1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? (1 Corinthians 3:1-4 KJV)
Sectarianism Is Carnal
Paul reproaches the Corinthians for their spiritual immaturity. Though they had been renewed by divine grace, they still had much to learn and grow in both grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). He tells them he couldn’t speak to them as spiritual people but as worldly—as infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). They hadn’t matured in their understanding or in holiness, and it was clear that they were still driven by carnal desires. Though they had received the basics of the Christian faith, they had not grown up in it. Ironically, they were proud of their knowledge, despite their lack of true spiritual depth.
Paul explains that he had to feed them with milk, not solid food, because they weren’t ready for deeper truths (1 Corinthians 3:2). A faithful minister must teach according to what listeners can grasp. Still, it’s expected that believers grow over time and become mature, able to understand the deeper truths of the gospel. The Corinthians had been under Paul’s ministry long enough to have made more progress. Christians are responsible for pursuing growth in grace and knowledge.
He also rebukes them for their divisions and strife over their leaders. “You are still worldly,” he says, “for since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?” (1 Corinthians 3:3). Their conflicts—saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos” (1 Corinthians 3:4)—revealed that they were still led by fleshly motives. Such arguments showed they were guided by pride and emotion rather than the principles of true Christianity. It is sad when those who should live like Christ instead live as ordinary people, driven by human passions rather than spiritual truth.