Hebrews 5-6 | The Tragedy of a Continually Soft Diet

It is a wonderful day when our infant children grow enough to receive baby food. It's a sign of health and growth. But it is exactly the opposite sign (and a tragic one) if they never progress beyond that to solid food.

It's even more tragic when a follower of Christ never grows. Stuck in continual infancy, they never cooperate with God in what He is teaching them. They're on biblical pablum because that's all they can handle or will understand.

This is entirely their choice, of course, for a lifetime of knowledge and spiritual growth is readily available. They just won't grow in their obedience. The writer of Hebrews speaks of such people this way in Hebrews 5:11-14.

Concerning Him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary 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 not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Just like the physical body, spiritual growth happens by exercise. If you don't cooperate with God in what He's telling you, you become spiritually deaf and malnourished. Because you are "not accustomed" to increasing truth, you remain an infant. And, of course, this means that you have very little to give to others.

An infant never progresses beyond selfishness. Everything revolves around them and their needs. They feed no one but are continually in need of someone to feed them the same truth over and over again because they won't listen and grow. When all the resources of heaven are available, what a tragedy to remain a spiritual infant when dynamic growth is available through faith and continual obedience.

God, deliver me from spiritual deafness and infancy. Let me cooperate at every turn so I can grow into the "measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."