Then come in the words of the text: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ” As much as to say, Indeed it might have been expected of you, that you should have known enough of the Holy Scriptures, to be able to understand and digest such mysteries: but it is not so with you. The apostle speaks of their proficiency in such knowledge as is conveyed by human teaching: as appears by that expression, “When for the time ye ought to be teachers;” which includes not only a practical and experimental, but also a doctrinal, knowledge of the truths and mysteries of religion. Again, the apostle speaks of such knowledge, whereby Christians are enabled to understand those things in divinity which are more abstruse and difficult to be understood, and which require great skill in things of this nature. This is more fully expressed in the two next verses: “For every one that useth milk, is unskilful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. ” It is such knowledge, that proficiency in it shall carry persons beyond the first principles of religion. As here; “Ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God. ” Therefore the apostle, in the beginning of the next chapter, advises them “to leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, and to go on unto perfection. ” …