So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ²Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

I want to use my feeble attempt today to motivate each of you to get into God’s Word consistently. More than the food you eat, you must have God’s Word! Cut out of your life other books, internet, and television, and even some sleep itself, if you must; but you must have God’s Word in your life!

That is Peter’s point: We must have God’s Word to grow in our salvation.

The Bible declares that the root cause of our problems is our sin. By confronting our sin and presenting God’s remedy for it, the Bible brings lasting healing.

So I try to preach the Bible in its pure, not-deceitful form, because then it confronts us with where our lives have gone astray and shows us God’s way to get back on the path.

The Bible, if you take it straight, tells you the honest truth about yourself. It exposes the very thoughts and motives of your heart so that you have no where to hide (Heb. 4:12-13).

It is not uncommon, after a lesson/sermon, to have someone come up to me and ask, “Did anyone tell you about what I went through this past week?”

When I assure them that no one told me anything, they say, “It seemed like you knew everything and you were aiming that sermon directly at me.”

It isn’t me; it’s the Bible! We tend to deceive and flatter ourselves. But the Word of God cuts through the deception and lays out the honest truth so that we can deal with our problems.

No Christian can stay the way he is; and Peter urges his people to remove some evil things and to set their hearts on that which alone can nourish life.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. The word therefore ties Peter’s following words with 1 Peter 1:22, where Peter had explained that believers’ new lives in Christ should result in genuine mutual love so that they would love one another deeply. Such love binds believers together as they face struggles and persecution. Believers need to get rid of any attitude or hindrance that could threaten this love for brothers and sisters in Christ.^[1]

There are things which must be stripped off. “Put away” is the word for stripping off one’s clothes. There are things of which the Christian must divest himself as he would strip off a soiled garment.

Peter listed several types of sin to remove from our lives. The sins Peter listed here fight against love and cause dissension among believers.

• Malice means doing evil despite the good that has been received; the desire to harm other people. Malice may be hidden behind good actions. Christians should have no part in evil actions toward others (see Colossians 3:8; James 1:21).
• Deceit means deliberately tricking or misleading by lying. This would correct many of the excesses of our day. I meet many Christians who are heavily subjective. They operate on a feeling level, devoid of solid theological content. Others emphasize theological content, but they’re afraid of emotions. The Word of God ought to fill our minds with the knowledge of God and move our hearts with His majesty and love.
• Hypocrisy means that people say one thing but do another; playacting; presenting good motives that mask selfish desire.
• Envy means desiring something possessed by someone else. This causes discontent and resentment as believers make unhealthy comparisons to one another. It also makes them unable to be thankful for the good that comes to others.

There is envy. It may be said that envy is the last sin to die. It reared its ugly head even in the apostolic band. The other ten were envious of James and John, when they seemed to steal a march upon them in the matter of precedence in the coming Kingdom (Mark 10:41).

Even at the last supper the disciples were disputing about who should occupy the seats of greatest honor (Luke 22:24).

So long as self remains active within a man’s heart there will be envy in his life.

• Slander means destroying another’s good reputation by lies, gossip, rumor-spreading, etc. Malice often manifests itself through slander. We should not treat fellow Christians the way the world treats us (3:16).

Few things are so attractive as hearing or repeating spicy gossip. Disparaging gossip is something which everyone admits to be wrong and which at the same time almost everyone enjoys; and yet there is nothing more productive of heartbreak and nothing is so destructive of brotherly love and Christian unity.

Most of us wince to admit it, but having “the goods” on someone and commanding a group’s attention by reporting our news is just plain fun. There is a certain amount of power to have information! Some cannot stop themselves and even appear to like to share intimate details of someone else’s weakness.

Peter warns that our conversation should not slip into slander. You’re getting close to the border when you are glad that the subject is out of earshot. You’ve crossed the border when your report begins: “It doesn’t leave this room, but …”

If you cannot avoid gossip or spreading rumors, tell your story to a tape recorder, and don’t bother using a tape. Real friends don’t broadcast each other’s weaknesses. Real Christians strive to build each other up in love. When it comes to gossip, don’t pass it on.

Spanish proverb: Whoever gossips to you will gossip of you.

There is something on which the Christian must set his heart. He must yearn for the unadulterated milk of the word (logos).

Logos is the Greek for word…belonging to the word. It is the word of God which is in his mind; and we think that what he means here is that the Christian must desire with his whole heart the nourishment which comes from the word of God, for by that nourishment he can grow until he reaches salvation itself. In face of all the evil of the heathen world the Christian must strengthen his soul with the pure food of the word of God.

This food of the word is unadulterated…that is to say, there is not the slightest admixture of anything evil in it. The Christian is to yearn for this milk of the word; yearn, which is a strong word.

For the sincere Christian, to study God’s word is not a labor but a delight, for he knows that there his heart will find the nourishment for which it longs.

Peter says that we should be as motivated as a newborn babe is for his mother’s milk.

God has designed a mother’s milk as the perfect food for newborn babies. It will immunize her baby from many illnesses and nourish her baby for growth. God’s Word will protect Christians from the many spiritual diseases which abound and nourish them to grow in the Lord.

A mother’s milk will make her baby grow for months without any other food. God’s Word will nourish Christians so that they “grow toward salvation” (2:2). Peter means salvation in its ultimate sense, which includes everything that God has provided for us who are His children. We never reach a place in this life where we can stop growing.

One thing about kids is that they’re excited about growing. Just about every home with children has a growth chart. Every few months you measure your kids and say, “Wow, look how much you’ve grown since last time!” God’s children should be that excited about growing in respect to their salvation. Just as physical growth is not instant or readily seen, so with spiritual growth. You probably won’t see it day to day. But if you keep feeding on the milk of the Word, you will be nourished toward growth.

I didn’t understand this analogy until we had children of our own. Newborn babies have an intense craving for their mother’s milk! It doesn’t matter if it’s 3 a.m. If they’re hungry, they let you know about it and don’t stop letting you know about it until they get what they’re after!

You can stick your finger in their mouth and they’ll suck on it for a minute (and what powerful cheek muscles they have!). But then they realize that they aren’t getting any milk, and they’ll spit out your finger and scream for the real thing.

The metaphor of the Christian as a baby and the word of God as the milk whereby he is nourished is common in the New Testament.

“A believer should count it a wasted day when he does not learn something new from or is not more deeply enriched by the truth of God’s Word.… Scripture is food for the believer’s growth and power—and there is no other. The church today ignores the exposition and application of Scripture at its peril, as the warning of Hosea to Israel suggests: ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’ (Hosea 4:6). The church cannot operate on truth it is not taught; believers cannot function on principles they have not learned. The most noble are still those who search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11).”^[2]

Paul thinks of himself as the nurse who cares for the infant Christians of Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:7).

He thinks of himself as feeding the Corinthians with milk for they are not yet at the stage of meat (1 Corinthians 3:2); and the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews blames his people for being still at the stage of milk when they should have gone on to maturity (Hebrews 5:12; 6:2).

It is this nourishment with the milk of the word which makes a Christian grow up and grow on until he reaches salvation.

Peter finishes this introduction with an allusion to Psalm 34:8. “You are bound to do this,” he writes, “if you have tasted the kindness of God.”

Here is something of the greatest significance. The fact that God is gracious is not an excuse for us to do as we like, depending on him to overlook it; it lays on us an obligation to toil towards deserving his graciousness and love.

The kindness of God is not an excuse for laziness in the Christian life; it is the greatest of all incentives to effort.^[3]

The question is, How do you get that kind of motivation for the Word of God? Positively, focus on the kindness of the Lord (2:3).

“If [“since”] you have tasted that the Lord is kind.”

Peter here is referring especially to the Lord’s kindness or grace that was shown to us when we trusted Him as Savior and Lord and were immersed in water in order to have our sins forgiven.

If you’re saved, you have tasted of the Lord’s kindness, because you know that though you deserved His judgment, He showed you mercy.  “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

How to drink in God’s Word:

A. Read it.

I am amazed at how many Christians do not read their Bibles! Maybe you’re thinking, “But I’m not a reader.” Learn to be a reader! God chose to communicate His Word in written form. Reading is a learned skill that most people can master. While you’re learning to read, get the Bible on tape and listen to it. But you also need to learn to read.

If you’re new as Christian, start in the New Testament. Read it through several times….and there is no need to rush…take your time.

Read the Psalms and Proverbs (Carl Brecheen: one chapter for each day of the month.)

Then, tackle the whole Bible. You can read through the Bible in a year if you read 15-20 minutes a day. You won’t grasp it all in a lifetime. But pray that God would show you something about Himself, about yourself, and about how He wants you to live. Like that newborn babe, don’t let anything keep you from your feeding times!

B. Study it.

It’s not just milk; it’s rational milk. You’ve got to think or meditate on it to understand it. Observe it carefully: What does the text say? To quote Yogi Berra, “You can see a lot just by looking.”

Interpret it by comparing Scripture with Scripture and asking, What does this passage mean in its context and in light of other Scripture? Apply it prayerfully: What does it mean to me? How do I need to obey it? Memorize certain portions, so that God can use them in your life during the day. Listen to the Word preached every chance you get.

C. Taste it.

The image of milk and of tasting the Lord’s kindness brings up the fact that the Word is not just to fill your head with knowledge.

It is to fill your life with delight as you get to know the Divine author and enjoy Him in all His perfections. Taste points both to personal experience and enjoyment. I can’t taste for you, nor you for me. We can only taste for ourselves.

To taste something, we’ve got to experience it up close. You can see and hear and smell at a distance, but you can only taste something by touching it to your tongue.

You can only taste God’s Word by drawing near to God and personally appropriating the riches of knowing Him. Once you like the taste of something, you don’t just eat it to live; you live to eat it. You want it as often as you can get it. God’s Word is that way for all who have tasted His kindness.

Conclusion

If you don’t have a craving for God’s Word, there could be several reasons. Maybe you’ve never tasted the Lord’s kindness in salvation. You need to believe that He died for your sins and that He offers His salvation to you as a free gift. Take it! And start feeding on the Bible.

You may not have a craving for God’s Word because of sin in your life. Someone has said that God’s Word will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from God’s Word. Confess and forsake it! And get back into the Bible.

You may have ruined your appetite by feeding on the junk food of this world. “Hunger makes a good cook,” as the saying goes.

If you don’t sense your great need for God and His Word, it may be because you’ve filled up on junk like television. Shut it off!

Or, maybe you’ve been filling up on the junk food being sold at Christian book stores under the label of Christian, but which waters down the pure Word of God with modern man’s wisdom.

Such junk food makes you feel full, but it doesn’t nourish the soul. Don’t waste your time reading it! There are some excellent Christian books that will help you to understand and apply God’s truth. They’re well worth reading.

But above all else, read your Bible! Hunger for God’s truth. Drink it in like a nursing infant. You’ve got to have it above all else if you want to grow in your salvation.

^[1] Bruce B. Barton, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 1995), 48–49.

^[2] John MacArthur, 1 & 2 Peter: Courage in Times of Trouble, MacArthur Bible Studies (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2000), 21.

^[3] William Barclay, ed., The Letters of James and Peter, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 191–193.