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. (Hebrews 5:12 KJV)

Marasmus is a medical condition in which a child’s weight is lower than what is expected for their age because of undernutrition. Poor nutrition or malnutrition leads to distorted growth and development. It turns out the Body of Christ today is having a disturbing trend of an increasing rate of spiritual marasmus.

This is God’s design for His children as they come to the faith. When we accept Christ, we come into the family as newborns, immature. That immaturity is seen in our understanding of God and often in the way we live. We then start receiving milk (teachings for babies) to grow in the faith, through adolescents, young adults and to become adults or mature sons in the faith where we transition from milk to solid food (deeper things in the Word). When we fail to grow from babies to adults in Christ, the condition is similar to marasmus as is recorded in Hebrews 5:12 where our understanding and character are below what is expected for the time we have been in the faith.

The Church is in dire need for true spiritual growth, not merely more spiritual activities or involved in Church or ministry activities.

MEDITATE

What does “milk” and “strong meat” refer to in the verse above? What is the purpose of milk in our Christian journey? (1 Peter 2:2).

APPLY THE WORD

There is hardly any of us who is not lacking behind in spiritual growth. The question or the difference is in the degree: some a lot, others a little. Do not mistake spiritual maturity for being more active in Church or ministry. Also do not equate spiritual maturity for the longevity of time we have been saved. It is possible to be a spiritual baby in Christ after 50 years of being saved; just as it is possible to have a ministry office and still be a babe in the faith. A simple test for us to always use to give us an idea of where we are spiritually: look at how much of the fruit of the Spirit such as love, kindness, joy, patience, etc are in our character daily!