Mensa Otabil - Childish Believers (11/03/2025)
Welcome to a brand new week. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 1: «And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.» The Apostle Paul described the Christians in Corinth as babes or childish believers. Although he wanted to tell them about very important things, he couldn’t because they were babies in Christ; they were immature.
Now, Jesus Christ commanded us to be childlike in our trust in God and childlike in faith, but He never wants us to be childish in understanding and in our behavior. Childishness is not an asset to mature people. So why did the Apostle Paul call these Christians childish or babes in Christ? Three reasons, which you find throughout his writings to the Corinthians.
First, they were showoffs; they were attention seekers. These people always wanted to be the center of attraction or the center of attention. It’s good for us to publicize what we’re doing, but when we always want everything to be focused on us to the extent that we want to take the light and the shine from other people, that is behaving like children. Children are major attention seekers and can seek so much attention that even when it’s not their birthday, they feel unhappy if somebody else is having a birthday. If someone has a nice dress, they cry because they are not the ones wearing it; they always want the good things to happen to them and them alone. If that is our behavior as adults, then we are being childish. We are becoming showoffs, and sometimes, these days on social media, you find people who seek so much attention that they overexpose themselves, showing their childishness. When God wants to do great things for you, you have to stop being a child, especially when you are an adult.
Secondly, the Corinthian Church was sectarian. Instead of trusting in God and Christ, they put their faith in other people. Some would say, «I belong to Paul,» while others would say, «I belong to Apollos,» and so on. They were very sectarian people; they derived their attention from the people they were associated with. If they lived in our time today, we would see that they are people whose value comes from the brand they identify with. Because of that, they’re constantly doing things, wearing expensive items, showing off something, saying, «I belong to this,» and «I belong to that,» while never really focusing on their true value. God wants us to grow up, and we cannot be sectarian people. Even if we belong to a certain place, we must appreciate other things that we don’t belong to. Even if we don’t belong to a specific group, we can still see the good in that group. We cannot be sectarian; that is being childish.
The third sign is that they had so many squabbles, constantly fighting. There was so much infighting; they fought among themselves and displayed the weakness of the church. When you read the letters to the Corinthians, especially in 1 Corinthians and also in 2 Corinthians, you see a church that is squabbling all the time, showy all the time, and very sectarian. Paul called it «babism» or childishness.
I hope that as we grow in life, we will put away all childish behavior and behave as adults before God.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, help me to outgrow my fears and insecurities. I desire to mature in my walk with You. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.»