Daily Bible Nugget #300, 1 Peter 2:2

The Nugget:

1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

My Comment:

The fourth proof of the Perspicuity of Scripture is found in 1 Peter 2:2, which states the Bible should be desired with the same eagerness that newborn babies desire their milk. Since the Bible is milk for spiritual babes, it must be understandable!

Therefore anyone can take up the Bible, particularly the New Testament, and read it for himself or herself and profit by growing spiritually in their faith in God and Christ.

It is probably best to start reading the Bible using a plain text Bible. That way you are sure to get the unadulterated truth. If you are altogether new to Bible reading, starting with the Gospel of Mark is a good option because it is the shortest of the four Gospel accounts of the life of Christ we are privileged and blessed to have.

After you finish Mark, read the Gospel of John next. The Gospel of John is well worth reading over repeatedly. I used to read three chapters a day from John so that I could finish its 21 chapters each week. In a month I read it four times. My goal was to know the Gospel of John so well that I could think through its contents chapter by chapter and know accurately the main things found in each chapter.

If you are already somewhat acquainted with the Bible and spiritual things, go ahead and read the New Testament straight through from Matthew to Revelation. That is what I did as a teenager, and before I completed my second reading of the New Testament I found and accepted Christ as my Savior while delivering newspapers on Saturday morning, November 7, 1953.

So much for the sincere but mistaken claims of Pope Francis which I just read today. Apparently he does not believe anyone can become a Christian on their own. They cannot become a Christian unless they are part of a church. I think he had in mind part of his church, for he said to be a Christian a person must be baptized, and be taught further by being catechized, and a partaker of the sacraments of his church. I think he has a few things mixed up. His idea is fine for those who want to become Roman Catholics. But being Roman Catholic does not necessarily equate to being Christian unless you have personally come to Christ in repentance and prayer believing His word and promise of salvation. This is not accomplished by baptism or catechism or partaking of sacraments.

To me, the most mistaken aspect of what Pope Francis said was that he did not believe there are any what he called “laboratory Christians.” I think what he meant by that expression is what I would term “independent Christians” who have found true faith in our Lord Jesus Christ simply by reading and believing His written word in the Bible. That is what happened to me, and no words of any Pope can reverse the truth of what happened to me on Saturday, November 7, 1953, where I turned to Christ in faith and received His salvation without the assistance of any other person other than the Holy Spirit speaking through God’s Word.

I am thoroughly disappointed by the remarks of Pope Francis. His statements demonstrate to me that he may have religion, but I am concerned that he may not truly have Christ. No Bible-believing, born-again Christian would claim what he claimed or deny what he denied in those remarks. I am being very kind to Pope Francis. I have long prayed that he might see the light and encourage the members of his church to more regularly and deeply engage in Real Bible Study. More of them would be sure of going to heaven if they did.

Reading the Bible will change your life for the better. It will also change your destiny for all eternity if you will both read the Bible and believe it.

The Bible is most certainly understandable, for it is milk for newborn babes, designed to help them grow spiritually.

If a baby refused to eat any food, without food it would die. So for anyone who thinks they are a Christian. If you do not feed regularly upon God’s Word in the Bible, you either are or will shortly become spiritually dead. Feeding yourself spiritually is far more important than watching television or otherwise finding entertainment. Reading the Bible regularly for yourself is, in the light of eternity, one of the most important things you can do. Start reading your Bible today!

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1457 for 1 Peter 2:2.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1474 or in Logos 5 Bible software for 1 Peter 2:2.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:

1 Peter 2:2. newborn. Gr. artigennētos (S#738g, only here), just born, that is, (figuratively) a young convert (Strong). The terms Peter uses do not imply he is addressing new converts, but demonstrate how all believers should have the same desire for God’s Word as a newborn baby has for its mother’s milk. 1 P 1:3, 23. Jn 1:13. Ep 4:24. 1 Tim 3:6. babes. Gr. brephos (S#1025g, Lk 18:15). T#1113. *1 P 1:23. =Le 22:11. Is 28:9. 40:11. +*Mt 11:25. *+Mt 18:3. 19:14. *Mk 10:14, 15. Lk 1:41n. 2:12, 16. 9:47. 10:21. +Lk 18:15, 16. Jn 21:15. Ac 7:19. Ro 2:20. *Ro 6:4. *1 Cor 3:1, 2. 14:20. +**2 Tim 3:15. desire. or, earnestly desire. Gr. epipotheō (S#1971g, Ro 1:11), to dote upon, that is, intensely crave possession (lawfully or wrongfully) [Strong]. Peter states we should desire the Word of God just like a newborn baby desires milk. I think a fair inference to be drawn from Peter’s statement is that just like a newborn baby would die if it never gets milk, so anyone who does not feed on the written Word of God in the Bible will die spiritually. A further proper inference no doubt would be that anyone who has no desire to seriously feed on the written Word of God in the Bible is spiritually dead. *Jb 23:12. Ps 42:1. 84:2. 112:1. +*Ps 119:30, 31, 72, 131, 140, 165. Pr 2:1-6. %Is 58:2. Je 3:15. %Je 6:10. **Je 15:16. Mt 5:6. 13:23. *Ac 8:31n. 10:33. **+Ac 17:11. 2 Cor 7:11. Phil 2:26. the sincere. or, spiritual. or, pure. or, guileless. Gr. reasonable. Gr. adolos (S#97g, only here), undeceitful, that is, (figuratively) unadulterated (Strong). ver. 1 P 2:1. *Ps 19:7-10. +*Ps 119:40. +*Mk 4:24. +*Lk 8:18. Jn 10:5. Ro 12:1g. 2 Cor 4:2. milk. Gr. gala (S#1051g, 1 Cor 3:2). Is 28:9. 55:1. 66:11. Jl 3:18. *1 Cor 3:2. 9:7. *1 Tim 4:6. %*He 5:12, 13. 6:1. of the word. Gr. logikos (S#3050g, only here and Ro 12:1, “reasonable”), rational (“logical”) [Strong]; spiritual or rational, as opposed to literal and ceremonial (Vincent). The milk to be found in the Word of God is in the highest sense “reasonable.” See 1 P 3:15 (CB). It is the Word of God, not tradition, “which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” Rather than contending so much for what is clearly not essential to faith in Christ, true Christians, Bible believing ones, encourage others to get into the written Word of God in the Bible for themselves so that they can come to know Jesus Christ in a personal way and have a life-giving relationship with Him that results in genuine belief that brings eternal life. Only the Bible provides the spiritual food necessary for spiritual growth and “works effectually” (1 Th 2:13n) in those who believe. *1 P 1:25. =Ex 16:15. +*Ps 119:50, 140. +Mt 4:4. Lk 8:15, +*Lk 8:18. Jn 3:12. +*Ro 10:17. 2 Cor 2:17. 4:2. Col 1:5. +**1 Th 2:13. 1 Tim 4:6. He 6:9n. +*James 1:21. grow. Gr. auxanō (S#837g, Mt 6:28). T#1048. 2 S 23:5. *Jb 17:9. Ps 19:11. +*Pr 4:18. *Ho 6:3. *Ho 14:5, 7. *Mal *4:2. Mt 13:23. Mk 4:8. Lk 8:15. +*Ac 20:32. Ep 2:21. *Ep 4:15. Phil 3:12. Col 1:6, +**Col 1:10. 2:19. *1 Th 2:13. 4:1, 10. 2 Th 1:3. +**2 Tim 3:16, 17. +*2 P 1:5-11. **2 P 3:18. thereby. Ac 11:14. Ep 4:13. *Col 1:6, 10.