QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

Question: How do you understand what is meant by “solid food” vs. the “milk” of the word” in Hebrews 5:12-14?

Hebrews 5:12-14 RV - “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need some one to teach you again the first principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food, for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

The writer of Hebrews is making a contrast between “solid food” and “milk” and stressing that solid food in the more important to our spiritual growth. He says that being able to discern good from evil, and thus being able to make proper, godly choices, and not being deceived or give in to evil shows growth and maturity in the spiritual life; one who is able to walk in righteousness before God. God desires to see a change in our characters so that we have the mind of Christ, thereby conforming us more and more into the image of our Lord Jesus.

But what is the “milk” that is mentioned in verse 12? First, let me say that “milk” is important and should not be neglected. But, it is not to be the main focus of our spiritual walk or the only thing that we take in or we will fail to grow spiritually. We find sometimes in the Bible a break in the continuity of thought by the insertion of another chapter. This is the case at the end of Hebrews 5. To know what “milk’ is about you need to read Chapter 6, verses 1 and 2 – “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”

In my earlier walk I believed that the “strong meat” was doctrinal teachings, i.e., prophesy, types and shadows, the study of Intellectual knowledge, but Paul is clearly pointing out in this context that this kind of ‘head knowledge’ alone will not qualify us to become overcomers. If we fail to go on to live a righteous life with a change of heart, our spiritual growth will be stunted. Let our goal be to have our mind trained by practicing the righteous precepts we have been taught.

E. Weeks