SPIRITUAL MEN AND FLESHLY MEN
1Corinthinas 3.1-3Under words "Spiritual men" Paul certainly meant people possessing the Holy Spirit of GOD. Spiritual men not only have deep knowledge of the Bible but also and deep understanding of it. Example of the Spiritual men are numerous in the Holy Scripture and give us example of their life and their work in the Name of GOD.
Far not everyone can be a Spiritual man, only selected group of people who are WORTHY of GOD (Matthew 10.37-38, 16.24) (Mark 8.34) (Luke 9.23, 14.26-27.33). selected and call by Him on a certain task or mission. Spiritual men dedicated their entire life to GOD and put everything else behind on the second place. Very often they live in poverty and travel a lot propagating Gospel of GOD or His will, just like prophets and Christ did, supporting themselves and even support others like Paul did.
Many of them left their homes, their families, and their children behind to serve only their GOD. It seems inconceivable for many to do such thing, but for the Spiritual men it is their life, and they chose nothing except this life completely dedicated to serve their GOD, to live for Him and die for Him, such people will also receive much greater reward than anyone else (Matthew 6.33, 19.29) (Mark 10.28-30) (Luke 18.28-30).
The church in Corinth was not a Spiritual church at all but was more likely as any other Christian church in the world at their time and after. Word "fleshly" means worldly, belonging to this world, fleshy church, means the church of divisions, worldly, material, and quite sinful.
"babies in Christ" means insufficient, inadequate, deficient, and lacking urgency and necessity to learn and understand the Gospel of Christ, dedicated to vanity of this world and not to GOD.
Their minds to primitive to understand meaning of the Gospel and its Spirituality, lacking logic and common sense, completely earthly men consumed by their earthly material things and family matters, this is very visible contrast if compared to the Spiritual qualities and life of the Spiritual men mentioned above.
Paul reminded Corinthians that He had teach them the basics of the Gospel and not deep meaning of it "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food," but they do not understand even that and remain still in the dark without any hope to grasp and understand Spirituality of the Gospel and save themselves (verse 2).
In verse 3 Paul directly reveal one of many problems in the church saying, "jealousy and strife among you" which is very common things and today between church members, because earthy material people often accept the Lord but very rarely follow Him and His Gospel, reducing themselves to mere hymns and rituals of the church, but not have Spiritual connection with GOD through His Word and Commandments.
FOLLOWING HUMAN "IDOLS"
1Corinthians 3.4-6It is really amazing that the same following still exist and today, and even churches and denominations named after their founders, leaders, and favorite men of their denomination. The same thing Paul exposed and in 1Corinthians 1.10-13 in which people also following numerous theological writers and scholars and take them as their own example of worship of GOD, and at the same time completely ignoring and missing the Holy men of GOD, His Prophets, and most important the Spiritual Statutes and Commandments of GOD, listening and believing in theological nonsense of their founding fathers.
What drives people to do that is not fully understood, but one thing is very clear, it is lack of intelligence, common sense, and logic on the part of many "Christians."
People usually turning to men of good appearance and great statute, or high position and good speakers who teach and pleases the crowd giving them what they like to listen.
Prosperity "Gospel" always been very popular, and books of the founding father attract those who considering worship of GOD according to their doctrines, traditions, and rituals, and not according to the Word of GOD which is for many too difficult to follow.
Just like water always choosing short direction to run and so the people in the church choosing shortcuts in the worship and service of their GOD. Certainly, the hardship, suffering, and sacrifices are not popular subjects and way of life among Christians about which Jesus Christ and Paul warned church many times.
So, Paul reminded them again saying in the verse 5 that He and all his associates are their Servants, in order to gain more trust among them, and they are sent from the Lord, through whom the church can hear and learn the Gospel of Christ, leading them to Salvation of their souls.
But hope is not completely lost, and some churches have some Spiritual men in their midst who loyally and faithfully follow the Christ and His Gospel and passing by meaningless theology of founding father in order not to burden people with to much of extra information which generate even more confusions among simple members of the church. These people Paul mentioned in verse 1.