Grow in the Word

 Any parent or grandparent does not want their child to stay a child, even if they say that they do—they want them to grow up! It is a tragic situation when a child refuses to grow up into spiritual and emotional maturity. In our Christian lives, it is the same way. It’s tragic when a believer will not grow up in his spiritual walk with God!

In 1 Peter we find the context of believers who are being persecuted for their faith. The Roman emperor Nero burned Rome and then blamed the Christians for what he did. This resulted in horrible persecution for believers. They were burned alive at the stake; put on poles, soaked in oil, and used as torches while the Romans had their orgies; they were taken out to be eaten by lions in an arena. It was an awful time, and yet Peter challenged them to grow in their faith.

He writes in 1 Peter 1:22-25, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.”

He continues in 1 Peter 2:1, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” The term “putting aside” comes from the Greek word apotithēmi, meaning “to take off like a garment.” It is used in Ephesians 4:22 and 25, Colossians 3:8, Hebrews 12:1, James 1:21, and Romans 13:12 and, in each case, means to stop doing something! Before any growth begins to happen in the Christian life there is the necessity of a yielded heart to Christ and His Word.

The way you stop something in your Christian growth is to say yes to Christ. When that happens, you have just said “no” to your flesh. Our flesh could be summed up with one word in the list that Peter uses—“malice.” This word holds the key because it describes the wickedness of our flesh. It is a word that refers to the evil intentions of the mind. Self is sin. It keeps the company of all sorts of other evils in Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

Now, this evil intention (which is basically to get one’s own way) has a tactic to it. Peter’s next words, “and all deceit,” show that malice is intentionally misleading. The word translated “deceit”, dolos, is the word that evolved to become “fishbait” in Modern Greek. Now, we don’t interpret New Testament Greek with Modern Greek understanding, but it’s interesting to me how “fishbait” so describes what deceit really is.

Think about that catfish who has just taken a piece of luscious meat that was just innocently hanging there in the water waiting to be eaten. The catfish swims off and thinks he has just gotten a free meal, not realizing that underneath that piece of meat is a hook. Deceit is when you come across one way to someone, making them feel comfortable with you, but underneath all the sweet talk there is a “hook”, because you want something from them that they are unwilling to give. 

Next, Peter warns against hypocrisy. This word means to pretend that something is one way when it is exactly the opposite. The Greek term was used of an actor on stage who would wear a mask. The mask would have a smile painted on it, or a frown, but you never could see the actual face behind the mask.

Peter then tackles “envy”, which is when you want something that someone else has and will do whatever is in your power to take that away from them; and “all slander”, which means to speak against someone behind his back. When we say “yes” to Christ, then we have just said “no” to all that flesh is. Now, we can begin to grow. 

Peter says in verse 2, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” Just like newborn babies crave milk even in the “middle of the night” because their lives depend on it, so believers are born again with a craving for God’s Word.  Believers long for the milk of God’s Word. The phrase “the pure milk of the Word” interestingly means “unadulterated” or “without deceit.” The Word of God will never deceive you like your flesh will. It will never lead you astray. It is the Word of God that enables the believer to grow up in his spiritual walk with Christ, as Peter says, “So that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”

My question to you is, “are you growing in your walk with Christ?” Do you hunger for God’s Word? Do you spend time in studying and learning God’s Word? Is your heart in a submissive attitude towards Christ and His Word? If not, then your flesh has deceived you and, sadly, you are deceiving others. If we are going to be His disciples, then we must come to grips with the fact that we are desperate for His Word in our lives. This discipline of studying His Word cannot be laid aside for any reason. If we do, we are starving our spiritual growth. May you enjoy your journey with Christ as you learn to devour His Word!

Wayne Barber is senior pastor of Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico