Q: In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. But in First Corinthians 13:11, Paul said that we should put away childish things. I guess poor Paul didnt make it to heaven, since his words contradict Jesus saying.
A: First, Paul did not exactly say that we should put away childish things; he said, When I became a man, I put away childish things, thus comparing his own physical maturation-process to a spiritual maturation-process weaned from a diet of prophetic gifts and tongues-speaking into a diet of faith, hope, and love.
Second, Jesus and Paul are emphasizing different aspects of child-likeness. Jesus clearly did not mean, and nor did His disciples understand Him to mean, that since we ought to become as little children, we must play with dolls, throw tantrums, beg for puppies at the pet-store, and so forth. He meant that we ought to regard our relationship to God like a little childs relationship to his father -- we should be humble, hopeful, and trusting. Nothing Paul says in First Corinthians 13:11 contradicts that; we can be child-like in our character without being childish in our attachments.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: First, Paul did not exactly say that we should put away childish things; he said, When I became a man, I put away childish things, thus comparing his own physical maturation-process to a spiritual maturation-process weaned from a diet of prophetic gifts and tongues-speaking into a diet of faith, hope, and love.
Second, Jesus and Paul are emphasizing different aspects of child-likeness. Jesus clearly did not mean, and nor did His disciples understand Him to mean, that since we ought to become as little children, we must play with dolls, throw tantrums, beg for puppies at the pet-store, and so forth. He meant that we ought to regard our relationship to God like a little childs relationship to his father -- we should be humble, hopeful, and trusting. Nothing Paul says in First Corinthians 13:11 contradicts that; we can be child-like in our character without being childish in our attachments.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
