The New Testament uses a striking metaphor for spiritual growth: milk and meat. Milk represents the basics, the easy-to-digest truths of the faith. Meat represents the deeper, harder truths that require maturity, discipline, and discernment.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready” (1 Corinthians 3:2).
And the writer of Hebrews added:
“Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” (Hebrews 5:12).
The Milk-Drinkers
“Milk Christians” are believers who remain stuck in the shallow end of faith. They may attend church for decades, faithfully showing up, but never move past traditions, rituals, or surface-level sermons. Their spiritual diet is repetition of the basics:
- “Be a good person.”
- “Pray when you need help.”
- “Go to church on Sunday.”
It’s not that milk is bad, every baby needs it. But when an adult is still drinking from a bottle, something has gone wrong. Many churches unintentionally condition people to stay at this stage, giving them entertainment, motivational slogans, or tradition, without teaching them to dig deeper.
The Meat-Eaters
By contrast, “meat Christians” hunger for depth. They want to understand Scripture in context, wrestle with theology, and practice discernment. They don’t just quote verses; they study exegesis, cross-reference passages, and grasp how the whole Bible connects from Genesis to Revelation.
These are the believers who won’t be easily swayed by trends, culture, or shallow teaching. They’re grounded because they’ve trained themselves to chew and digest the Word.
Why the Difference?
- Spiritual Laziness – Milk is easy; meat takes work.
- Church Conditioning – Some leaders prefer sheep who follow rather than disciples who think.
- Fear of Offense – Preaching deep truths may challenge traditions or make people uncomfortable. It’s “safer” to keep sermons light.
- Personal Comfort – It feels good to hear simple encouragement without the challenge of deep study and obedience.
Moving from Milk to Meat
So how does a believer transition?
- Hunger for More: Ask God to stir a deeper appetite in you (Matthew 5:6).
- Read in Context: Don’t just cherry-pick verses, study whole chapters, whole books.
- Ask Hard Questions: If something doesn’t make sense, wrestle with it until it does (like Jacob wrestled with God).
- Seek Teachers Who Feed Meat: Find voices who go beyond tradition into real Scripture.
- Practice Discernment: Compare what you hear to what the Word actually says.
Why It Matters
A church full of milk-drinkers is a church vulnerable to deception. A body of meat-eaters is strong, discerning, and prepared for the times we’re living in.
Paul didn’t want believers to stay babies forever, and neither does God. The call is to grow up in the faith, not just drink milk, but eat the meat of the Word until we are strong, discerning, and equipped to teach others.
✍️ Takeaway for readers: Milk may start the journey, but meat sustains it. If you’ve been in church for years and still feel spiritually hungry, maybe it’s because you were made to chew on more than tradition. Ask God to grow you past the bottle, He’s ready to feed you deeper truth if you’re ready to eat.
Troy P Zehnder 