The NT uses the word milk twice with reference to the basics of the Christian faith, as opposed to the more advanced truths, which are called solid food. (Milk also occurs once to refer to all Bible teaching—1 Pet 2:2.)
I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal (1 Cor 3:2-3a).
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Heb 5:12-14).
Paul doesn’t give any examples of what he considers milk. The author of Hebrews gives six examples in the verses that follow, but he only mentions the topics without discussing them.
Here is what the author of Hebrews refers to as milk teachings:
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (Heb 6:1-2).
Here are six milk doctrines: (1) repentance from dead works, (2) faith toward God, (3) the doctrine of baptisms, (4) the doctrine of laying on of hands, (5) the doctrine of resurrection of the dead, and (6) the doctrine of eternal judgment.
Repentance from dead works. The readers of Hebrews were Jewish believers. Tanner suggests that repentance from dead works concerns “the efforts connected with the earthly sanctuary system to secure cleansing and acceptance before God (note 9:14)” (“Hebrews” in GNTC, p. 1052). Hodges, too, cites Heb 9:14 and writes, “The rituals they had left behind were lifeless ones, incapable of imparting the experiences of life they had found in Christ” (“Hebrews,” in BKC, p. 793).
Today this might apply to things such as special robes for pastors, clerical collars, burning candles, incense, etc. Those are things that every believer should recognize as being of no importance.
Faith toward God. Hodges comments, “One who took that backward step [“return to ordinances”] would need to be taught all over again that acceptance was obtained by ‘faith in God,’ not by rituals” (“Hebrews” in BKC, p. 793). We live by faith, not by sacraments.
The doctrine of baptisms. Tanner suggests that “[this] probably refers not to Christian baptism but to Levitical ritual washings (note the use of baptisma in the plural in 9:10). Purification by the blood of Christ has accomplished infinitely more than what Levitical washings did under the Old Covenant” (“Hebrews,” in GNTC, p. 1052).
Laying on of hands. Ellington rightly comments, “the reference is so brief and general that it is impossible to be certain [what is meant]” (Hebrews, p. 316). He, like most commentators, lists various reasons for laying on of hands in the NT: healing (Acts 28:8), blessing (Matt 19:13, 15), receiving the Spirit (Acts 8), consecration for works as a deacon (Acts 6:6) or missionary (Acts 13:3), and imparting spiritual gifts (2 Tim 1:6).
The resurrection of the dead. While this could refer exclusively to the resurrection of believers, it most likely refers to the bodily resurrection of all (cf. Dan 12:2). Except for Sadducees, all Jews held this as basic truth.
Eternal judgment. This relates to resurrection. Again, Jews considered coming judgment to be basic truth. While this might refer exclusively to the judgment of unbelievers, Jews, and certainly Jewish believers, would have understood this as referring to the judgment of believers and unbelievers when Christ returns (cf. Heb 9:27). The understanding that there will be a separate judgment for believers before the Millennium (the Bema) and one for unbelievers after it (the Great White Throne Judgment) should be basic teaching that new believers understand. However, today most professing Christians do not believe in separate judgments for believers and unbelievers. They think there will be one judgment, which they call final judgment.
While defining milk requires some speculation, we do have some Biblical guidance.
I think we can extrapolate that “the milk of the Word” teachings include bodily resurrection, the Rapture, regeneration by faith in Christ apart from works, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Great White Throne Judgment, the distinction between Israel and the Church, a rejection of sacraments (and priests, fathers, altars, holy vestments, special underwear, etc.), and the eternality of everlasting life and of eternal conscious torment.
We might devote another blog to the solid food of the Word. That would include OT types of Christ, sanctification truths, young-earth creationism, textual criticism, inerrancy,i Dispensationalism, the use of the OT in the NT, a detailed understanding of eternal rewards and ruling with Christ, and the meanings of key Biblical words and concepts.
I encourage you to meditate on the milk and the solid food teachings in the Bible. You may come to different conclusions than I have. But I think you’ll agree that issues like the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment should be Christianity 101 truths, not advanced issues.ii
Keep grace in focus, and you will be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
i It could be argued this is a milk issue. It should be. However, today it seems like an advanced truth for many.
ii Paul talked about the Judgment Seat of Christ to the babes in Christ in Corinth (1 Cor 3:10-15; 9:24-27; 2 Cor 5:9-10). He knew they understood it because of what he had taught while he was with them. Likewise, though he was only in Thessalonica for a few months (Acts 17:1-10), he had grounded the new believers there in the promise of the imminent Rapture (1 Thess 4:13-18; 5:1-11).
