First Peter is a general epistle, meaning to say that Peter was not addressing the problems of a specific church, like Paul did when he wrote to the Corinthians. Peter was directing his words to Christians scattered over a wide area, who shared a common faith and had the same spiritual needs. That need in the context of 1 Peter 2 is spiritual growth. Christians need to leave behind these childish attitudes and mindset to spiritual maturity. 

Born by the Word

A person has the capacity for growth presupposes that he is alive. A person can only grow spiritually if he were born spiritually. A believer can grow in likeness of Christ; he grows up “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph 4:13) because he has been born again.

·               A man is “born again not of incorruptible seed,” meaning that it is not by human descent.

·               A man is “born again…by the word of God” “Faith cometh by hearing the word of God” (Rom 10:17). 

The true spiritual birth must come by way of the incorruptible Word of God, by the preaching of the unadulterated Gospel.

·               Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures (James 1:18).

·               The holy scriptures…are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). 

+        Are you born again? (John 3:3) 

Desire for the Word

Spiritual birth must be followed by spiritual growth. Just as we need to eat to grow, so we need to feed on the spiritual food to grow in our faith. The nourishment for the soul is the Word of God.

         Peter is using the picture of the baby’s natural and intense desire for milk to illustrate the believer’s intense need for the Word of God in order to grow. 

+        No matter how long you have been a Christian, you must have an intense desire for the knowledge of God’s Word (Job 23:12; Jer 15:16; Ps 1:1-2; 2 Tim 4:13).

+        Are you reading the Bible daily? Are you studying the Word of God? 

Live in the word

There are two verbs in 1 Peter 2:2 – desire and grow. “Desire” is the active verb. Believers are commanded to desire the sincere milk of the word. “Grow” is a passive verb; meaning to say that growth is something that is being done to believers. As we desire and feed on the Word of God, God will bring about that growth in our lives.

         Spiritual growth is not just getting more Bible knowledge. It also involves laying aside certain things. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings” (1 Pet 2:1; see also Eph 4:22-24; Rom 13:12-14). 

+        There must be a definitive break from sin. Your life must be transformed, your mind must be renewed, and your affections must be set on things above. 

To grow to be like Christ is the real measure of the man and woman of God. It is the mark of the new man. It is proof that you are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Pet 1:23). 

There is no secret to spiritual growth. The basis for spiritual growth is doing the simple truths. Our Lord Jesus said: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3).

         Here is the irony of spiritual growth – we grow not to be sophisticated in our faith, but to grow to be like the little child with a simple faith – to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our Lord. 

+        Are you growing spiritually to be like a child of God?