The apostle Peter certainly knew what picture to grab onto when he wanted to urge believers to long for God’s Word. In 1 Peter 2:2, we read these familiar words: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”
I love this imagery from 1 Peter because he is not talking about having an occasional snack on God’s Word. A baby pursues milk with a passion that will not rest until his hunger is satisfied. Three o’clock in the morning means nothing to a newborn. When a baby is ready to eat, the world stops!
What milk is to a baby’s body, the Word of God is to the soul. It is the food that fuels healthy spiritual growth—and just like your mother used to tell you, if you want to grow you need to eat.
The comparison to baby’s milk lets us know that it is the basics of the Christian faith.
Milk, in reference to the Scripture, are the basic, the foundational doctrines upon which our faith is built. Milk is crucial for a new Christian to feed on, but it is not the whole meal. There is much more, what the Bible calls “meat” or “solid food.”
According to Hebrews 5:14, we know we are mature enough to partake of solid food when we can take the truth of God’s Word (doctrine) and use it skillfully to live our lives and make our decisions from a biblical perspective. When you and I can filter everything that comes our way through the grid of God’s Word and discern His will and desire for us, and then obey what God tells us, we are evidencing a deeper, more mature hunger for the food of spiritual growth.
Do you want to move beyond the milk of the Christian life? Are you ready to enjoy the meat of God’s Holy Word so that you will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ?