Paul again reminds the Corinthian holy-people (sanctified-people, Christians, saints, children of the only true God) how he had behaved himself when he was with them previously.
I Corinthians 3:1-4:
3:1And I, brothers, was not caused-to-be-able to utter-forth to you as to spiritual-people but as to fleshy-people, as to infants in Christ, .2I gave you milk to-drink, not food, for you used-to not-yet be-able, but neither are you now able .3for you are yet fleshly, for where (there are) among you jealousy and strife and dissensions aren't you fleshy and walk according to man? - (yes) - .4for whenever someone may say, "I indeed am of Paul" and a different-person "I of Apollos," you are as-men, aren't you? - (yes.)
"Brothers" – Paul again addresses all these Corinthian holy-people as his brothers thus reminding them that they, including Paul himself, are all sons of God their Father. They had received the same holy spirit-life within each one of them.
When I was with you previously, brothers, emphatically I was not caused-to-be-able to utter-forth to you as to spiritual-people (I was not given the ability, the able-power, capability, it was not possible for me to speak to you as I would usually speak to spiritual people)…. The word “spiritual-people” refers people who have received the gift of holy spirit, holy-people having the spirit of Christ within us, and therefore we have the ability to be spiritually-minded – receiving, believing and obeying the information which belongs-to, is determined-by, influenced-by and proceeding-from our holy spirit-life, and so we can walk/behave accordingly (refer to I Corinthians 2:15 and 16).
Paul's previous visit to them is recorded in the Book of Acts chapter 18 when he first taught them about God and the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result many people had believed what God has given to be believed regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9), and therefore they became holy-people/Christians by receiving holy spirit.
And I, brothers, was not caused-to-be-able to utter-forth to you as to spiritual-people, but on the contrary, as to fleshy-people…. Contrary to being able to utter-forth to them at that time as he would usually speak to holy spiritual-people, he had to speak to them as though he were speaking to fleshy-people (people who are made of flesh, consist of flesh, pertain to flesh, which is the essence of the physical body with its soul/breath life - this excludes holy spirit-life). Paul uses the term "fleshy" and not "fleshly" to emphasize the flesh being completely opposite to holy spirit-life in essence.
Paul was only able to utter-forth to these holy-people as to fleshy-people – as to infants in Christ. He spoke to them as though they were minors, under-age or immature, as babies having received holy spirit-life but still without the power of adult/mature speech, and so being childish because of not knowing or understanding and therefore not speaking or doing God's Word which pertains to Christ. They had not yet learned how to walk in the fullness of all that God had given to them by means of their Lord Jesus Christ which was within their new holy spirit-life – the spirit of Christ in them.
Paul continues to explain: I gave you milk to-drink, not food, for you used-to not-yet be-able…. As a result of being only able to speak to them at that time as if they were infants in Christ, Paul gave them milk to drink, not solid-food, for they were not yet able to eat and digest the solid-food of God's Word, only the milk. Paul had to make it very simple and easy to understand for them to be able to eat and digest it, he had to make the information regarding God and the Lord Jesus Christ into very-digestible milk for them – he didn't leave anything out for then they would be missing essential "vitamins and nutrients" needed for healthy growth into maturity.
But contrary to growing and maturing as infants normally do with the passing of time, Paul writes: but neither are you now able (you don't yet have the able-power or capability of digesting solid-food) – why not? – for you are yet fleshly (in truth you are still behaving and viewing things from the fleshly point of view instead of communicating with your holy spirit-life, which God gave you when you first believed the good-message)…. "Fleshly" means belonging-to, proceeding-from, relating-to, characterized-by flesh, the appetites of the flesh. They were not continuing to believe and obey the Word of God which they had been taught so that they would continue to learn and mature in walking and viewing things from the holy spiritual point of view during their everyday living of life.
Paul explains that their continuing to walk and treat one-another in a fleshy manner is clearly manifested: for where there are among you…
Again, Paul uses the word "fleshy" instead of "fleshly" emphasizing the very degraded state of their behavior and that they had not raised themselves up to the standard of the words of God which they had been taught. The unwritten answer to this question must be "yes" from the Greek construction.
In truth, whenever somebody would say that he belonged to the teachings which Paul taught, and somebody else within the church in Corinth would say at the same time that he preferred and therefore followed the teachings of Apollos because he liked the way he spoke – then you are presently and actively just-as men (collectively, for all men have soul-life and a physical fleshy body), as mankind without holy spirit-life, aren't you? And again, the answer to this question must be "yes" from the Greek construction. Some of the Corinthian holy-people were dividing themselves up into cliques, little sects to distinguish themselves from other holy-people.
[Reference: Acts 18:1-19:1; I Corinthians 1:11, 12, and 2:14; Ephesians 4:14-16; Colossians 1:27, and 3:4; Hebrews 5:12-14; I Peter 2:2.]
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