Babies grow by drinking milk—lots of it. They don’t take in one glass on Sunday and another the next Sunday. They drink all day, every day, several times a day.
(And night.)
But imagine if a mother only fed her baby one day a week. What would happen to that baby? Even if it survived, it would grow up malnourished, with serious growth defects.
Many Christians are trying to make their way in the world like this. They drink the milk of God’s Word once a week (more or less), and then they’re surprised that their spiritual life lags. They shouldn’t be. As the Apostle Peter says, we grow in faith by imbibing God’s Word: “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if ‘you have tasted that the Lord is good’” (1 Peter 2:2–3 CSB).
Peter gives three qualities of the Word that explain why, even more than physical nourishment, it is so necessary to our lives.
1. The Word Lasts Forever.
Everything else in the world is temporary, but God’s Word is forever. If you build your life on anything else—the approval of people, the strength of your family ties, the love of your spouse, your financial security—you’ll feel insecure and constantly anxious. All these things will eventually fade—and you along with them, if you build your life on them…
2. The Word Is Living.
The Bible is not just a book of theological doctrine and premises; it is the living, breathing Word of God. In it, we encounter the very voice of God—the same voice that created the stars, healed lepers, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead. Scripture is not just about learning ancient truths. It is about God speaking to us, in real time, with real direction. Without that, our souls will shrivel and die…
3. The Word Gives Us Confidence.
Throughout Peter’s first letter, he interchanges “Word of God” and the person of Jesus seamlessly. For example, at the end of chapter 1, Peter is talking about building our lives on the Word; then in chapter 2, he shifts to the rock on which we build being Jesus. For Peter, “the Word” and “Jesus” are the same. In the Word of the gospel, we meet Jesus, who gives us a taste of the goodness of God and teaches us that, in all things, we can trust him. In Jesus, we see that at our worst moment, he still loved us, and we know that if he loved us then he will never leave us now.