Note 1 at 1 Cor. 3:1: Paul's preaching was dictated by the condition of these people's hearts. Since a carnal man cannot receive spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:14), Paul could not share the real meat of the gospel with these Corinthians.

All the responsibility of ministry does not rest on the minister. The condition of the people he ministers to also governs what and how he ministers.

Note 2 at 1 Cor. 3:1: What is a spiritual Christian? Very simply put, it is a believer who is being governed by the Spirit of God (see note 4 at 1 Cor. 2:15, p. 869). This is not to say that his actions are perfect. But he is controlled more by the Spirit of God than he is by his flesh (see note 3 at Rom. 7:18, p. 790).

Through this verse, we can see that a spiritual person is the opposite of a carnal person. A carnal person is living his life (whether good or bad) through his own ability (see note 16 at Rom. 8:7, p. 794), so a spiritual person would be one who is depending on God's ability instead of his own.

A carnal (see note 13 at Rom. 8:6, p. 794) person is someone who is dominated by his physical senses: what he can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. A spiritual person is more dominated by God's Word than his own feelings.

It is incorrect to judge spirituality by some of the religious standards that are so prevalent today. True spirituality will eventually affect every area of our lives, but we must be sure that we are not using our personal convictions to judge another's spirituality.

In context, the issue that Paul is using to evaluate spirituality is an individual's ability to discern spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:14-16) and what his relationships with others is like(vv. 3-4). It doesn't matter how often a person goes to church or what his dress code is, if he is contentious and not able to discern spiritual truth, he isn't spiritual (see note 13 at Jn. 6:63, p. 245).

Note 3 at 1 Cor. 3:1: The Greek word that was translated "babes" in this verse is the word "nepios," denoting "not speaking; i.e. an infant." This is comparing a person's spiritual condition to the stages of development that we go through in our physical bodies.

This has led some people to believe that our born-again spirit starts out as an infant and must grow or mature in Christ. This thinking has birthed such ideas as, "we are trying to educate our spirits" or "get the Word into our spirits." However, that is an incorrect understanding of what a babe in Christ is.

Colossians 2:9-10 says our born-again (see note 5 at Jn. 3:7, p. 94) spirit is complete. Some have interpreted this to mean complete in the sense that an infant is complete. He has all his fingers, toes, etc., but they have to grow. Yet, that is not what God's Word teaches.

The Christian's spirit man is completely mature at the time of salvation (see note 3 at Mt. 26:41, p. 507). The rest of the Christian life is not trying to mature his spirit, but rather maturing his soul (see note 2 at Mt. 22:37, p. 442) through the renewing of his mind (see note 9 at Rom. 12:2, p. 826) so that it will allow his born-again spirit to function.

Our new spirit already has the mind of Christ. We are now in the process of educating our minds to the truths of God's Word that are already present in our spirit (see note 6 at 1 Cor. 2:16, p. 870).

We already have the same kind and amount of faith that Christ has. This faith is in our spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). We don't need more faith. We just need to renew our minds with the Word of God so that we can use the faith of Christ which is already present in us (see note 3 at Lk. 17:5, p. 364; see note 16 at Rom. 12:3, p. 826).

So, it is not our spirit that is a babe in Christ, it is our soul. Our soul (see note 2 at Mt. 22:37, p. 442) is the part of us that is growing in the knowledge of the Lord.

This is evident by observation. If a person was born again with an infant spirit that had to grow, then that would prevent him from receiving any great miracles until a certain period of time had elapsed. But that certainly is not true. Some of the greatest miracles are experienced very close in time to salvation.

This is because our born-again spirit is complete and capable of all things through Christ instantly at salvation. The only limitation is our thinking (Prov. 23:7; Rom. 8:6). When a person is first born again, he believes he is forgiven and that whatever he asks the Lord, He will do for him. That's child-like faith and miracles happen.

But sad to say, most Christians then have religion place so many conditions on them receiving from God that they lose that simple faith and degenerate into unbelief. So, many Christians actually experience more miracles in the beginning than they do as time goes on. This dispels the myth of our spirits having to mature.

Our born-again spirit is as complete now as it will ever be in eternity. We are in the process of subduing the flesh (see note 3 at Rom. 7:18, p. 790) through the renewing of our minds. A person who is successful at this is a mature Christian, while a person who has a mind that is not subject to Christ is a babe in Christ.