I’ve heard it said that love is milk and doctrine is meat. That if you talk too much about kindness, grace, or mercy, you must be avoiding the deeper things of God.
I’m not sure Scripture makes that distinction.
Doctrine matters. Studying Scripture matters. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
But doctrine should do something to us.
When Paul told the Corinthians they were still living on milk, his evidence wasn’t that they needed more complicated theology. It was jealousy, division, immorality and the way they were treating one another.
They had knowledge. What they were missing was transformation.
That challenges me.
I want to know Scripture deeply. I want to understand doctrine. I want to honor God’s precepts. But if all that knowledge leaves me harsher, prouder, more judgmental and less loving, something has gone terribly wrong.
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8 NKJV
Love isn’t the shallow end of Christianity that we eventually outgrow.
It is the ocean we keep swimming into.
The deeper I go into Scripture, the more I find love at the center. Not sentimental love. Holy love. Truthful love. Sacrificial love.
So if what I call “meat” never teaches me to love God and love people more deeply, I may not be as mature as I think I am.
First Light
www.firstlightblog.org
A daily reflection on faith, leadership, and life. One honest thought each morning to help you start grounded, focused, and full of grace before the world even wakes up.
By Nathan Clark
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