Should We Be Children Or Not?

Jesus said, "...unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:2, NIV)

It is also written, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. (1 Corinthians 13:11, NIV)

This seems to be a contradiction. Should we be children or not?

The following explanation shows how the contradiction disappears.

Let's look at the first verse. When Jesus says that we have to change, He means that our internal qualities have to change from selfishness to bestowal. Once we enter into the quality of bestowal (the kingdom of heaven), we'll start off as little children, then over time our quality of bestowal will grow and we'll become adults in bestowal.

Let's look at the second verse:

1. Relative to each other, the quality of selfishness is considered a child and the quality of bestowal is considered an adult. So putting the ways of childhood behind you means putting the ways of selfishness behind you so you can be an adult in the quality of bestowal.
2. It also means that once you enter into the quality of bestowal, you're expected to grow. In bestowal, you start off as a little child, but you're expected to leave the ways of childhood behind you and become an adult in the quality of bestowal.

There is no contradiction, both statements complement one another.

Copyright © 2013, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.