1Pe 2:2 | KingComments | STEP | . This verse connects to the previous section. This is evident from the opening words “therefore, putting aside”. Those words sound like a logical result of what is said earlier. What has to be put aside is all displays of the flesh, the ego, bringing down others in favor of yourself. ‘To put aside’ means to radically and immediately break with these things and in no way allow them to control you again. When Peter appeals to put these things aside it implies that they occur among the readers of his letter and that they can also occur among us. Or don’t you recognize that you can also behave like that at times? It is also not about a display at times on a certain occasion, but it is about “ all malice and “ all deceit” and “ all slander”. 1. How easy do we feel “malice” arise from ourselves for various reasons, 2. how easy do we make use of “deceit”, 3. do we deceive others in various situations and do we pretend ourselves to be better (“hypocrisy”) or 4. do we begrudge others all kinds of things they possess (“envy”). 5. And let us not forget the “slander”. How easy we make ourselves guilty of that in all kinds of conversations. Inwardly distance yourself from it, do not be tempted by it, and condemn it immediately if you feel any of the things Peter mentions arise in you. . Besides these things seriously damage the relations among believers, they are also great hindrances for the spiritual growth. Peter speaks next about this. If you are born again you have new life. That life longs for food, just like a newborn baby longs for it. You do not have to encourage a baby to drink. He naturally gives a sign for that. The food of a believer is the “pure milk” of the Word of God. A healthy spiritual growth is extraordinarily important. Even like in natural life, health in spiritual life also depends on the kind of food you consume. Therefore you should put aside everything that sabotages the brotherly love, which hinders the growth. That is . Instead, you must drink in the good Word, as a baby at the mother’s breast does because he senses that there is the life that is needed to grow. That is . The point here is not the first stage of the spiritual growth, about a person who is newly converted. It is not about a phase in the spiritual growth (like in ), but it is about a feature that applies to both babies in faith and spiritually matured believers. It goes for each believer that spiritual undernourishment arises when there is no hunger for it and no consumption. If a believer does not hunger for the Word there is definitely something wrong. A spiritually healthy Christian continually hungers for the milk of God’s Word. By nourishing yourself with God’s Word you grow to salvation, that is to the full salvation. God’s Word has saving power, not only for the future, but also for the path that brings you there. There are three aspects attached to salvation. The first is that you are saved for eternity. The second is that you are kept safe in all kinds of dangerous situations you encounter on your path of faith by obeying the Word. The third is that you are saved when you are with the Lord. If you stuff yourself with light or even foolish reading material you will not grow spiritually and you will grow crooked. Easily readable, cheap novels with a little bit of the gospel do not protect you against the attacks of satan who is seeking to make you sin. If you read such reading material as a kind of spiritual candy, you will spiritually get sick. It is even more damaging if you consume reading material that contain poison, for then the end is death. Then nothing will be left of your testimony as a Christian than a corpse. Recently I read a report on Habakkuk, a digital daily magazine, on the internet, that I would like to pass on to you at the end of this section. It has got everything to do with integrating God’s Word within yourself. The report reads as follows: ‘How do you properly transfer knowledge? … the French writer and a former teacher Daniel Pennac … argues: Education needs slowness and a revaluation of work as an activity of the spirit for the long duration. Only by slowness you can integrate something within yourself ….(Trouw, Dutch daily newspaper 15-12-2008) According to Pennac you do a great favor to your pupils if you help them to develop a ‘mental library’. Pennac managed to make his own students fanatically learn phrases by heart. ‘A mental library’, isn’t that an awesome possession! It’s like always having a piece of Kafka or Marquez at hand. It’s not about learning something by heart which you later forget. No, it is about penetrating in the phrases step by step. And as soon as you have understood the phrase, it is a question of repeating and repeating, like someone who really knows what he’s talking about. Then you should practice of course and remain repeating, but you will not manage without understanding it.’ Without being conscious of that Pennac proposes a great challenge to Christians … We have the Bible often in snippets in our head … Wouldn’t that be an enormous treasure if you would have complete chapters or even complete books from the Bible in your mental library? That you penetrate through the texts, step by step. And as soon as you have the understanding of a phrase, you repeat and repeat again …’ [End of report]. Now read 1 Peter 2:1-2 again. Reflection: What are you doing, in order to grow spiritually?

‏ 1 Peter 2:2

Spiritual Growth

1Pet 2:1. This verse connects to the previous section. This is evident from the opening words “therefore, putting aside”. Those words sound like a logical result of what is said earlier. What has to be put aside is all displays of the flesh, the ego, bringing down others in favor of yourself. ‘To put aside’ means to radically and immediately break with these things and in no way allow them to control you again. When Peter appeals to put these things aside it implies that they occur among the readers of his letter and that they can also occur among us. Or don’t you recognize that you can also behave like that at times?

It is also not about a display at times on a certain occasion, but it is about “all malice and “all deceit” and “all slander”.

1. How easy do we feel “malice” arise from ourselves for various reasons,

2. how easy do we make use of “deceit”,

3. do we deceive others in various situations and do we pretend ourselves to be better (“hypocrisy”) or

4. do we begrudge others all kinds of things they possess (“envy”).

5. And let us not forget the “slander”. How easy we make ourselves guilty of that in all kinds of conversations.

Inwardly distance yourself from it, do not be tempted by it, and condemn it immediately if you feel any of the things Peter mentions arise in you.

1Pet 2:2. Besides these things seriously damage the relations among believers, they are also great hindrances for the spiritual growth. Peter speaks next about this. If you are born again you have new life. That life longs for food, just like a newborn baby longs for it. You do not have to encourage a baby to drink. He naturally gives a sign for that. The food of a believer is the “pure milk” of the Word of God.

A healthy spiritual growth is extraordinarily important. Even like in natural life, health in spiritual life also depends on the kind of food you consume. Therefore you should put aside everything that sabotages the brotherly love, which hinders the growth. That is 1Pet 2:1. Instead, you must drink in the good Word, as a baby at the mother’s breast does because he senses that there is the life that is needed to grow. That is 1Pet 2:2.

The point here is not the first stage of the spiritual growth, about a person who is newly converted. It is not about a phase in the spiritual growth (like in Heb 5:12), but it is about a feature that applies to both babies in faith and spiritually matured believers. It goes for each believer that spiritual undernourishment arises when there is no hunger for it and no consumption. If a believer does not hunger for the Word there is definitely something wrong. A spiritually healthy Christian continually hungers for the milk of God’s Word. By nourishing yourself with God’s Word you grow to salvation, that is to the full salvation.

God’s Word has saving power, not only for the future, but also for the path that brings you there. There are three aspects attached to salvation. The first is that you are saved for eternity. The second is that you are kept safe in all kinds of dangerous situations you encounter on your path of faith by obeying the Word. The third is that you are saved when you are with the Lord.

If you stuff yourself with light or even foolish reading material you will not grow spiritually and you will grow crooked. Easily readable, cheap novels with a little bit of the gospel do not protect you against the attacks of satan who is seeking to make you sin. If you read such reading material as a kind of spiritual candy, you will spiritually get sick. It is even more damaging if you consume reading material that contain poison, for then the end is death. Then nothing will be left of your testimony as a Christian than a corpse.

Recently I read a report on Habakkuk, a digital daily magazine, on the internet, that I would like to pass on to you at the end of this section. It has got everything to do with integrating God’s Word within yourself. The report reads as follows:

‘How do you properly transfer knowledge? … the French writer and a former teacher Daniel Pennac … argues: Education needs slowness and a revaluation of work as an activity of the spirit for the long duration. Only by slowness you can integrate something within yourself ….(Trouw, Dutch daily newspaper 15-12-2008)

According to Pennac you do a great favor to your pupils if you help them to develop a ‘mental library’. Pennac managed to make his own students fanatically learn phrases by heart. ‘A mental library’, isn’t that an awesome possession! It’s like always having a piece of Kafka or Marquez at hand. It’s not about learning something by heart which you later forget. No, it is about penetrating in the phrases step by step. And as soon as you have understood the phrase, it is a question of repeating and repeating, like someone who really knows what he’s talking about. Then you should practice of course and remain repeating, but you will not manage without understanding it.’

Without being conscious of that Pennac proposes a great challenge to Christians … We have the Bible often in snippets in our head … Wouldn’t that be an enormous treasure if you would have complete chapters or even complete books from the Bible in your mental library? That you penetrate through the texts, step by step. And as soon as you have the understanding of a phrase, you repeat and repeat again …’ [End of report].

Now read 1 Peter 2:1-2 again.

Reflection: What are you doing, in order to grow spiritually?