1 Corinthians 3:1-4
1 “And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people? 4 For when one person says, “I am with Paul,” and another, “I am with Apollos,” are you not ordinary people?”
Not yet able to consume it: Paul is speaking to the believers at Corinth as if they are his spiritual children. Paul is taking ownership over their health and is making it clear that they are not where they ought to be in terms of behavior. These Corinthian Christians were immature in their faith because they were not focused on Jesus. This lack of focus was seen in the fleshly attitudes of the church.
You are still fleshly: Paul is not saying that they are in the flesh geographically. Rather, they are acting fleshly and therefore not behaving in a way that is compatible with their righteous natures. They are not expressing the Spirit as they are designed to do.
I am with Paul: This is an example of the immature thinking that was present in the church at Corinth. Apparently, the Corinthian believers were finding identity in association with certain religious leaders instead of Christ. The Corinthian believers already possessed the greatest identity in creation as God’s children.
