Meat Eaters Vs. Milk Drinkers. The Faith Of The Puritans Vs. Our Faith.

Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!

In his warning to professing Christians to be on guard to not fall away from the faith, the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 5, verses 11-14, About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

 There is lots to think through here but of particular note is the apparent link between the continued need for only milk and the dullness of hearing. That is a vulnerable place for the Christian to be as he continues to face the temptations from the world, the flesh, and the devil. The consequences for milk drinkers become clearer in the next verse: unskilled in the word of God, undiscerning, and unable to distinguish good from evil.

It should come as no surprise then that the writer follows this with a strong admonishment to move onto maturity lest you become like the field that does not bear fruit and is cursed and destroyed by fire. This is a very scary warning for you and me.

In reading some of the writings of the Puritans, I have concluded that my faith is more like the milk drinker than the Puritan meat eaters. The writings of the Puritans have a theological depth that give evidence to a deep passionate faith and practice in Christ. It stirred me to think of Paul’s prayer to the Colossians in 1:9-12, where he says, And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

The goals that Paul prayed for the Colossians seemed to be reached, or at least they strived to reach, by the Puritans. However, their focus in life to know more about God and apply what they knew to their everyday life made them a target for derision in the world. They were thought of as people who were too serious about their religion and those who never had any fun. The funny thing is that they would have said they were having great fun in their pursuit to know and obey God, but they called it joy. And they did not only think of heavenly things, but applied all wisdom given from heaven in every aspect of life here on earth.

My admiration for the Puritans, or maybe it’s just envy of their faith, was provoked again during my recent reading of, “The Mortification Of Sin.” It was a very helpful book to me because it helped me in an area of my Christian life that is near the top of the list for the Christian’s life  priorities- how to fight sin and become more like Christ. I was excited to record the book in modern English and encourage others to listen (see links below) or go to ModernPuritans.com and read it online. Unfortunately, I have checked the numbers on YouTube and Apple Podcast for number of listeners and the action has been, well, sad.  

But I am not giving up! I am recording a book by another great Puritan preacher and teacher by the name of Thomas Watson, and it is called, “ All Things For Good.” This is not about that hollow response to bad things that happen, “it’s all good.” No, that response carries no reference to God or Christians and was used by everyone. This book is all things for good to those who love God and is based on Romans 8:28- And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

This verse is certainly in the top ten verses that Christians speak to themselves and others when experiencing trials or tribulations, but do you believe it? Of course, you say you believe it, but if you were to play back all of your reactions over the years to the trials that you experienced, could you say that you always and immediately responded to the trial in a way that showed the fruit of belief in Romans 8:28? I know I haven’t. And what about James’ words in James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, or Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances, or Peter in 1 Peter 1:6 rejoice in various trials? How has that been going for you? Have you been rejoicing in trials because you know God is working all things for your good? I’m pretty good at putting on a good stiff upper lip, but rejoicing? Not so much.

This is where, “All Things For Good” is a tremendous help to my soul. Watson gives us a detailed explanation of how God attributes work good to the Christian. He shows how the power of God, the wisdom Of God, The goodness of God, the promises of God, the mercies of God, the Spirit of God, the angels, and more all work for our good.

These were all a great encouragement to me, but it was the chapter that explained how the worst things work for our good, really provoked me to understand Romans 8:28 at a much deeper level and caused me to rejoice. So, I’m going to give you a snippet of that particular chapter here in the hope that you will want to listen or read this great Christian book. I am about halfway through the recording of the book, but you can listen to it on

Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-for-good-by-thomas-watson-and-read-by-michael-lee/id1703108941)

Or, YouTube (https://youtu.be/cCMPuNsv6dE).

Or, read it online at www.ModernPuritans.com

Here is the snippet of gold from “All Things For Good” By Thomas Watson:

Therefore, I will demonstrate to you how affliction works for Good.

1. Affliction works for good, as it can be a source of guidance and instruction – “Listen to the discipline of the Lord” (Micah 6:9). Luther once said that he could not fully comprehend some of the Psalms until he experienced affliction himself.

Affliction helps us understand the true nature of sin. The sermons we hear tell us how terrible sin is, that it is both corrupting and damning, but we don’t take it seriously. So God sends affliction our way and then we experience the bitter consequences of sin. A sick bed can teach us more than a sermon ever could. Affliction is like a mirror that reflects the ugly face of sin.

Affliction helps us to understand ourselves better. In times of prosperity, we often don’t know ourselves. God allows us to experience affliction so that we can gain a better understanding of ourselves. When we are in distress, we can see the corruption in our hearts that we would not have noticed before. It’s like a glass of water that looks clear, but when heated, the scum rises to the surface. When we are prosperous, we may appear humble and grateful, but when we are put through the fire of affliction, our impatience and lack of faith become evident. A Christian may say, “I had no idea my heart was so bad, or that my corruptions were so strong and my virtues so weak.”

2. Afflictions work for good, as they can help make the heart more devoted. In times of prosperity, the heart can become divided (Hos. 10:2). It can be pulled in two directions – towards God and towards the world. When God takes away the world, it can help the heart to be more devoted to Him. Correction can help set the heart back on the right path. It’s like when we hold a crooked rod over the fire to straighten it; God holds us over the fire of affliction to make us more devoted to Him. It’s a blessing when sin has caused the soul to drift away from God, and affliction can help bring it back.
3. Afflictions work for good, as they help us to become more like Christ. God’s discipline is like a pencil, drawing a clearer image of Christ onto us. It is important that the Head and the members of the body of Christ are in harmony. We should strive to be like Christ, even if it means going through suffering. Jesus Christ experienced a great deal of suffering, as He was a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He wept and bled. He was crowned with thorns, and we should not expect to be crowned with roses. It is beneficial to be like Christ, even if it means enduring suffering. Jesus Christ drank a cup of bitterness, and although He drank the poison of God’s wrath, there is still some bitterness left in the cup for us to drink. The difference between Christ’s suffering and ours is that His was atoning, while ours is only corrective.
4. Afflictions work for good to the godly, as they are destructive to sin. Sin is the source, and affliction is the consequence; the consequence helps to eradicate the source. Sin is like a tree that breeds a worm, and affliction is like the worm that eats the tree. Even the best heart has much corruption; affliction gradually works it out, like fire purifies gold, “The Lord did this to purge away his sin” (Isaiah 37:9). We may have more of the rough file, but we have less rust! Afflictions take away nothing but the impurities of sin. If a doctor said to a patient, “Your body is unwell and full of bad humours, which must be cleared out, or you will die. But I will prescribe medicine which, though it may make you feel ill, will carry away the remnants of your illness and save your life.” Wouldn’t this be for the patient’s benefit? Afflictions are the medicine God uses to rid us of our spiritual diseases; they cure the swelling of pride, the fever of lust, the cancer of covetousness. Don’t they then work for good?
5. Afflictions work for good, as they help us to detach from worldly attachments. Just like when you dig away the earth from the root of a tree, it helps the tree to become free from the ground. Similarly, God takes away our earthly comforts to help us to detach from the world. Every flower has a thorn, and God wants us to be like a loose tooth that can be easily removed without causing us too much pain. Weaning is a natural process and even the most experienced saints need it. The Lord breaks the conduit pipe so that we can turn to Him, who is the source of all our joy.
6. Afflictions work for good, as they open the door to comfort. In the valley of Achor, which signifies trouble, there is a door of hope (Hos 2:15). God sweetens our external pain with internal peace. He can turn our sorrow into joy (John 16:20), just like He turned water into wine. After a bitter pill, God gives us something sweet. Paul had his prison songs, and God’s rod has honey at the end of it. The saints in affliction have experienced such joy that they felt like they were in the borders of the heavenly Canaan.
7. Afflictions work for good, as they can help us to grow. “What are we, that you should pay attention to us, and that you should check in on us every morning?” (Job 7:17). God uses difficult times to help us grow in three ways.

OK, that’s just a taste of the meat that Thomas Watson enjoyed and is offering to us. I hope you find it appetizing and will hunger for more on the audio recordings or the book!

Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-for-good-by-thomas-watson-and-read-by-michael-lee/id1703108941)

Or, YouTube (https://youtu.be/cCMPuNsv6dE).

Or, read it online at www.ModernPuritans.com

Thanks for checking in. See you next time.

OTHER RECORDINGS THAT YOU MAY FIND HELPFUL:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Share on Facebook

Last modified: September 4, 2023