Yes, believers can remain spiritually immature when they fail to move beyond the milk of the Word and continue living under the control of the flesh.
The biblical evidence in the transcript shows that spiritual life begins when a person is born into God's family as a babe in Christ. It then requires growth, moving from the milk of the Word to strong meat. Paul told the Corinthians he had to treat them as carnal, flesh-controlled believers who were not able to bear deeper teaching. Les Feldick observes that many professing Christians today are still on the milk of the Word and have not grown into maturity.
1 Corinthians 3:1-2 — Paul directly describes believers who are still carnal, babes in Christ, and unable to handle strong spiritual meat, which is the core of this question.
1 Peter 2:2 — Peter connects the sincere milk of the Word to spiritual growth, the intended path out of infancy.
The Bible pictures spiritual growth in terms of a newborn baby needing milk before meat. Peter writes, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). Paul likewise tells the Corinthians, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able" (1 Corinthians 3:1-2). These verses show that babes in Christ are real believers, but they are still too young in the faith to digest the deeper teachings of the Word.
Les Feldick points out that in the Corinthian assembly Paul was dealing with people who had been saved out of abject paganism, idolatry, and immorality. They came into salvation as babes in Christ, and they needed time for nurturing and growth. But the tragedy is that, a year or two after their salvation, they had not advanced beyond their starting point. They were still feeding on milk and could not handle strong meat, the deeper doctrinal things of the Word. Les stresses that the word carnal describes believers who are still controlled by the flesh rather than by the Holy Spirit. Such believers are the very opposite of mature, spiritual Christians. Even though they are saved and in grace, they remain in spiritual infancy. He compares this to a baby who never gets off the milk bottle. In his classes, he says he tells people they must throw the milk bottle away and move on to the meat of the Word. He also laments that much of today's teaching is shallow and that believers need to let the Holy Spirit take them into deeper truths. Until they do, they remain spiritually immature.
Les Feldick explains that the word carnal in Paul's letters refers to believers who are still controlled by the flesh rather than by the Holy Spirit. Carnal is the very opposite of mature spiritual. The Corinthians were recently converted out of paganism and still had hang-ups with immoral practices, yet they were believers and in grace.
Paul said he could not speak to the Corinthians as spiritual but as carnal, even as babes in Christ, and therefore fed them milk. Les compares this to an infant who cannot digest solid food. The Corinthians were not able to bear strong meat, deeper doctrinal truth, and Paul says even now they were not able. They had stagnated in their infancy.
The Bible describes the Word as milk that nourishes a newborn babe so that he may grow. Les Feldick takes this further: when he teaches people coming into his classes, he tells them they must get off the milk bottle because he is going to put them on meat. He also points out that believers are admonished to let the Holy Spirit take them into the deep things of God's Word. Growth comes as believers move from milk to meat and are no longer controlled by the flesh.
Shallow Teaching vs. the Deep Things
Les teaches that believers are admonished to let the Holy Spirit take them into the deep things of God's Word, and he laments that much of today's teaching is too shallow to help Christians grow.
The Corinthians Still Babes
Les observes that even a year or two after salvation, the Corinthians had not advanced spiritually; Paul was still feeding them milk because they could not handle meat.
What Carnal Means
Les defines carnal as believers who are still controlled by the flesh rather than by the Holy Spirit, and notes that many professing Christians today are in the same state.
Off the Milk Bottle
Les compares the Christian life to a newborn baby who must desire the sincere milk of the Word to grow, and he tells people coming into his classes to get off the milk bottle so they can handle meat.
Time for Nurturing and Growth
Les explains that people saved out of paganism cannot be expected to become mature overnight; there must be a time of nurturing and growth.
Carnal Yet in Grace
Les shows that the Corinthians were carnal, the opposite of mature spiritual Christians, yet they were still believers in grace and lacked no spiritual gift.
Stagnated in Spiritual Infancy
Les describes the Corinthians as pagan Gentiles recently converted but not growing, stagnating in spiritual infancy, so Paul had to feed them milk, not strong meat.
Every Believer Starts as a Babe
Les teaches that the spiritual life parallels the physical: no one is born into God's family as a full, mature spiritual person; all believers start as babes in Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:1: And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
This verse identifies the Corinthians as believers who are still spiritual infants.
1 Corinthians 3:2: I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
It shows why Paul limited them to milk, because they could not yet handle deeper teaching.
1 Peter 2:2: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Peter connects the milk of the Word to growth, the remedy for spiritual infancy.
Yes. Les Feldick shows that Paul addressed the Corinthians as brethren and babes in Christ, even though they were carnal. He says they were believers in grace and that they came behind in no gift. Carnal means controlled by the flesh, not lost.
Milk is the basic, simple teaching of the Word that new believers can handle; meat is the deeper doctrinal things. He compares staying on milk to a baby who never gets off the bottle. He tells new students they must throw the milk bottle away so they can move on to strong meat.
Les Feldick says much of what Christians are hearing is shallow, and they are still on the milk of the Word. Like the Corinthians, many have not grown beyond their initial experience and are still controlled by the flesh rather than the Holy Spirit.
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