There’s No Spiritual Growth without Desire for God’s Word

1 Peter 2:1-3

Every living organism goes through various stages of development to reach maturity. Human growth – physical and emotional – will be stunted if a child doesn’t get adequate nutrition. The same principle applies for a newborn Christian’s spiritual growth. First Peter chapter Two tells these young believers what they needed to do to grow spiritually. In order to connect the last part of 1 Peter 1:23-25 with 1 Peter 2:1, Peter begins with “therefore.” He’s saying that we have the DNA of Christ Jesus. “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1:23), we are to “lay aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking” (2:1). These are the traits of corruptible seed – the seed of carnal man. Get rid of them, or they will stunt our spiritual growth. Believers are not to live according to the flesh because we will die. Scripture promises that if we live by the Spirit, we will kill the deeds of the body, and we will live (Romans 8:13).

Peter identifies these young believers as “newborn babes” in Christ. Just as a baby needs the right physical food to grow properly, a new born-again believer needs the right spiritual food to grow properly. Apostle Peter commands “like newborn babies [we should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it we may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation” (v.2, AMP).

A baby wants to eat every two to three hours and will cry for it. We must have a daily desire for the Word as a baby has for his/her food. God’s Word is pure and wholesome nourishment for our soul. When last have you had a hungered for it? The more we read and study God’s Word or listen to it, the healthier we grow spiritually. For sure our life will improve if in fact we have tasted, that is experienced, the goodness and gracious kindness of the Lord (v.3).