The Sincere Milk of the Word
Peter finishes verse two in the second chapter of his first letter to the church with the words,
"Desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby."
The sins he has been describing in the previous verses are like children's diseases that retard growth and threaten life. Peter said put them all away and get healthy, and then proceed to live on the sincere milk of the Word. That word "sincere" is a tough one. Peter used a Greek word. We have "sincere" in our King James Bible, and the translators have had a tough time with it.
A student and translator ran into this word "sincere" and gave the best explanation I have ever heard. He explained that "sincere" could apply to milk. While he was visiting in Athens, Greece, he noticed coming down the street a milk wagon pulled by a burro, and on the side of the milk wagon was a sign written in Greek.
Being a Greek student, he was able to read it. The sign said, "such and such milk company, we sell only sincere milk." He got it in a second. He knew what it meant. It meant unadulterated milk. No extra water in this milk. That is what Peter meant when he used that old Greek word.
He said,
"Feed yourself on the unadulterated Word."
Do not water it down. Take it full strength. That is, let the Word of God say to you all it says. Do not simply pick out the happy verses. It would be shocking to go through some Bibles and find how we underline only the happy verses.
We must take all the Word of God and not water it down. "Desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby." Our growth is to be by the Word, and it will be the exact proportion to the diet we follow. We must eat the Word and obey the Word, and then we will grow thereby.
Thank you for reading.
The undiluted Word of God is what every believer needs to grow into maturity in Christ.
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Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this.
The best source of growth is through the word of God, babies need the milk to grow, the same way,the milk we need to aid our growth is in the word of God, we need to continually feeding on the word of God in order to keep growing and not be retarded by sin.
Indeed.
The Word of God is food for our spirit and life to our body.
#steemchurch listen very well, just because . . . I am not like that. That's not me."
The Tragedy of Spiritual Fatalism in the Church
This spiritual fatalism is a feeling that genetic forces and family forces and the forces of my past experiences and present circumstances are just too strong to allow me to ever change and become more zealous for God (Titus 2:14), or more fervent (Romans 12:12), or more delighted in God (Psalm 37:4), or more hungry for fellowship with Christ (John 6:35), or more at home with spiritual things (Romans 8:5), more bold (2 Timothy 1:7), or more constant or joyful (Romans 12:12), or hopeful (1 Peter 1:13).
Spiritual fatalism is tragic in the church. It leaves people stuck. It takes away hopes and dreams of change and growth. It squashes the excitement of living—which is growth. It's like saying to a gawky little girl who feels like her body is all out of proportion: well that's the way you are, and you will always be that way, when in fact she is meant to grow and change. That would be tragic to convince her of a kind of physical fatalism—that her growth is stopped right there at 13. So it is with the spirit. Only spiritual fatalism is much worse. Because greater things are at stake, and because we never do get to a point where we've arrived at the final stature like we do in our physical bodies.
This is a great and wonderful message. We must take all the Word of God and not water it down. "Desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby." Our growth is to be by the Word, and it will be the exact proportion to the diet we follow. We must eat the Word and obey the Word, and then we will grow thereby. Because greater things are at stake, and because we never do get to a point where we've arrived at the final stature like we do in our physical bodies. Do not simply pick out the happy verses. It would be shocking to go through some Bibles and find how we underline only the happy verses. This is true. Thanks for sharing
Simply beautiful, as well and very true is that man does not live on bread alone. God's word is sustenance, life, love and wisdom.
Thank you.