In the last few verses of chapter 1, Peter told us how we had been born again and by that new birth had entered the family of God. Now in chapter 2, we are told how to grow as children of that family. We grow in the same way we were born again. That is by the Word by God. We need to see that when we are born again, we are babies in the family of God. The word used here for newborn babes is the same word used in Luke 2:16 when speaking of the baby in the manger. A baby has to eat to grow. As someone said, 'our new, God-given life needs suitable food if it is to grow into the full enjoyment of our salvation'. Reading and studying God's Word, the Bible, is like food which will help us grow spiritually. There are things which will hinder our desire for God's Word. Peter mentions them in the first verse. Malice can spoil our hunger for the Word of God. This is ill-feeling against someone else. Guile, which is deceit, is another. Hypocrisy is a false front or put-on attitude toward others or even toward God. Envy is jealousy and can be one of the most harmful feelings in a person's heart. It can turn a person away from other people and away from God as well. Slander is saying unkind and untrue things against other people. These wrong things all belong to the old life which we lived before we were born again. If they show up in our new life they will hinder our appetite for the Word of God. Peter says, ' Put them all away and be hungry for the Word of God'. Remember how much the Word of God has meant to you in the past. It is still the same. It is waiting to meet your need today and to help you grow. |
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