And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 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. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NKJV).
The enemy of spiritual growth is sin. The particular sins Paul refers to in this passage are envy, strife, and divisions. The Corinthians were lining up behind their favorite ministers and fighting over who was the best.
The devil excels at identifying people's weaknesses. He has always used the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to draw believers away from Christ (1 John 2:16 cp. Luke 4:1-13). When we take our eyes off of Christ and start valuing humanism, we cease to grow. Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:7-8 NAS95). This is the condition of lost souls. So, is it any wonder that fussing and fighting over prideful things will inhibit the spiritual growth of believers?
These divisions are roadblocks to spiritual growth; they cripple the Church’s outreach, and they rob believers of motivation. Also, they force the leaders to deal with all the divisions instead of teaching the deep things of God. In addition, the church’s reputation is tarnished. So, avoid spiritual pride; it's not spiritual. Instead, have the mind of Christ.
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:1-8 NAS95).
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