The
Word
1 Peter 2:2-3
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that
by it you may grow up into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the
Lord is good.
Did you ever watch an infant take a feeding? Hungry little ones
clutch the bottle, smack their lips, and make soft contented noises. They
thoroughly enjoy their nourishment. But there comes a time when milk isn?t
enough to satiate baby?s appetite anymore. That?s when a whole world of
culinary possibilities opens up.
Comparing new believers to babies, Peter said that they ?long
for the pure milk of the word? (v. 2). You wouldn?t feed a newborn steak and
spinach, would you? Well, baby Christians must sip scriptural truths that they
understand. Then, like a growing child, they shoot up as they feast on Bible
passages, gradually taking in more and meatier principles and topics.
Believers are not left alone to make sense of Scripture any more
than babies and young children are expected to get their own meals. The Holy
Spirit, who indwells God?s followers, illuminates the Word. That is, He makes
the meaning clear to those who seek to understand. Moreover, according to
Ephesians 4:11-16, God has given gifted Christians to the church to act as
pastors and teachers. They are charged with equipping the saints for service
(v. 12). These leaders instruct, clarify, and motivate people to grow in their
personal faith and to fulfill the church?s purpose of reaching the lost.
God?s Word is a feast for our heart, mind, and spirit. This is
one banquet table where there is no such thing as taking too much. In fact, the
advice many parents give their children at the dinner table applies to the
Christian life as well: ?Eat up! Scriptural food makes you grow strong.?