Low Soul

"Low Soul" - 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 At the beginning of Paul's visit to the Corinthians, he fed them with the elemental milk of the word, reason, they were youth and children in the faith and the spirit of the Lord. It is to be known that it was taught for the condition of the person in the faith. They were new, and for this reason they were not in the condition to be able to grasp (to perceive something by means of the senses or intelligence, to understand). They could not receive deep spiritual instruction.

I. At first, they were taught the basics.

A. They could not eat solid food, reason = "immaturity" (quality, immaturity = prudence or good judgment).

1. Unfortunate about the Corinthians, the tragedy was that they had not yet improved enough to be able to receive "deeper truths" (certainty, conformity of things to the mind's conception of them) "from the apostle."

2. Those believers of Paul were "still" carnal, with a low soul state (the immaterial essence, humanity, the life-giving principle, passion with which something is done, impulse and inspiration, courage, the soul produces the spirit, a non-material and invisible entity that is possessed; low = fall, sameness, decrease).

3. This was evident because there was "envy and strife” (conflict, fighting, battle) among them.

4. Such conduct is characteristic of the men of this world, "but not of those who are being led by the Spirit of God."

5. (Galatians 4:1-3) It is the image of a wealthy father who intends to pass control of his wealth to the son when he reaches maturity.

6. As long as he is "still a child," the condition "of the heir" is like "that of the slave."

7. While you don't grow into God and you can say that you love Him, that you want to do His will, you are like the slave.

8. You have to be told "continuously" what to do and what not to do.

9. He has administrators (the heir) who take care of his property and "guardians" who take care of his person.

10. Thus, although the inheritance certainly belongs to him, he is not in possession of it until he has grown up.

11. Paul spoke such words to them because it was their condition under the law, but man is told by how immature his life is, like that of a child, as if they were slaves.

12. They were in "bondage under the rudiments of the world, which means 'the elementary principles' of religion.

13. We were in bondage under the rudiments (principles, still imperfect) of the world: the flesh, ignorance, legalism, what each one establishes; Rules, by first leads to winning more, everything external and what may be in your mind as a demand that you think you have led to win, because it is you, and that is "slavery" for conceited and ill-bred "children".

14. (Ephesians 4:14) So that we are no longer fluctuating children (variable, changing, unstable, vacillating).

15. When the gifts operate as God has appointed them; and "the saints are 'active in service to the Lord', three dangers are avoided: immaturity, instability, and credulity: a.) Immaturity: believers who never engage in aggressive service for Christ never get out of the condition of spiritual children. (Hebrews 5:12): For since you should already be teachers, after so long a time, you need me to teach you what are the first rudiments (first teachings or basic teachings that must be set aside in order to be able to pass to maturity and understand more perfectly what the teaching of Christ is) of the word of God. b.) Instability: Another danger is spiritual unreality (fickleness, changeable or capricious, whimsical, light, frivolous, changeable, you don't know what phenomenon it is!). Immature Christians are vulnerable to the grotesque novelties and fashions of professional deceivers. They become religious nomads, going "adrift" (aimlessly), from one attractive fantasy to another. c.) Credulity (a person's ability to believe what others tell him/her). Most serious of all is the danger of deception. Newborns (children) are inexperienced in the word of righteousness; their senses not being exercised in the discernment of good and evil (Hebrews 5:13-14). Inevitably they meet some false sectarian who impresses them with his zeal and apparent similarity. Because he uses religious words, they imagine that he must be a true Christian. If they had studied the Word for themselves, they would be able to see through the deceptive manipulation of words. But now they are "led" adrift by every wind of doctrine, cunning surrounded by the wickedness of the devil, not knowing the Holy Scriptures, and he who does not read it falls.

16. (Hebrews 5:12) The writer reminds the Hebrews that they had been receiving instruction long enough that they could now be teaching others. "But the tragedy was that they still needed to be 'taught' the ABCs of God's word. Amen