The day came for baby Julia’s one-month checkup. The pediatrician shows mom and dad Julia’s progress on the growth chart. They turn to one another, smile, and give thanks.

Another couple peers through the window of the NICU. Nurses tend to their baby Michael, ensuring he gets the nutrients he needs. Waiting anxiously, they pray for his strength.

Yet another family gets a call late in the evening. Foster care is bringing them a newborn tomorrow morning. “Do we have bottles and formula? Is there anything else he needs?”

Three different situations. But what’s the same? The urgent concern that each child gets the right nourishment to grow. As Father, did you know God is even more concerned with your spiritual growth? If you’re a Christian, God brought you into his family by a new birth; and he wants you to grow up.

In the passage we’ll be looking at today, Peter speaks about our need as God’s children to grow up in the good news. Crucial to your spiritual growth is both a love for each other and a longing for God’s goodness. Let’s read, beginning in verse 22…

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. ¹ So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As we’ve said before, Peter writes to help sojourners stand firm in God’s grace when suffering in Jesus’ footsteps. He did this first by celebrating God’s grace in verses 1-12. Without a single command, Peter focuses on what God has already done for us.

Verse 13 then began a new section with several commands: “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you.” Verse 15, “be holy in all your conduct.” Verse 17, “conduct yourselves with fear.” But these aren’t bare commands; they come in the context of God’s grace. Christianity begins with what God has already made you to be; everything else grows from that new status.

The same is true with the commands we read today. There are two of them. The first comes in verse 22, “love one another earnestly.” The second comes in 2:2, “long for the pure spiritual milk.” Everything else sets these two commands in the context of God’s grace and explains how we live them out. Part of growing up in the good news is loving one another and longing for more of God’s goodness.

Love One Another Earnestly

So, let’s begin with the first command in our passage. Verse 22, “love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” Love has fallen on hard times in our culture. Some reduce love to a romantic feeling—people talk of “falling in love.” Others say, “Love isn’t a feeling at all, it’s an action.” Still others view love as moral permissiveness: “you are loving insofar as you let me do what I want.”

But when the Bible talks about our love, it has something more beautiful in view. Jesus told his disciples in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” We have seen love embodied in the person of Jesus. His love isn’t moral permissiveness; he sought our good in the Lord, in things that are holy and true. Also, Jesus’ love isn’t dispassionate duty. He had a genuine affection for his disciples. More than that, his affection for our good led him to sacrifice himself to see us obtain that good.[i]

That’s the love we’re commanded to show each other. Love values what’s good in God and then makes great sacrifices to help others obtain that good. Peter says we ought to love one another earnestly. Meaning, we persevere in this love. Luke’s Gospel uses the same word when Jesus prays earnestly to the point of sweating drops of blood. Our love for each other should be enduring, willing to keep going even when others seem out of touch with all that you’ve already given.

He also says to love one another “from a pure heart.” Verse 22 develops that further: “having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth.” A few things to observe. One is how this concept of purification appears in the Old Testament. You find it in Exodus 19:10 when the people “consecrate” themselves to the Lord. It appears in Numbers 8:21 when the priest “purifies” himself ceremonially for service. The point was setting yourself apart for special service to the Lord. In that sense, it fits the idea of holiness we covered in verse 16. God is set apart; therefore, we are set apart.

That happens, he says, “by your obedience to the truth.” Notice the word “obedience” again. Last time it appeared was 1:14: “as children of obedience.” Before that, it was 1:2—God’s Spirit sanctified us “for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus.” So, this is not a purification done without help; it’s done within the graces offered by the Holy Spirit under the new covenant in Jesus.

Nevertheless, it still requires your response to the truth; and the truth in view is the truth of the gospel—the truth of which you were “ignorant” before learning about Jesus (verse 14); the truth of Jesus spilling his precious blood for us (verse 19); the truth of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (verse 3); the truth of Jesus returning with praise, glory, and honor (verse 7). That truth requires a response.

It’s like gravity. The truth of gravity requires a response, like making sure a plane has enough thrust to stay in the air (or putting on a parachute when it doesn’t). It’s like the truth of your body needing water. You can go a few days without it. But if you don’t respond by hydrating, you’re dead. Likewise, the truth about Jesus demands a response; it requires obedience. When we obey that truth of the gospel, we consecrate ourselves to the Lord for a special purpose.

The purpose he mentions in verse 22 is a “sincere brotherly love.” The word “sincere” means without hypocrisy. Our love isn’t two-faced. We’re not putting on a façade. Gospel-truth reorders things in our hearts/souls such that we have new affections for people we would’ve never dreamed of loving before. D. A. Carson once said, “the reason why Christian love [stands out]…is that it’s a display, for Jesus’ sake, of mutual love among social incompatibles.”[ii] Just look around—are these the sorts of people you were naturally inclined to love before? Friends, we’re all over the map when it comes to background, personalities, politics, possessions, preferences—yet here we are gathered as one. Which should also amaze us! Titus 3:3 says before coming to know Jesus we passed our days “being hated by others and hating one another.” But the truth of the gospel has consecrated us for a sincere brotherly love.

Don’t miss this! Purification unto God leads to love for others. Your relationship to God is never just a private matter. You can claim to have great personal devotions, memorize Scripture, pray—but without love, we’re nothing. Your relationship with Jesus must play out in love for one another. Persevering in brotherly love is a necessary mark of authentic Christianity.[iii] Learning to love is part of growing up in the gospel. Our maturity isn’t measured simply by what we confess but also by how much we love. Jesus said the world would know his disciples by their love for one another.

Does the world know this about us? What about you? Does the truth of the gospel move you to love? Are the people in this church like true family? Do you notice when they’re missing? Do you hurt when they hurt? How are you sacrificing time and energy to bind up the brokenhearted and care for the weak? Are you close enough to know needs and available enough to meet needs? Part of growing up in the good news is learning to love one another. God made you family.

But notice, too, another grace behind our love for one another. He mentioned it before in 1:4, but Peter reflects again on the new birth in verse 23? “Since you have been born again.” Love grows from the new birth. 1 John 4:7 says the same thing: “let us love one another, for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God.” We love because God is now our Father. We take after him (in holiness and in love).

But Peter tells us more. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed…” Meaning, not from human procreation. You have been born of “imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God.” God uses his word to give us new life. That word is living and abiding. Then he quotes from Isaiah 40 to help us understand: “for ‘All flesh [i.e., all humanity] is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord abides forever.’”

Isaiah was speaking hope for exiles. Israel was facing exile in Babylon. All around them were world powers in all their glory opposing God and oppressing others. Deliverance was beyond their strength. But then comes the message of hope. Isaiah 40 begins with “Comfort, comfort my people…” God would end Israel’s warfare. God would pardon Israel’s sin. He also says in 40:3, “A voice crying, ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’”

He promises a new and greater exodus deliverance. God would work again to save his people. No one and nothing would stand in the way of his glory—no valley, no mountain, no human glory. When suffering in exile, it’s easy to start believing that human powers are too great, that human obstacles are too much, that the glories of human kingdoms will never fall. It can tempt you to give up and give in: “Why bother? What use is faithfulness, if this is all that will ever be?”

But then God says, “All flesh is grass.” Those who think they’re mighty will wither like the grass. The only thing that will endure is God’s word of promise. His word alone will prevail, which means their salvation is certain.

Isaiah’s message was hope for exiles. Peter’s message is also hope for exiles—only now Peter has more to say that Isaiah. Look what he adds in verse 25: “And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” In other words, Isaiah’s prophecy about God’s greater deliverance has now arrived in the person of Jesus Christ. We saw in 1:12 that the gospel of Jesus reveals what Isaiah couldn’t fully understand.

That “voice crying in the wilderness,” you may recall, is the voice of John the Baptist who introduces Jesus in the Gospels. God has begun the new and greater deliverance through Jesus—the greater deliverance from slavery to our sins when Jesus died on the cross; the greater deliverance from death itself when Jesus rose from the dead; the greater deliverance from all oppressors when Jesus returns. All flesh will see the glory of the Lord in Jesus. No one and nothing will stand in his way.

This good news is what Peter calls an abiding word. What happens when that abiding word gives you life? How does Isaiah 40—now fulfilled in Jesus—lead us to love? I think the logic goes something like this. In our old way of life, we lived for human glory; and when you live for human glory, you don’t love other people.

Just consider the vices Peter lists in 2:1. Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander—all these are behaviors that characterize those who live for human glory, the same human glory that will perish like the grass. But you, Christian, have a different nature. Through the gospel-word, God caused you to be born again into a new way of life, a life that’s lived for God’s glory. When you live for God’s glory, relationships are restored to their proper order. Our humanity is realigned with God’s character; and since his character is love, our new life is one of love.

How instructive this is for sojourners in suffering. Our current exile will throw at us various trials; and if we’re not careful, our love will grow cold. Jesus said it himself: “because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold.” The sufferings of this present age will cause needs to arise in the church. Trials will squeeze us and expose some of the worst things inside us. Our testing will push some to the brink of giving up. The powers of darkness will sow seeds of deceit and discord.

That’s why we must work hard at loving one another earnestly. It won’t come easily in this exile. But when we love one another, the world sees what God is like. On this side of Eden, the world lacks true community. Everyone lives for human glory, and as a result the world does not know true love. But we’re born with a different seed, an imperishable seed. We have the incredible privilege of showing the world what God’s love is like. Jesus prayed this for us in John 17:23, “[Father, make them] perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Long for the Pure Spiritual Milk

We also grow up in the good news by longing for the Lord, much like babies long for milk. That brings us to the second command in our passage. 2:2, “long for the pure spiritual milk”—everything else in verses 1-3 supports the command. In fact, notice how Peter connects this section with his previous words about love. “Therefore, putting away all malice [and so on]…long for the pure spiritual milk.” Loving one another is the outworking of us longing for and feeding on God’s pure spiritual milk.

But let’s consider this more closely. For starters, notice how Peter again plays on the concept of new birth: “like newborn infants.” New longings follow a new birth. We’re not longing to become children; we’re longing as children. Like any infant, we ought to have an incessant desire to feed.

What are we longing for? Well, “milk” is the primary metaphor. He calls it “pure milk.” This word is the opposite of the word “deceit” in verse 1. This milk has a high moral quality. When you ingest this milk, it helps you grow up in a moral sense. He also calls it “spiritual milk.” In 2:5 Peter calls the church a “spiritual house.” But the word here is different in Greek. Best way I can put it—it’s the milk most suited for our growth. It’s the milk that most nurtures our new life as God’s children.

Still, what is the “milk”? Some have suggested that “milk” refers to the word of God. That was the focus of verses 23-25, “the abiding word of God.” The NASB even interprets this phrase as the “pure milk of the word.”[iv] But another possibility is that “milk” refers to the Lord himself as he reveals his goodness in salvation. Notice especially the link to verse 3: “long for the pure spiritual milk…if [or since] you have tasted that the Lord is good.” The “longing” of verse 2 is connected to the “tasting” of the Lord’s goodness in verse 3. We’ve tasted the Lord’s goodness and our soul wants more.

Either way, the meaning is similar. After all, tasting the Lord’s goodness comes as we read and meditate on his word. But if you take milk as referring to the word, be careful not to reduce Peter’s command to just “do more Bible study,” “get better at Bible reading plans.” No, Pharisees were great Bible readers; but they also didn’t know God. Peter means something far richer, far deeper. We must crave the milk of God’s goodness, because we’ve already tasted his goodness in the gospel of Jesus.

The point is that the more we nourish ourselves with God’s goodness in the gospel, the more we take after our Father’s goodness. Did you catch the purpose in verse 2? “So that by it [i.e., by feeding on the Lord’s goodness] you may grow up into salvation”—not meaning initial conversion but growing up into all that God saved you to become. The milk isn’t simply for personal communion with the Lord; it’s for your whole life to bless others with God’s goodness as well.

That’s why he mentions in verse 1 putting away these sins that disrupt relationships. Part of growing up in the good news is putting away things that work against the good news. Paul uses the same word to speak of “putting off” the old self. We put away our old way of doing things like we would put away dirty clothes.

One of the vices he lists is “malice.” Here it has to do with being mean-spirited.[v] He also mentions putting away “deceit.” Deceit has all kinds of forms. One can take advantage of others through underhanded ways. One can deny the truth about a given situation. You could exaggerate information or withhold information. You could even use truthful statements but in a way that misleads others.

Hypocrisy is another sin he lists. The desire to impress others with one thing while hiding something else. Being two-faced. Envy is “longing for what other people have.”[vi] Recall how the religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus out of envy (Matt 27:18)—they wanted the praise and glory. Slander could mean demeaning others with your speech. More narrowly, it has to do with making false statements to damage another person. The list isn’t exhaustive—it’s exemplary of the sins to put away.

Are any of these things true of you? Do you have malice? Is there any deceit in your relationships? What about hypocrisy? Are there ways that you’ve grown envious of someone else in the church? What about slander? Are you participating in slander—even by simply “Liking” or reposting someone else’s slander? Part of growing up in the good news is working to put away these vices.

But we do this not by sheer will power, not by telling ourselves, “Just get it together!” We do this by nourishing ourselves with the “milk” of the Lord’s goodness revealed in the gospel of grace. Isn’t that how he closes our section in verse 3? The context of our longing is the new birth. The purpose of our longing is moral transformation. But the cause of our longing is that we’ve already tasted the Lord’s goodness: “if/since you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

The wording recalls that of David in Psalm 34, a psalm Peter will use again in 3:10. But in Psalm 34, David experiences an exile of his own. He’s had to flee his home. He finds himself in a desperate place. He mentions fears in verse 4, shame in verse 5, troubles in verse 6, afflictions in verse 18. All things that we might experience.

But the Lord has been faithful to deliver David. David testifies: “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.”

David has experienced first-hand the Lord’s goodness in deliverance. God is good in himself. But for someone to experience God’s goodness, God must reveal that goodness. Some of his goodness we know by the things he has made. But David further experiences God’s goodness when he reveals his love through salvation. God delivered David himself. So, he calls the people to join him: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

At the same time, tasting the Lord’s goodness in Psalm 34 has an ethical result. David says, “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD… What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.” When people taste the goodness of the Lord, it transforms them into a people who follow the Lord and exhibit his goodness.

Peter gets at the same idea here, only it’s better. Did you hear that David commands the people, “Taste and see!” while Peter treats it as a done deal, “Since you have tasted.” Those two things aren’t opposed to one another. But why the change?

It all goes back to the good news of Jesus Christ. Peter will go on in verse 4 to identify the Lord of Psalm 34 with the person of Jesus. God’s goodness has been disclosed in an ultimate way through the gospel of Jesus Christ; and we have tasted the Lord’s goodness in Jesus. He has provided the ultimate deliverance from all our troubles. Our greatest problem was the sin that separated us from the Lord. But through his precious blood, he has taken it all away. Our greatest problem is behind us. The Lord has already delivered us in the greatest way; and if he did not spare his only Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things?

If you’re a Christian, you’ve tasted the Lord’s goodness in the gospel. “Tasted”—it’s more than just head knowledge. His goodness is something we experience. I remember my first bout with COVID several years ago. Lost my taste for weeks. That’s the first time it dawned on me—eating isn’t just functional, it’s enjoyable. All kinds of synapses are firing and helping you love what you’re experiencing. In a similar way, those who’ve believed the good news about Jesus have tasted the Lord’s goodness.

What about you? Have you tasted the Lord’s goodness in the gospel of grace? If so, Peter says to keep longing for that milk of God’s goodness in the gospel. Feed on his goodness in the gospel, so that by it you may grow up. One reason Christians stop growing is that they’ve gone to other types of food. They start feeding on things that are impure and which aren’t suitable for Christian growth. Or they resort to starving. Sure, there may be lots they’re involved with, lots they’re committed to. But amidst it all, their soul languishes because it’s lacking the pure milk of God’s goodness.

Brothers and sisters, in what ways have you grown up as a Christian since the last time we gathered? In what ways have you grown in love within the last month? Could those closest to you describe ways they’ve seen you mature in the Christian life? Christian, your spiritual growth isn’t optional. But the way you grow up is by longing for and feeding on the Lord’s goodness in the gospel.

Many of you know Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan is King of the wood. There’s a scene in Prince Caspian. Lucy is much older since last seeing Aslan. But upon meeting him again, she says, “Aslan. Dear Aslan…At last.” The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face. “Welcome, child,” he said. “Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.” “That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. “Not because you are?” she asked. “I am not,” he said, “But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

Usually, when children grow up things get smaller. Their bodies no longer fit in the swing outside. Their beds feel like they shrink. But that’s not what happens with Lucy before Aslan. The more Lucy grows up the bigger she realizes that Aslan has been all along. “Every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

That’s like growing up in the good news. Every year you grow, you will find the Lord’s goodness even greater. There’s more of his goodness to be had, beloved. Long for the milk of God’s goodness.

________

[i] Mark 10:45; Rom 12:10; 1 Cor 9:19-23; 10:31-11:1; 13:4-7; 1 John 3:16; 2 Cor 8:9; 12:15.

[ii] D. A. Carson, Love in Hard Places (Wheaton: Crossway, 2002), 61.

[iii] Rom 12:10; 1 Thess 4:9; 1 Pet 1:22; 3:8; 2 Pet 1:7; 1 John 3:16-17; 4:7, 20.

[iv] There may also be a play on words between 1:23, “the abiding word [logos],” and logikov in 2:2.

[v] BDAG.

[vi] I. Howard Marshall, 1 Peter (Downers Grove: IVP, 1991), 62.