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1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3

INTRODUCTION: It’s the first Sunday of the year, and this is a great time to talk about Christian growth in the New Year. And one of the places I like to turn to in Scripture is this passage in 1 Peter. In these verses Peter addresses the subject of Christian growth—where we most need to grow as Christians and how we can get there. (Read 1 Peter 2:2-3 and pray.)

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“Got milk?’ For years now the dairy industry has run a highly successful advertising campaign around this theme. Most of you have probably seen the famous billboards or ads with celebrities, athletes, “tough guys” and others all holding a glass of milk, sporting a milk-moustache, and asking the simple question: “Got milk?”

In our text this morning, Peter makes a similar plea. But instead of talking about milk from a cow, he is talking about the Bible He’s talking about God’s word. And so let me ask you this morning: “Got milk?” Is God’s word a daily part of your life? Are you reading it, learning it, studying it, memorizing it? Does it affect the way you live? Just as real milk is vital for healthy growth and development, so the word of God is essential to Christian growth and development.

We are entering a New Year, and so this is an appropriate time to stop and evaluate your own spiritual growth. Are you growing as a Christian? Are you becoming more like Christ each passing year—more loving, more patient, more kind, more unselfish?

If not, then something is seriously wrong. If an infant is not developing properly, we rush the child to the pediatrician to see what is the matter. Similarly, we should be concerned if we are not growing as Christians, and then take whatever measures necessary to put us back on the pathway of growth.

Peter makes two basic points in our passage this morning: 1) Christian growth cannot be separated from Christian love, and 2) Christian growth cannot be separated from the word of God. Let’s take a look at both of these.

I. Christian growth cannot be separated from Christian love (22-25)

First of all, Christian growth cannot be separated from Christian love. Love is at the heart of Christianity. Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39). The apostle Paul wrote that without love all is in vain (1 Cor. 13).

What is Christian love? Peter outlines three qualities of Christian love in verses 22-25: 1) Christian love is a sincere love; 2) it is a deep love; and 3) it is a divine love.

   A. Christian love is a sincere love (22a)

First, Christian love is a sincere love. Look at verse 22 where Peter writes: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22).

Purifying yourself by obeying the truth simply means responding to the gospel message with faith. Although Peter says that we have purified ourselves, it is really the work of Christ which purifies you. Your part is simply believing.

When you do this, when you purify yourself by obeying the truth, this results in sincere love for other believers. Peter is talking especially about love for other Christians here. It’s not that Christians don’t love non-believers also, but there is a particular love for the family of God, a special love for those who have also been purified by faith, for those who love Christ and desire to be like him. This love is sincere; it is genuine; it is the real thing. It is literally “without hypocrisy.”

This sincere love for other Christians is not possible until you have first purified yourself by obeying the truth. Your faith response to the gospel must come first. But then a sincere love for other believers will always follow. I would even say it is not possible for you to be a Christian and not to have this sincere love for other believers. One of the first signs of a new believer is a new love for God and for God’s people.

   B. Christian love is a deep love (22b)

This sincere love for other believers is important. It is even an essential mark of the new Christian. But it is not enough in and of itself. Christ wants us to continue to grow in love for each other. And so, Peter continues: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22). As a newborn Christian, you already have a sincere love for other believers. Now God wants you to love one another deeply, from the heart.

The word “deeply” here means earnestly, fervently, intensely. It means you have to work at it. Jesus didn’t die for us just so that we could have a sincere love for each other. We need to go deeper. We need to love each other fervently, intensely, deeply, from the heart.

So, although Christian love begins with a sincere love for other believers, it does not end there. Christian growth demands that you go deeper in love. This is an expected part of your Christian growth. We are commanded to move beyond sincere love for our brothers and sisters in Christ and to love them deeply from the heart.

   C. Christian love is a divine love (23-25)

Why is this? Why must we grow as Christians into this deep love for each other from the heart? Peter says, “It’s because you are a new person in Christ. You have been born again. This is why God saved you—so that you could be a channel of his love.” And so, Christian love is not only genuine and sincere; it is not only fervent, deep and from the heart; it is also God’s divine love flowing through the new believer.

You might say, “Well, I just can’t love that other person.” Perhaps not, at least not in your own strength. But God can love them through you. And you are a new person in Christ.

Look at verse 23 where Peter writes: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23). As a Christian, you have been born again through the word of God. You are a new person in Christ; the Holy Spirit lives within you; you are going to live forever—how could you not desire to grow in love for others?

Notice how God’s word is described as “the living and enduring word of God.” God’s word is alive—it promotes spiritual life. God’s word is enduring—it lasts forever. Peter continues: “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Pet. 1:24-25).

Peter says: “And this is the word that was preached to you” (1 Pet. 1:25b). That is, this is the “truth that you obeyed” back in verse 22. Once again it is through a faith response to the preaching of the gospel that a person is born again.

And so, we see that one of the evidences of the new birth is that we demonstrate a sincere love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the responsibilities of the new birth is that we grow in that love, loving one another deeply from the heart. As a new person in Christ, God’s own divine love flows through you by the Holy Spirit. Christian growth cannot be separated from Christian love. If you are not growing in love, then you are not growing as a Christian.

II. Christian growth cannot be separated from the word of God (1-3)

But there’s a second principle of Christian growth we find in these verses. Just as Christian growth cannot be separated from Christian love, so also Christian growth cannot be separated from the word of God.

Just as the new birth begins when you gladly receive God’s word, so Christian growth and development continues with the daily intake of God’s word. God’s word is spiritual milk for the believer. Just as milk is essential for an infant’s growth, so the new believer needs the milk of God’s Word in order to grow and mature as a Christian.

So, as we move into chapter two Peter asks the question, “Got milk?” How about it? Are you reading the Bible? Is God’s word a daily part of your life?

Peter says two things about God’s word in these verses. First, he identifies some milk-spoilers. These are things that will sour the milk of God’s word in your life. He wisely instructs you to get rid of these. Secondly, he tells you to crave the real thing—to crave the pure, spiritual milk of God’s word so that you may grow up in your salvation.

   A. Get rid of the milk-spoilers (1)

But first, you need to get rid of the milk-spoilers. Peter talks about them here in verse 1: “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind” (1 Peter 2:1) These milk-spoilers are five sins that will choke out the effectiveness of God’s word in your life.

Notice that all five of these are relational sins. They are all sins which one person commits against another. Remember, the prior context of this whole passage is Christian love. Peter has just said, “You should love one another deeply, from the heart.” Now he says, “Therefore, get rid of these things.” Let’s take a closer look at each of these milk-spoilers.

1) The first one is malice. Malice is the desire to see another person harmed. Malice does not require any action on your part. It is simply the desire to see the other person suffer harm in some way. Obviously, malice is incompatible with Christian love. Love desires the best for the other person, while malice desires their harm. We must get rid of all malice in our lives.

2) The second milk-spoiler is deceit. Deceit is the deliberate attempt to mislead another person. The word itself comes from a verb meaning “to catch with bait.” Deceit is inconsistent with Christian love, which as we saw earlier is a sincere love. Scripture tells us we should speak the truth in love. And so, deceiving others—leading them astray, making them believe certain falsehoods are true— this is not loving behavior. Have you ever been deceived by another person? When the truth came to light, how did you feel? Probably foolish and betrayed. That is how others will feel if you deal deceitfully with them. Peter says get rid of all deceit in your life.

3) The third milk-spoiler is hypocrisy. The Greek word here is actually in the plural—hypocrisies”— or you could also translate it “every kind of hypocrisy.” Hypocrisy is a special kind of deceit. Hypocrisy is deceit about yourself. It is pretending to be different from what you really are. It’s when you try to make yourself look good, pretending to act from good motives, when you are really motivated by selfish desires. Hypocrisy is not compatible with Christian love because it is not sincere. It is not real. Hypocrisy is a façade. It masquerades as love in order to conceal the malice or envy which hides beneath the mask.

4) Speaking of envy, envy is the fourth milk-spoiler. This word is also plural in the Greek and could be translated “every kind of envy.” Envy is the longing for what others have. Envy arises from an attitude of discontent. It violates the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet.” Christian love has no place for envy because envy seeks to diminish the other person in order to elevate yourself. You wish you had what they have—whether their possessions, their looks, their status or their talents. You cannot love someone and envy them at the same time. Peter says, “Get rid of every kind of envy in your life.”

5) And then finally, the fifth milk-spoiler is slander. This word is also in the plural meaning “every kind of slander.” Slander is when you speak evil of another person. This is obviously contradictory to Christian love. In 1 Peter 3:16 Peter says that slander is how Christians are treated by their enemies. How terrible for Christians to treat each other this way.

And so, Peter says, “Get rid of all these milk-spoilers.” They have no place in your life. They have no place in the body of Christ. You cannot love each other deeply from the heart while holding on to malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy or slander. Once again, you cannot separate Christian growth from Christian love.

   B. Crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s word (2-3)

Getting rid of the milk-spoilers is the negative side of the equation. But the positive side is this: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Pet. 2:2-3).

What exactly is this “milk” mentioned in verse two? Some Bibles translate it as “pure spiritual milk” while others translate it as “the pure milk of the word.” The reason why you get two different translations is because the Greek word here has both meanings. It can mean “spiritual,” or it can also mean “of or pertaining to the word.”

The context here implies both meanings. I would translate it this way: “Like newborn babies, crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s word.” Notice that God’s word is “pure” spiritual milk. There are no milk-spoilers in God’s word. It is undiluted, unadulterated, uncontaminated, pure, clean, perfect, nourishing, spiritual milk. It is the very word of God.

Peter says we are to crave God’s word the same way a newborn infant craves milk. A newborn baby is rarely apathetic about milk. In fact, milk is probably the most critical desire he or she experiences. An infant naturally craves milk and will fuss and cry if the milk is not delivered on schedule. In the same way, as Christians we should crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s word.

Notice why Peter says you should crave God’s word in this way: “so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” Once again, just as Christian growth cannot be separated from Christian love, so also Christian growth cannot be separated from the word of God. As milk strengthens and nourishes a newborn baby, so God’s word will strengthen and nourish you in your Christian walk.

Finally Peter quotes from Psalm 34 which invites the listener to: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Peter says, “You’ve already done that. You have already tasted that the Lord is good. Now crave God’s word like a baby craves milk so that you may grow up in your salvation.”

I’ve noticed a certain situation among Christians over the years. Perhaps you can identify with this. There are many Christians who truly desire to grow in their faith. They want to become more like Christ. They want to be more focused on God in their life. They sincerely want to grow as a Christian, and yet for some reason they don’t. They desire to spend time in prayer with God every morning, but they never do. They desire to study God’s word and learn as much as they can, but they do not avail themselves of the opportunity. They want to be devoted to God, but they always find themselves slipping back into their old patterns and habits. I don’t doubt their sincerity. They really do want to grow. But they never seem to grow at all. How do you explain that?

First you have to ask, why is that desire to grow there in the first place? Where did it come from? I believe it is because they have tasted—they have tasted that the Lord is good. Perhaps it was at a retreat, or during a worship service, or during a quiet time of prayer alone with God. Perhaps it was during their earlier days as a Christian when Christ and the church and faith and the word of God all seemed so fresh and new. It may have been any time, but I can guarantee you that somewhere along the way they have tasted the goodness of God.

And in that tasting, they discovered something. They discovered that nothing can satisfy like Jesus. Nothing can touch the depths of our souls like God can. Nothing can match intimacy with Christ through the Holy Spirit. They have tasted the wonderful richness of who God is and nothing else they have encountered in life even comes close.

And so, they truly desire a God-centered life. They truly desire to grow in Christ. But they don’t. Day after day, week after week, sometimes year after year, they stay the same: little change, little fruit, little growth. So, what is the problem? What is missing?

Peter would say: “Got milk?” What is usually missing is regular time spent with God in his word. People, it’s really that simple. If you are not in the word of God, then you are not growing. In fact, I would say you’re not even standing still. You’re moving backwards. You’re losing ground. You’re wasting time in your life and for the kingdom of God.

CONCLUSION: So, how do you grow up in your salvation? First of all, love one another deeply, from the heart. This means getting rid of the milk-spoilers in your life—malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Those things will disrupt your relationships and drag you down. They are part of the old sinful nature. They have no part in the new you that was born again by God’s Spirit. So, make a conscious decision to get rid of those things. They have no part in your new life in Christ.

And then secondly, understand the lasting value of God’s word. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of the Lord stands forever. You have already tasted that the Lord is good. Now crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s word so that you may grow up in your salvation. An entire banquet awaits you in God’s word; so come, sit down and eat. Pray before you read: “Lord, open my eyes so I can see wonderful things in your law!” (Psalm 119:18). Hunger after God’s word like a newborn baby craves milk.

It is the beginning of a New Year. If you want to invest in something that has eternal value this year, let me encourage you: commit to spending time in God’s word. There are some Bible reading guides in the foyer you can take for free. If you already have another plan for reading God’s word, use that. There are lots of good apps out there that will help you as well.

But whatever you do, read the word of God. Study it. Learn it. Make it a vital part of your daily life. Look for opportunities to learn more. Join a small group or Bible study. There are so many opportunities for you to learn more about God’s word. Don’t miss out on them.

You have been born again through the living and enduring word of God. And you will only grow as a Christian as you spend time in God’s word. Got milk? Let us pray.

© Ray Fowler

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By Ray Fowler. © Ray Fowler. Website: https://www.rayfowler.org

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