Pastor David B. Curtis
Pastor David B. Curtis
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How many of you would have come here this morning if I had announced last week that God had spoken to me and told me that this morning He was going to transform everyone here so that their physical age would correspond to their spiritual maturity. If that had happened this morning, how old would you be? Would some of you be babies, wearing diapers and sucking on a bottle? Would some of you be toddlers just learning to ambulate and communicate? Would some of you be children and some be teenagers? Would some of you be adults. Would you be embarrassed to have people know your spiritual age?
Now there is nothing wrong with being a baby; we all start out that way. Most people like babies; they're cute and they are fun. But if a person is ten, twenty, or thirty years old and still behave like a baby, it's not cute. It's tragic. When a person does not develop to a mature stage, it is because there is a problem. In the spiritual realm, we all start out as babies; but if we remain babies, it is not normal. It is tragic and even dangerous.
Allysa is an adorable baby. She brings us a lot of joy to loved ones watching her learn and grow. She's awesome. But what if I told you that she is 12? That would be beyond sad. Such a state is just as abnormal in the spiritual world.
In our text this morning, we find that Peter is encouraging his readers to long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that they may grow.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—1 Peter 2:2 ESV
Here Peter commands the believers to "long for," or desire, the milk of the Word of God like an infant desires milk. Because they had experienced the new birth (1:3, 23), they should now do what babies do: desire milk.
"Like newborn infants"—is Peter calling his readers infants? No, he is saying that they are to desire milk like infants. The portrayal of believers as "newborn infants" is not an insult because it applies to all Christians at every stage of spiritual development. The word for "infant" here is brephos which means "newborn." It means a breast-feeding infant. And it was only used as long as a child nursed at his or her mother's breast. To make sure we get what he is saying, he adds the word "newborn" (artigennētos) which literally means "just born." So, Peter is telling his audience that they are to desire milk in the same way that a baby who has just been born desires it.
"Long for"—is the Greek word epipotheō which is an aorist active imperative (a command). Epipotheō is a strong word for desire and a term of intensity. It means to crave or to desire strongly. That compound preposition strengthens the intent of the verb. It is an intense, compelling craving. In the Septuagint, it is used for man's deepest longing for God.
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. Psalms 42:1 ESV
Both of the pants are epipotheō. It is a breathless panting; a craving for God. And the same word is used in Psalm.
I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. Psalm 119:174 ESV
It is a craving for God—a craving for His Word similar to the craving of a thirsty deer for water. This is the only imperative in verses 1 through 3 in the Greek text. They are commanded to long for spiritual milk.
Spiritual growth and maturity are not automatic in the Christian's life. We must desire the Word in order to grow. Just like a newborn will not grow without milk, neither will a Christian.
"The pure milk"—pure is the Greek word adolos which literally means "not deceitful." It is the same word as in verse 1 (translated "deceit") but with an alpha added to the front that negates the meaning. It is a term taken from the wine industry of the first century. Wine was often mixed with water, especially older wine. Often merchants tried to sell watered down or diluted wine. Something pure is that which is unadulterated or uncontaminated. Dishonest merchants in that day would add water to their milk to make more profit. This was "deceitful" milk. Peter tells us to long for the pure, not-deceitful milk.
There are many so-called evangelical churches in which the Word of God is watered down by preachers who want to be liked and who want to make people feel good about themselves.
Now what kind of milk are we to crave? The ESV says, "long for the pure spiritual milk." And the New American Standard translation says, "The pure milk of the Word." The Greek word here is the word Logikos. The ESV translates it "spiritual" and the NASB translates it as, "of the Word." Technically it does not translate "of the Word." Logikos is used only here and in Romans chapter 12 verse 1.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1 ESV
Some translate it here as "reasonable" and some translate it as "spiritual," but it is the same word (logikos). The original term meant "belonging to speech" or "belonging to reason." So, originally it had the idea of something that is reasonable and that is rational.
In this verse, Paul is making a contrast. He contrasts the Jewish form of external, physical sacrifice with what God wants. Therefore, he says, "I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God" not to present an animal, not to put a lamb or a goat on the altar, but "to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God" which is not your physical act of worship but your spiritual one. And based upon the context of Romans 12, the translators have chosen to translate Logikos "spiritual" and this makes sense. In contrast to the Jewish physical sacrifice, Paul is saying God wants you to make a spiritual sacrifice of yourself, so "spiritual" fits.
This spiritual milk is rational—it is grasped with the mind. Thus, Christianity is essentially rational—not rational in the worldly sense but rational in a spiritual sense. Human reason must be subject to the written revelation God has given of Himself in the Bible. At the same time, you cannot know God without using your mind because He has revealed Himself in the propositional revelation of the written Word.
Where does the pure spiritual milk come from? It comes from the Word. So, it makes sense to translate it "of the Word." And I believe it is because the Word is the source of the pure spiritual milk that translators have chosen to do it that way.
Physical birth brings a little one into the world and the great need of that little one is for feeding on milk. So, in the spiritual realm, we are to be like a newborn baby and crave the Word of God with a passion.
"That by it you may grow up into salvation"—this is an Aorist passive subjunctive. Milk is personified as the agent of the passive voice because it causes believers to grow. Milk is from the Greek word gala. Thayer's Definition of gala: 1) milk 2) metaphorically for the less difficult Christian truths.
"Milk" in our text in 1 Peter is not elementary truths in contradistinction to more advanced Christian truths such as we see in 1 Corinthians 3:2 (cf. Hebrews 5:12).
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 ESV
Notice that Paul calls them brothers. This is a term of recognition and love. It reminded his brothers in Christ that they were still saved and that their sinning, terrible and inexcusable as it was, did not forfeit their salvation.
Paul says he could not speak to them as spiritual men. They were believers, so they had come through the door of faith. But they had gone no further. What Paul is saying is that he could not speak to them as spiritually mature men. They were in Christ, but they were babies. Positionally they were spiritual, but in practice they were babies. Peter also doesn't call his readers babies but describes them "as newborn infants" who should "crave the word."
In this verse, we see that among those who are saved, there are some who are spiritual and some who are of the flesh; there are some who are controlled by God's Spirit and some who are controlled by their fleshly desires and impulses.
"Spiritual" is from the word pneumatikos. Here it refers to a mature believer. Paul is contrasting the Spiritual man with a babe. It is a contrast between two statuses of the saved (mature or infant). The Spiritual man in this verse is a mature person and not a babe. The Spiritual man is a man that is dominated by the Spirit. This is the sense in which Spiritual is used in 1 Corinthians 14:27.
If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 14:37 ESV
It is used side by side with the position of a "prophet"—the leaders in the church, the men of maturity and discernment. In Hebrews 5 the writer tells us several things about those who are mature. First of all, they can handle the meat of the word.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:12-14 ESV
The first qualification for spiritual maturity then is knowledge. Possessing knowledge, the spiritual man knows the truths of the Word of God. Believer, testimony meetings, Christian concerts, and care groups may have their place in your life, but they will never lead to maturity in your life as a Christian. There is only one thing that brings maturity—the teaching of the Word of God. If you want to mature, you must be taught the Word of God, and you must personally study the Word. That is why our emphasis at BBC is on teaching. It is the only thing that will make you mature.
The second qualification of spiritual maturity is that the believer be skillful in his use of the Word of God. He can use God's word to discover God's will for his life. He can use the Word of God to answer questions about life. That's maturity— the ability to skillfully use this book. The third qualification for spiritual maturity is the believer's ability to discern in practical ways the difference between good and evil in his spiritual life. He must know how to live in a way pleasing to the Lord. The goal of every one of us ought to be maturity. And if we're going to be mature, we must be taught God's Word. We can never have too much teaching. We might not always apply what we've learned, but we can never be over taught.
There is a tremendous need for teaching in America today because the American church is very immature. Far too many Christians don't know the Bible and, therefore, they are not able to discern between good and evil.
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:1 ESV
Paul goes on to say: "but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ." The Corinthians were believers but they were of the flesh, not spiritual. So, we have the natural man who is unsaved (1 Corinthians 2:14), and the spiritual man who is saved. And among the saved, there are those who are spiritually mature and those who are of the flesh.
Paul is talking historically here about the time he came to Corinth. They were unbelievers, but when he preached the gospel, they became believers in Christ. In verses 1 and 2, Paul is not talking about their present state; he is talking about their condition when he was in Corinth with them. They were new believers in Christ; they were "infants in Christ." The person Paul is describing in theses verses is an immature Christian. The word he uses to describe them is "of the flesh" (Gk. sarkikos). It means to be controlled by the flesh. In other words, they were baby Christians who were being controlled by their flesh. That's true of babies in the physical realm too. There is no doubt that babies are controlled by their flesh.
In Paul's view, flesh and Spirit fall into redemptive-historical categories, that serve to elucidate the contrasting natures of the two covenant ages. Seeking to live by law really boils down to seeking life independently of God. It was the basic sin of Adam. To walk after the flesh is to seek life in terms of what man can accomplish of himself.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 ESV
If we take "flesh" here to refer to a sinful life, then sowing to the Spirit would mean living a holy life. This would mean that everlasting life is a product of living right. This would be salvation by works. But we know that salvation is not of works.
Sowing to the flesh is seeking to live under the Old Covenant. And sowing to the Spirit is living under the New Covenant. It is trusting in Yeshua the Messiah.
In verse 2, Paul describes the immature Christian as having a limited capacity for understanding all of the things of God.
I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 1 Corinthians 3:2 ESV
They are limited to milk because they cannot handle the meat. Is it a problem for a baby to only drink milk? No. He cannot handle anything else. But when a child is five and he still can only drink milk, that is a problem. But it is not a problem for a baby Christian to act like a baby Christian. Notice that when Paul calls them babes, he is not rebuking them. They are at the normal place for a new believer. It is how we all start out.
What, then, is the difference between milk and meat? Are there two areas of truth? No! In all doctrines there is milk and meat. These classifications don't refer to areas of truth but rather to the depths of the truths. The doctrine of salvation is milk. Babies can easily understand it. Yet there are depths in the doctrine of salvation which no one can comprehend because we cannot fathom the depths of God himself. The milk and meat do not refer to two areas of truth but rather to the depths of the truths that are being taught. Every subject has its milk and its meat. Calvin said "Christ is milk for the babes and meat for the men."
There are not some doctrines that you teach to babes and some that you teach to theologians. Every doctrine studied by theologians ought to be taught to a child. But it o needs to be taught as milk and not as meat. We teach the doctrine of God's omnipresence (i.e., all of God is everywhere) to our children. We teach it in milk form to them even though there is certainly meat in that doctrine. We teach our children that Christ became a man to die for our sins. That is milk. But the doctrine of the incarnation contains depths that we can never fathom. So, the milk and the meat refer to the depths of the same doctrine and not to different doctrines. Babies do not need new areas of truth but need to mature in their understanding of the depths of the truths they already know. Some truths may be too hard for us to understand. If we are a babe in Christ, we need to grow, and as we do, we will grasp more and more. Illumination is progressive. The more we learn the more we grow, and the more we grow the more we're able to learn.
There is a practical lesson here for teachers and parents. When Paul came to Corinth, he did not teach the believers there a few doctrines and keep others back from them. Paul taught them the doctrine of election, as is obvious from 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. But he didn't go to the depths that you find in Romans 9. Instead, he gave them the milk of the doctrine. We who are parents or teachers ought to teach a balanced diet of all the doctrines of the Bible but at a level that our children can understand. We feed them milk first then give them meat as they mature. I believe that all teaching should contain milk and meat because the recipients will be people of all levels. And the way that the immature believer grows is by being exposed to the meat of the word. As the babe struggles to chew on the "meat of the word," he will grow and mature.
Immaturity is a normal stage of growth; we all start as babes. It is only when we stay babes that there is a problem. In the first two verses, Paul doesn't blame them for their immaturity because as new Christians, such a level was normal and expected for them.
But as he comes to the end of verse two, he moves from the past to the present: "neither yet now are ye able." For a someone to remain a babe when he should be grown up is a tragic condition. And, sadly, that is where the Corinthians were. They should have matured, but they were still babes.
We are always to be feeding on this nourishing milk. It is simple enough for the youngest infant in the faith but solid enough for the most mature saints. Peter is making an analogy by contending that every believer, whether he's a new convert or an old convert or whether he is young in the faith or mature in the faith, is to crave the Word as a baby craves milk, whether it's the simple part of the Word or the most profound. The analogy is in the craving and not in the nature of the milk or in the nature of the baby in that sense. It's just a graphic, simple analogy. As a newborn baby craves the milk he needs, so a believer must crave the Word he needs.
1 Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:12-6:2 show that we need milk as babies but should then grow to the point we are able to handle meat. But the point Peter seems to be making is that all of us need God's word just as surely as little babies need milk. No one reaches the point of maturity at which he does not need to feed on God's word.
Christians in many parts of the world are excited when they get hold of even a page of Scripture. They memorize it and then quickly pass it on to others because there is such a hunger for the forbidden Word.
The Bible is often compared to food. Jeremiah said:
Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
Job said,
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. Job 23:12 ESV
David, in Psalm 119, spends the largest chapter in the Bible primarily talking about his love for the Word of God. "Your law is my delight" (v. 77), "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law."
"That by it you may grow up into salvation"—this is an Aorist passive subjunctive. It could be translated this way, "Crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word that it may grow you." "That it may grow you" is passive. It could be rightfully translated as "It'll cause you to grow."
In Acts 20 Paul says this to the Ephesian Elders,
And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Acts 20:32 ESV
It is the Word of God that will build you up and make you grow. It is easy, then to understand why some believers never mature. They never grow in the Lord because they do not spend time in God's Word.
They don't spend time in God's word because they don't desire it. They don't enjoy studying the Bible; they don't enjoy hearing sermons. Why is it that some believers don't desire the Word?
A think a believer can lose a desire for the Word of God because of sin. Did your mom ever tell you to not eat sweets before dinner because it would ruin your appetite? It's the same thing with sin. It has been said, "Sin will keep you out of the Word of God, or the Word of God will keep you out of sin." It's one or the other.
This is why in 1 Peter 2:1 they are commanded to get rid of sin so that they can "desire the word of God."
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 1 Peter 2:1 ESV
So, he tells them to put away sin and then long for the pure spiritual Word.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—1 Peter 2:2 ESV
James says the same thing.
Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21 ESV
Save your life—sin destroys!
This is very similar to what Peter is saying. And we see this all through the New Testament. Paul tells the Colossians:
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Colossians 3:8 ESV
Then in verse 16 he says:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 ESV
Paul tells the Ephesians:
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. Ephesians 5:11 ESV
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, Ephesians 5:15 ESV
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18 ESV
Deal with sin and be controlled by the Spirit. Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 are parallel texts. Letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly is the same as being controlled by the Spirit. The results in both texts are the same.
Let's look at verse 1.
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 1 Peter 2:1 ESV
Ancient writers sometimes employed "vice lists" that noted what people should avoid. In the same way, Peter employs a miniature vice list. It describes the attitude of the heart that receives the word and grows by the word. This is a humble, honest heart, willing to do what the Word of God says. This is how we fulfill the great commandment that we love God and our brother by not committing these sins.
Why these 5 sins? There are many of this list throughout Scripture and what we need to understand is that all these lists apply to the body of believers, the Church. The sins that he mentioned are all incompatible with brotherly love (cf. 1:22). They are community-destroying vices that are often tolerated by the modern church.
"So put away"—so is "oun," often translated as "therefore." This takes us back to the preceding context. This shows that the following discussion is based on what has just been stated. Peter is telling his audience to get rid of all sin as a result of their salvation and because of the power of the Word of God, the imperishable seed that brought the new birth. Because of this great work, they and we are to get rid of sin and "crave" the Word of God that changed us.
The words "put away" are from the Greek word apotithemi (an aorist middle participle). It literally refers to personally "stripping off." It means "to put away (lit. or fig.): cast off, lay apart (aside, down), put away (off)." It has the idea "to take off like a suit of clothes." The removal of clothing is a common biblical metaphor describing the spiritual life.
Acts uses the verb apotithemi at the stoning of Stephen.
Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:58 ESV
The metaphor is one of taking off clothes. The middle voice emphasizes the action of the subject. Believers are to once-and-for-all (aorist tense as a completed act) strip off all evil. This is only possible because of the previous theological presentation of the work of the Triune God,
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Yeshua the Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 1 Peter 1:2 ESV
Unaided, fallen mankind is not able to turn from sin and evil. But God in Christ through the Spirit has enabled believers to turn completely to God.
This call to get rid of sinful attitudes and actions fits with the previous call to love in 1:22. If we are going to love our brothers, we must get rid of everything that is uncharacteristic of love. Again, this makes perfect sense in the context of the believers in Asia Minor who were being persecuted. When people are under duress, even the simplest thing could potentially start a conflict and begin a chain of unloving actions.
"All malice"— this is the Greek kakia which is also translated "wickedness" (ASV). The word emphasizes wickedness that leads to disobedience to the will of God but shows itself especially in ill will or desire to harm other people. Malice delights in evil simply because it is evil. It does harm to others or angers others, and it simply does not care what happens to others.
"All deceit"— this is the Greek dolos which originally meant "bait" or "snare," thus it came to mean "deceit." It means to tell someone something that isn't true in order to trick or mislead him. It involves having ulterior motives in your communication.
The word pure in verse 2 is the Greek word adolos. It is the same word as in verse 1 (translated "deceit") but with an alpha added to the front (which negates the meaning).
Deceit is, in effect, the sin of lying without directly saying what is untrue. We may say what cannot be technically proved untrue, but we say it with the intent to mislead. Such is still deceitful, dishonest. Many salesmen and politicians are experts at half-truths.
"Hypocrisy"—the Greek here is hupokrisis which describes the acting of a stage player. "Hypocrisy" is a particular kind of deceit in which we lead others to believe we are a kind of person which we really are not. The word relates to the idea of a play actor who pretends to be something he is not. A hypocrite is a deceiver because he tries to give other people the impression that he is more righteous than he really is. The hypocrite puts on a false front.
"Envy"—the Greek here is phthonos. It refers to a feeling of upset or anger because other people have advantages that we wish we had received instead of them.
It was the motive behind the crucifixion of Yeshua. The religious leaders were envious of His popularity (Mark 15:10 It was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up). In Scripture it refers to envy of Wealth and possessions – Genesis 26:14; 31:1 (compare 1 Timothy 6:9) Favor, honor, praise, or popularity with men – Genesis 37:3-5,11; 1 Samuel 18:6-9; Matthew 27:18; Acts 13:45; 17:5 Leadership or authority – Numbers 11:27-29; 12:1-10; chapter 16; Psalm 106:16; 1 Samuel 20:31,32; Daniel 6:4 Ability, privileges, or skill – 1 Samuel 18:8-11; Ecclesiastes 4:4.
"All slander"—the Greek here is katalalia which is an onomatopoetic word, katalalia, la-la-la-la-la, backbiting, talk, gossip, defamation, disparagement, malicious talk behind someone's back. This refers to speaking evil of other people. What is condemned here is defamation of character that speaks what is untrue or what is spoken for the purpose of harming the person, not to help people. Slander involves saying unfavorable things about a person that aren't true. This activity is used in both the Tanakh and the New Testament to describe Satan.
So, how do we put away these sins? What are necessary steps in the life of a believer in order to "rid" oneself of these sins?
1. Recognize that these attitudes and actions are sin.
2. Confess them before God.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 ESV
Confess is a compound Greek term homologeo which is from "to speak" and "the same" so this literally means "to say the same thing. Confessing," therefore, means saying about our sins what God says about them, namely, that they are indeed sins and offenses against Him. It is present tense, which implies ongoing action. Believers continue to agree with God that they have violated His holiness.
3. Memorize Scriptures that deal with these sins.
if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:3 ESV
This is a first-class conditional which is assumed to be true and should be translated, since. Peter's readers had already "tasted" (personally experienced) God's kindness in their new birth and therefore have great reason and responsibility to receive the word in the enthusiastic way that babies receive their milk. Peter is quoting here from Psalm 34.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 ESV
The Psalm refers to YHWH, but here it refers to Yeshua. Peter does this because Yeshua is Yahweh.
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am [he] you will die in your sins." John 8:24 ESV
Universalists deny this! Yeshua says you must believe that He is Yahweh the Universalists says you don't have to. Whom are you going to believe?
If you want to develop a craving for the Word of God, survey your blessings. Since you have already tasted that the Lord is good, long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word. He's saying this: If you have in the past tasted in your own personal experience the kindness, the goodness, the grace of the Lord, and if you know how good it was and how wonderful it tasted and how blessed it was, then don't you crave more?
If you want to develop a craving for the Word of God, read the Word. Find a daily reading schedule that you can stick to. Listen to good biblical teaching, and read good teaching books. Immerse yourself in God's pure spiritual Word.
The failure to either desire or to receive this pure milk of the word is the reason for so many problems in both individual Christian lives and in congregations. The Word of God is necessary for the growth and maturity of the Christian. Apart from God's Word, we shrivel and die like a starving child whose mother's milk has dried up and who has no other source of food.
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