NEWBORN BABES (first: Standing in Similies). 1st Peter 2:2-3 Our new nature, given by God when we were born again, changes our attitude toward God and His word. This indicates that we have a new standing in Christ and new desires for spiritual nourishment that comes only from “the sincere milk of the word.” The result of reading and studying the word of God, and of applying what we learn, is that we become mature in the faith.
When we recognize our need for the word of God, an instinct in the new nature of “newborn babes,” our spiritual appetite increases. The more we read, learn, and understand the word of God, the more we grow and mature in our spiritual life in Christ. In this passage, milk is not set in an unfavorable context against solid spiritual food, as in 1st Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 5. Instead, it refers to an appropriate desire for spiritual nourishment that provides the desirable growth God’s children need.
As genuine believers show a genuine craving for the word of God, they will grow as they read and learn from its pure, reasonable, and logical truth. They are born again through the word of God and the Spirit of God, and now must grow through the word of God, the Holy Spirit having moved "holy men of old" to write. Once a believer learns to find nourishment for their spiritual life in the scriptures, their spiritual appetite will increase, and the process of maturing will become evident.
This does not mean that those reading Peter’s letter were necessarily new believers, but that all believers should have and cultivate a thirst for the word of God. A newborn baby aggressively seeks nourishment and is not satisfied until their inner need is met, so believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should be determined to obtain spiritual nourishment from the source – God Himself through His word. This is not done by a casual reading of words in the Bible, but by an earnest intensity to know more of God, who speaks to us through His written word.
Spiritual maturity does not come by accident, nor is it imposed on God’s children against their will. The desire for God and an appreciation of God and all He has done for us should motivate us to become fully functional, mature Christians. The “sincere,” pure milk of the word provides the necessary food for our souls. By nature, we would not crave it, but when we deliberately read the word of God because we love Him and want to know more about Him, we develop a taste for it that soon becomes a craving we cannot do without.
The word of God stands uniquely alone among all the writings of men. Whether in the books of other religions or in writings about the Bible, the word of God alone is free from impurities. It is not tainted by the variety of opinions men hold. When truth is accepted as spiritual milk, there is satisfaction that accompanies understanding of the divine things God reveals in His word. One taste leads to another, and before long, a habit is formed that is real and satisfying to our spiritual appetite.
Our first taste of spiritual food was the grace of God and the goodness of the Lord when He saved us. His salvation gave us a new taste for what we had never experienced before. We wanted more knowledge and understanding of the One who loved us and saved us. We desired to share it with others so they too could have and enjoy what we had. In our thirst and hunger for righteousness and the satisfaction that life offers, we are encouraged and motivated to go farther into "the sincere milk of the word." Once the growth process begins, by its very nature, it urges us to seek more because the taste of these nourishing words is so satisfying.
Our taste for the word of God develops as its truth takes hold of our minds and fills our hearts with love for God and His people. The more we “taste and see,” the more we want. When we experience the blessings the truth of God brings to our souls and spirits and practice them in our lives, a whole new view of life, of who we are, why we are alive, and what we have, gives great meaning to our lives.
There is a natural instinct in newborns to seek nourishment, which may save their lives. There is an unrestrained hunger that comes from within, and the natural result is that you will see growth in them. The same is true when new life from God is given –there are different desires seen in citizens of heaven. Growth is not measured by all the words that I say –or by how I can impress people from day to day.
There is a newfound desire for the Word of God – It is not an attitude put on to impress the people of the Lord. There is a desire implanted by the inward new nature that instinctively wants me to grow in spiritual stature. Love for God and love for the Lord Jesus Christ prompt the Spirit in me to urge me to rise above what I was just a short time ago and to seek spiritual nourishment to grow. The hunger is there; it is part of the life cycle that just wants to develop, not to gain a big title as one who is developing way beyond his years. No, I just want to be known as one who, for his Savior, cares.
That first taste may be small as we take a sip, and the sweetness and goodness pass our lips. Then the urge is there to swallow and keep that flavor, that goodness – the next swallow is deep. The first taste of grace I hardly knew –my life was spared; perhaps I was too young to show any serious response, only I was glad to be alive –and I know it was God who let me survive.
Listening to prayers, reading the Bible, singing hymns – although I was ignorant, God was then working in grace to bring me, in time, to Himself. And as time went along, God’s grace was often felt. The Gospel of God’s grace opened my careless heart, and the Spirit began to convict me. Grace began to start a work of revelation of God to my soul, and then Christ’s death for me showed grace to the full. That first taste of grace made me want even more. Grace to live by brought me to a far shore and to distant places in the world to tell of His grace to me. Grace has been with me through life; God still does bless, and daily, sometimes hourly, I’m aware of His graciousness.
Once we recognize our need for God’s Word and find in it what is needed to satisfy and refresh our souls, to stimulate and motivate our spirits, and to give us the spiritual nourishment that enables us to live for God, we begin to mature as believers.
When we first tasted that the Lord is gracious and good, that satisfied the need of our souls, and God saved us by His grace. That salvation is so satisfying that we thirst for the Word of God and the grace needed in the conduct of our daily life. It gave us an increasing thirst for a greater understanding of His grace and goodness. That urge for spiritual food is common among believers who take in for themselves the “sincere milk of the word, that we may grow thereby.”
Those who have tasted and experienced God’s grace in Christ will want to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because we have divine life, it is a fundamental objective to put away all actions of our sinful nature and cultivate our new nature, which has an appetite for holiness. Like a newborn child, we are naturally inclined to grow, motivated by the kindness and graciousness of our Lord. This inborn response is part of the nature of a child of God.