Spiritual Milk vs. Meat

Getting our thoughts down in writing in a coherent, easy-to-comprehend format can be a daunting task. I ought to know. And anyone who has read my stuff so far ought to know I don't necessarily have a handle on it yet either. So I'm certainly not criticizing or trying to embarrass anyone when I say that.

That being said, a young lady asked a question that was a little difficult to untangle. But that's okay, like I said, it's tough to put thoughts on paper. So I'm going to simply relay our conversation. You may decide I missed her point entirely. I wouldn't doubt it, and I'm certain I'll repeat the mistake in the future. I do freely acknowledge there were multiple things that should/could have been addressed in her question(s), but it would've taken more time/space than the typical attention span can endure.

Her Question(s):

How does one obtain faith? To be saved, all one needs to do is have faith.... but how is one to say "I believe Jesus died for my sins and I have faith in him"? Trust in the Lord? But for new Christians how is that possible? God knows if you're saying it because you genuinely believe it and if you're only saying it out of fear because you were told to do so to be saved, so how is a new Christian to have faith and considered saved when they have yet to do the walk? Isn't that for them the same as believing in Santa Claus so they can get the gifts but not truly feeling it in their hearts?

My Reply:

(It should be noted here that others had replied before me, and man-oh-man people sure are in love with the doctrine of election, so you'll see that in my response as well)

Hi, I think it's extremely important, especially as a new Christian, for you not to get overwhelmed by issues like election. It is a secondary (meaning non-essential) doctrine and is only one viewpoint. There is another perspective that takes a different view of the election issue, and you should be aware of both of these, but that is all in good time. Right now it has no place in any answer to your question. In 1 Corinthians 3:2, Paul says to the Corinthians, "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready." Up to this point the Apostle has been speaking of the condition in which he found the Corinthians when he came first to Corinth, and he proceeds from this to rebuke them for continuing in this condition. He does not blame them for having been "babes" at the outset, but he does in the following passage blame them for not having yet grown up out of infancy. By your own admission, you are a spiritual infant, just as you should be at this point. You are exactly where you should be. Therefore, spiritual milk is the appropriate "food" for you. Now, I'm not a smart man, so I'm sorry that I'm not crystal clear on your question, but I will give you my two cents as best I can. Now it is going to sound overly simplistic I imagine, but I think you may be overthinking the issue. Christian faith is not blind faith, so it shares nothing with the kind of faith that believes in Santa Claus. It is not childish faith, but it is childlike faith in that it is an open and complete trust of your Heavenly Father, like a child should be able to openly and trust his or her earthly father (if only we weren't fallen and degener-ate). The law of Christ is written on the heart of everyone, so everyone has a sense of right/wrong, should/shouldn't. It is as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner, that you fall short of the perfect example set by God, and that without a redeemer you stand no chance of being reconciled to God. It is recognizing the incredible free gift that God gives us in the atoning death of Jesus Christ, repenting (or turning away from your sin) and by faith trusting Him and asking Him into your heart. Your walk then is a REFLECTION of that abiding faith, not necessary in any way to HAVE faith. You see, there are three parts to saving faith. There's knowledge, which an atheist can have. He can know what the Bible says about Jesus. There's assent - someone sitting in church can acknowledge that it is indeed faith in Christ alone that saves. But then there's trust. That is actually placing your full and unconditional trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. It is knowing who you are (a sinner in need of a savior), who He is (the Savior), and then asking Him (trusting Him) to save you.

Her Response to Me:

I think I understand. Because we are supposed to go to God with a childlike heart and it's okay if we don't have a deeper faith because he knows our hearts and knows where we are. What's important is that we awknowledged [sic] that we need him and want him and he is welcome to work in our hearts? That is us opening that door to him and the rest will follow? Thank you for taking the time to comment.

And My Reply:

Yes, in the most general since, that is a good way of looking at it. Sure, there are some subtleties we could get into, but no sense running down those rabbit trails at this point. God absolutely knows a sincere heart when He sees one, and to the sincere seeker, He will further reveal Himself. That is the key. And just as you said, right now it's ok if you don't have a deeper faith. But it won't always be ok. Believers are expected to grow in spiritual maturity. At the moment of salvation, you are instantly justified; that is, you are found not guilty, covered by the blood of Christ. Upon salvation, the believer begins the lifelong process of sanctification. Simply put, that is the process of growing in Christ (becoming more Christlike). You will never reach Christlike perfec-tion, and you aren't expected to be able to, so don't get wrapped up about that. The Christian still sins, but he turns his back on a life of disregard for sinning. In other words, in his lost state, he used to not care about sin or that he sinned. The believer will feel convicted about his or her sin, will repent, and ask for forgive-ness. This can be an almost daily process in the life of the new believer, and generally speaking, becomes less so as one grows in spiritual maturity. Finally, at death, comes glorification, in which we will be perfected. We will be made complete, lacking nothing, and fully redeemed. We will never again suffer disease, death or heartache. Most importantly, we will be in the presence of God, commun-ing with Him forever and ever in perfect, unbroken relationship. So, in sum, first comes justification (instantaneous at the moment of salvation), then the lifelong process of sanctification and finally, glorification.

Now here I will note that a young man (and honestly, I have no idea of his age, but that's not important) took exception to my statement that election is not important in this case. He countered, saying, "its [sic] not a seconary [sic] issue its [sic] very important." In the spirit of meat vs. milk, I will share my reply.

Me to Him:

Agree to disagree. The Calvinism/Arminianism debate is not essential Christian doctrine. Essence is the "whatness" or "quiddity" of a thing. The essentials of Christianity are those doctrines that make Christianity “Christian” and not something else. Calvinism, Arminianism, or any variation thereof, is a secondary, or non-essential, doctrine. The debates have endured for centuries and will not be resolved on this side of eternity. However, if for argument's sake we grant its importance, I believe it was still inappropriate for the question as it was "meat" when the spiritual infant needed "milk."