This passage comes from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, a community of believers in the city of Corinth in ancient Greece. In this letter, Paul is addressing a number of issues that have arisen in the Corinthian church, including divisions among the members, sexual immorality, and confusion about spiritual gifts.
In these verses, Paul is using a metaphor of milk and solid food to describe the level of spiritual maturity of the Corinthians. Milk represents the basic teachings of Christianity that are easy to understand and digest, while solid food represents the deeper, more complex teachings that require greater spiritual maturity to comprehend.
Paul tells the Corinthians that he had to give them milk instead of solid food because they were not ready for it. This implies that the Corinthians were still new believers who had not yet developed a deep understanding of the faith. However, Paul also suggests that even though some time has passed, they are still not ready for the solid food, indicating that they have not progressed much in their spiritual journey.
Paul then goes on to rebuke the Corinthians for their worldliness, citing jealousy and quarreling among them. This indicates that the Corinthians were still focused on worldly concerns and had not yet fully embraced the teachings of Christ. Paul is essentially saying that their behavior is not befitting of true followers of Christ, and that they need to grow in their faith and put aside their worldly desires.
In the final sentence of these verses, Paul asks the Corinthians if they are not acting like mere humans. This is a rhetorical question that implies that they are not acting as they should be as believers in Christ. Paul is essentially telling the Corinthians that they need to elevate their behavior and thinking to a higher spiritual plane if they are to truly live as followers of Christ.
In summary, 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 is a call to spiritual maturity and a rebuke of worldly behavior. Paul uses the metaphor of milk and solid food to describe the level of spiritual understanding of the Corinthians, and suggests that they have not progressed much in their journey. He then points out their worldliness, and urges them to put aside their petty concerns and focus on developing a deeper understanding of the faith.
1 Corinthians 3:2-3. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready, for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men?