In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul says: “When I was a child I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things” [I Corinthians 13:11]. Paul is saying that when he grew up [i.e. ‘became a man’] he cast off, or separated himself from his childhood behaviors that were not appropriate for a mature man. However we might define ‘childish things’, it appears that Paul did not consider retaining them as evidence of mature behavior as a bondservant of Christ. Thus, in our pursuit of ‘growing up’ [Ephesians 4:15] as followers of Christ, becoming more aware of our still retained childish ways of thinking and reasoning and determining to ‘do away with‘ such childish ways is critical to our maturing. The ‘rather strong verb Paul uses [katargeo] for ‘did away with’ is also translated: ‘put away, render inoperative, or powerless, and to cause a person to be free from something that has been binding him’ [Seamands].
A child speaks like a child because what comes out of his/her mouth is first formulated in that child’s mind. A child is often dominated by his emotional mind rather than his rational mind, the latter being what is hopefully slowly developing. I think most of us would agree that our emotional mind is more primitive and wild, needing to come under the control of our renewed [Romans 12:1-2] rational mind.
It seems that some ‘childish things’ just fall away from us as we grow up. We lose interest in, and are even ‘put off’ and possibly even embarrassed by some of our behaviors when we were teens. But some things about our childish character don’t just fall away on their own. They have to be intentionally dealt with and put off of us. Some ‘childish things’ seem to cling to us like velcro and removing them requires our Holy Spirit-powered determination to do so.[Hebrews 4:16].
Most of us recognize childish behavior when we see it-e.g. self-focused living, its all about me, my needs, my desires, my image, thoughtlessness, bullying of others, tantrums when we don’t get our way, vain pride in my appearance or abilities, or the opposite-depression when I lack what the ‘popular’ kids have, to name just a few. Paul also tells the believers at Corinth: ‘Brethren, do not be children in your thinking, yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature’ [I Cor 14:20]. Paul is saying that it is good to be inexperienced [i.e. ‘infants’] when it comes to evil but otherwise our thinking [rational mind] should be aimed at growing up and becoming mature [i.e. not childish].
Paul’s famous ‘love chapter’ [chapter 13] of First Corinthians is found between chapters 12 and 14 of that letter, and those two chapters deal with Paul’s attempt to correct and enlighten the saints at Corinth about the proper view and use of spiritual gifts, about which the church members were misusing, abusing and bullying one another. The gifts were given by the Spirit to uplift and help edify the believers. But Paul says there is even a better way to build one another up and that is via love, thus the reason for his then writing chapter 13:1-8 , one of the most powerful and poetic set of verses in scripture.
The believers at Corinth, though adult in age, were still evidencing behaviors more descriptive of many children, i.e. self absorbed, selfish, uncaring, arrogant and insensitive. Sometimes we might lamely attempt to excuse our words or behavior by saying: “I wasn’t thinking”. Actually we were thinking-just like a child.
I believe it fair to conclude that putting away childish things and thinking maturely comes from a renewed mind, one that thinks God’s thoughts so to speak, to the degree His thoughts have been made known to us via the scriptures. Therefore, reading, memorizing and long-term meditating on the very words of God will help us see more clearly what about us needs to be put off or away, and replaced with the kind of thinking that is mature.
Are there any deep seated immature and self-focused attitudes of your mind/heart that need to be uncovered and expelled from you? Are you clinging to them? Are they clinging to you? Is your ’emotional mind’ dominating your life like happens to a child? Are you willing, even eager, to root out and remove any vestige of childishness that is still a part of your character? If not now, then when?
CJS
The current “woke” generation could well be described as manifesting childish attitudes, behaviors and talk. In order for a nation, an organization, or a church to survive, there must be “adults” (or those who are mature) to lead and set the example. Sadly, our culture seems to be lacking in having enough adults to create the unity, respect and integrity that we need. We must pray for maturity on our part in order to influence those who are childish to grow up.
I confess that I used to have two major “childish tendencies” which I am becoming keenly aware of now: (1) being “self focused” emotionally when getting along with my siblings and even my daughter, expecting them to take my “righteous” words seriously and feeling resented when they did not. (2) having fantasies in interpersonal relationships, namely, mistaking some people’s acts of friendliness for true friendship when there was actually an ulterior motive behind them; I often felt frustrated for failing to perceive the reality. I think they still cling to me occasionally. However, I feel blessed to be growing emotionally mature in God’s Kingdom.