6 Characteristics of Spiritual Babes

How would you define a “spiritual babe” according to Paul’s epistles?

Herein are 6 Characteristics of Spiritual Babes! PTL!

1. Spiritual Infancy Is Doctrinal Immaturity.

In Ephesians 4:14, a spiritual babe is a believer who lacks doctrinal stability and discernment leaving them vulnerable to confusion and deception. Paul describes such a person as being “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,” meaning their thinking is unsettled and easily influenced by trials, persuasive teachers, or changing theological trends. Like a small boat in a storm without ballast or an anchor, they drift wherever the winds of bad teaching blow them because they lack the grounding of sound doctrine. As a result, they become susceptible to the manipulations of deceptive teachers who use trickery and clever arguments to mislead them. In short, a spiritual babe is a believer whose mind has not yet been firmly anchored in the truth, making them unstable and easily swayed rather than steady and discerning in the Word.

2. Spiritual Infancy Is a Diet of “Milk” Instead of “Strong Meat”

Of course, this food analogy comes from 1 Cor. 3:1–2: “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…” A babe in Christ can only digest the most basic truths, not deeper doctrinal meat. It’s not that milk, in and of itself, is bad. It’s a wonderful thing! In fact, I’d say it’s a good thing for mature believers to drink some daily milk! The problem is when a believer remains stuck in infancy only able to drink milk and nothing else. So what does a believer have to learn to be able to digest meat? I would say the gospel, knowing who you are in Christ, the basic of right division and the application of grace – that is to say, master the book of Romans.

3. Spiritual Infancy Often Manifests as Carnality.

Right after that passage in 1 Cor. 3, Paul connects infancy with carnal behavior. He writes, “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions…” (1 Cor. 3:3). Spiritual infants tend to lean more in the direction of: the flesh, emotions, personalities, old habits, rather than the renewing of the mind through study of the Word. Their conduct reflects old man thinking, not so much the new man in Christ.

4. Spiritual Infancy Lacks Discernment.

Paul warns believers not to remain lacking in understanding. “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” (1 Cor. 14:20). A spiritual child lacks understanding. They’re lacking in spiritual knowledge, which hinders their ability to discern and to become wise in God’s ways based on His Word. Maturity is to grow in knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, which develops your ability for discernment, to evaluate ideas through the lens of Scripture.

5. Spiritual Infancy Relies Heavily on Human Leaders.

Another sign of infancy appears yet again in 1 Cor. 3:4–5. Paul writes, “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” Infants often attach themselves to strong personalities or teachers instead of being personally grounded in the Word of God. Like Paul, no pastor has any dominion over your faith. God never designed the church or the grace movement to be about man-following. The authority to everything in your life is, “What saith Scripture?” So if a believer is stuck in a state of infancy, that’s because that person consistently chose to not study the Word of God, and now he/she tends to be more leader-centered rather than truth-centered.

6. Spiritual Infancy is a Mind that Needs to be Renewed.

Paul’s solution for growth has always been the renewal of the mind through the Word of God. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom. 12:2). Spiritual infants have not yet allowed the truth to reshape their thinking. As a result: old habits of thought remain dominant. Worldly perspectives influence decisions. Spiritual maturity is still ahead of them. Growth requires consistent engagement with the Word of God.

Conclusion

Putting these passages together, we could define spiritual infancy like this:

“Spiritual infancy is a stage in the believer’s life marked by limited doctrinal understanding, instability in belief, susceptibility to deception, reliance on others for discernment, and a walk still heavily influenced by the flesh and old thinking rather than a renewed mind through the study of the Word.”

Finally, there is nothing wrong with being a babe. It is simply a starting point. But you need to grow. The ultimate goal is Eph 4:13: “Unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,” which is to embody the fulness of the life of Christ in your walk. In other words, spiritual infancy → doctrinal stability → experiential knowledge of Christ → maturity. Believers are meant to grow from children into a perfect man.