Those who are still “babes in Christ” need to be fed only the “milk” of Christian truth. Such “babes” are not sure as to what is the truth, and so they are inclined to totter and be easily led astray by the trickery and cunning of men who advance false teaching.

Some Hebrew Christians of the first century failed to progress beyond the “elementary things of the sacred pronouncements of God” and so they were like those still on a ‘milk diet,’ not ready for the solid spiritual food that “belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their perceptive powers trained to distinguish both right and wrong.”

Are any of us like that​—unstable, lacking conviction as to Christian truth, still inclined to follow men, not having entered into unity with those who are our spiritual brothers, thus not having developed the love that upbuilds and strengthens the Christian congregation? Then we do indeed need to strive to attain Christian maturity. We should realize, too, that outgrowing spiritual childhood and coming into spiritual adulthood is not automatic, as is physical growth. It requires sincere effort and cooperation on our part with God and his Son and the means they provide for attaining spiritual adulthood or completeness.