Biblical Bacon

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2a (ESV)

What if the best part of your Bible is the part you’ve been skipping?

One way we grow spiritually is through consistent Bible study. But many passages make us uncomfortable, so we choose to gloss over or skip them altogether. Paul addresses this lack of spiritual maturity in his letter to the Corinthians.

So what do milk and solid food have to do with our spiritual growth?

Milk represents familiar and comfortable passages like John 3:16. Solid food is the Scripture we avoid — the passages that challenge, convict, or confuse us, like Judges 19.

As a mom, I can relate to the transition from milk to solid food. I remember my children responding with shock and fear at first. When we encounter difficult Scriptures in the Bible, we often respond the same way.

Unfortunately, when I skip over hard passages, I am denying myself the opportunity to see and know God’s full character. And we can only get that through a complete, holistic view of the Bible.

Even though it would have been easier to keep giving my kids milk (after all, milk was simple, comfortable, and beloved), in the long run, it would have only served to stunt their growth and deny them the experience of tasting some pretty amazing foods (I’m looking at you, bacon!).

The same goes for believers who don’t study the complete Bible. Friends, don’t skip over the difficult passages. Your spiritual palate will flourish with each new “taste” as you learn to “devour” each and every word. 

I pray that once you realize how amazing that “Biblical bacon” is, you will never look back!

So set that milk back on the table, and let’s eat! Bon appetit!

Leslie L. Bowers