It is clear that in this particular passage, Paul is urging the believers to stop thinking like children and start thinking like adults. On the contrary he exhorts the believers to be like infants when concerned with evil.
The Greeks have developed a 3 stage development in the life of a human being:
Stage 1: Greek: Nepiazo: Infants who cannot speak and know nothing about sin.
Stage 2: Greek: Paidia: Children who are beginning to receive knowledge.
Stage 3: Greek: Teleioi: Men with mature age and thought. Grown up humans who are higher in age and understanding than children or infants.
We can clearly match up to these stages, both in physical and spiritual lives. We see all these three stages in the passage: infants, children and men. The acquisition of knowledge is a process that is achieved through growth. In this verse we are talking about spiritual growth and maturity. Paul urges the believers to stop thinking like children.
Characteristics of the Padia: (Children who are beginning to receive knowledge).
Children are apt to be struck with novelty and strange appearances. They are taken with an outward show, without enquiring into the true nature and worth of things. Do you not act like them, and prefer noise and show to worth and substance; show a greater ripeness of judgment, and act a more manly part; be like children in nothing but an innocent and inoffensive disposition.
Characteristics of the Teleioi: (Men Of mature age and thought)
The teleioi are wise and possess knowledge which the immature do not have. This wisdom is not equivalent to what the world considers wisdom nor is there knowledge based on superior intelligence. Because of the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment they are able to receive and understand the kind of solid teaching which Paul calls meat as opposed to milk (the elementary principles of the Gospel). The wisdom and understanding of the teleioi is evident in their actions. They are able to distinguish right from wrong and they live according to what is right. The wisdom of the teleioi is knowledge turned into proper action in life.
Note, Christians should be harmless and inoffensive as children, void of all guile and malice; but should have wisdom and knowledge that are ripe and mature. They should not be unskillful in the word of righteousness (Hebrew 5:13), though they should be unskillful in all the arts of mischief.
Remember gifts of the Holy Spirit are not play around and be careless in use like little children but use it as mature men and handle proportionately as per guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Article by: Mathew J John