May 26
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LONG FOR THE PURE MILK OF THE WORD
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 2:1-5
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In this letter, Peter calls all believers to be like newborn babies because they are innocent, naive and constantly longing only for the pure milk so that they can develop and grow. He likens it to Christians who ought to crave only for the pure spiritual food that only comes from the word of God. But before they can long for the spiritual milk, they are required to do something first. Peter admonishes the believers in verse 1 to get rid of the following:
• Malice- Extreme enmity of heart, or malevolence; a disposition to injure others without cause, from mere personal gratification or from a spirit of revenge; unprovoked malignity or spite.
• Deceit-The intentional misleading or beguiling of another
• Hypocrisy-an inconsistency between external religious activity and religious profession
• Envy-Sin of jealousy over the blessings and achievements of others, especially the spiritual enjoyment and advance of the kingdom of Christ freely and graciously bestowed upon the people of God.
• Slander-To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report respecting one; to tarnish or impair the reputation of one by false tales, maliciously told or propagated.
These definitions I just identified are from KJV and bible dictionary. Why did Peter enumerate these unregenerate acts that defiles a person? Because if he didn’t specify all these, we won’t examine our hearts that is naturally sinful and impure.
In verses 3-5, Peter explains why it is important for a believer to stay pure like a baby and long for the milk of the word of God. Because we were saved and being built up through the Lord Jesus Christ to be part of his royal priesthood. Therefore, we must stay pure.
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REFLECTION
• Why are the sins Peter listed in these passages so pervasive in humans?