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Two Epistles of PETER



"...as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may  grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." (vs2-3)

So, if we are to live holy lives, what is the foundation for the new  life? What is the energy? Yes, we may "dig deep" and find the Holy  Spirit residing, but is "the Spirit" -enough-? If a runner in the race  hasn't loaded up with "carbs" ahead of the race, digging deep isn't  going to matter much. If there hasn't been an intake of food, the runner  might dig deep, but the body is simply going to "poop out". A car  running out of fuel, it doesn't matter how big the engine is, it is  going to 'die' in the middle of the race track.

What is the Christian's food?

"Your Words were found, and I ate them; and Your Word was to me the joy  and rejoicing of my heart;" (Jer15:16)  "I have treasured the Words of  His mouth more than my prescribed food." (Job23:12b)

But when a person is first born what form do they comprise?  People are  born as babies. And what do babies eat? Well, they don't. They drink  milk. They are not yet capable of eating solid food. Their digestive  systems have not yet developed sufficiently.

So... baby gets hungry and starts squalling, whimpering or crying. As  its mouth is brought to the source of the milk, it begins to suckle, and  those sounds of complaint turn into contented sounds of cooing and  satisfied grunts. In order not to potentially offend anybody with this  next bit, lets talk about animals. A kitten is next to its particularly  furry mother, the little paws do some kneading, which also parts the  excessive fur away, and it is able to find what it's looking for.

In order to access the milk, the encumbrances must be peeled away. Just  as fur or clothing is "laid aside" for babies; in the Christian life the  barriers of malice, deceit, hypocrisy and everything 'evil' must be  removed. (vs1) Sin resulted in humanity wearing clothes. Even though it  is a societal necessity, clothing in a very real sense, is a reminder  and symbol of sin. In order for baby to get food, that symbol of sin  must be taken away.

It is the same thing with God's Word. If a person is harboring sin,  intimate fellowship with God, through the Word, is not possible. How  does the darkness of an evil heart possibly receive the Light of God's  Word? The two don't mix. It's impossible to nurse on milk when  obstructions are in the way.

Also, notice Peter speaks of the "pure Word" (vs2)

I really get disgusted with the 'authorities' who pontificate from the  ivory towers of government what is "good for us" in terms of medicine  and health practices. Milk is not good for us; then suddenly a "new  study" shows that milk -is- good for us. People shouldn't drink wine; a  "study" -now- shows that red wine is good for the heart. Take all these  X, Y, Z drugs for A, B, C ailments; oh wait! Take them all off the  shelves! Some people have been dying from side effects. As this is being  written... People should watch their weight because obesity has so many  countless harmful effects. Wait! Somebody has just come out with a study  suggesting that a little extra weight can actually have some beneficial  effects. So, which is it??

When I was a youngster I seem to recall that no American mom (as I was  growing up in Japan) ever breast-fed their babies. The 'gods' of  medicine proclaimed that mamma's milk was "bad" for baby. (Although, it  was impossible in our rural area to miss the fact that Japanese mothers  fed their babies the way God designed it) Now, in recent years... Ooooh,  the benefits of breast feeding baby. It will reduce the chances of  allergies, will increase heart health, strengthen the overall immune  system, and all sorts of other wonderful benefits.

Did mamma's milk suddenly -change- from being "bad" to "good"? All those  years had God created a flawed feeding system for baby?
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But what do we see in Christendom? Rather than feeding on the "pure milk  of [God's] Word", the young in the Lord are fed "formula" and other  concoctions. Instead of the -pure- Word, they are fed the -writings- of  this famous person, that "church father", this other notable scholar,  the consensus of "church history", "edicts" and "diets" (e.g. "Diet of  Worms" Oh, how yummily appropriate!!! Although I don't suppose Martin  Luther appreciated the pun!)  To them the Bible must agree with  "creeds", otherwise it is changed. To be a preacher worth his salt, he  must have countless books of commentary on his library shelves. And if  questioned, must know how to properly regurgitate the swill of Nimrod's  Babylonish traditional barf food.

When a person becomes a 'scholar', they become filled with man's wisdom.  But man's wisdom is "foolishness with God" (1Co3:19) But when a person  feeds on God's "pure" Word, we find that its "taste" is "good" (vs3)

"The Words of Jehovah are pure Words, like silver tried in a furnace of  earth, purified seven times." (Ps12:6)

"Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust  in Him." (Pr30:5)

And what results from feeding? Growth. And with growth? Strength.

While running the race and 'digging deep', yes, we found the Holy Spirit  who resides. But 'how' did we have the strength to even 'dig'? God's  Word.

"...man does not live by bread alone; but man lives by every Word that  proceeds from the mouth of Jehovah" (De8:3, Mt4:4)

You see... this is the #1 flaw of charismania. They lay aside God's Word  in favor of "spirit". Like that meeting I read about some years ago,  where a congregation had been "worshiping", becoming 'high in the  spirit'...whereupon the pastor abdicated his God-given duty to "preach  the Word" (2Ti4:2), and announced words something like: We won't have  the Word tonight, we've had the spirit. But without the Word, how do  they know -which- spirit they are of? We are told to "test the spirits"  and to "not believe every spirit". Not all spirits are from God.  (1Jn4:1) What is the ruler against which we measure to ascertain where  any spirit (of the moment) is from? God's Word. How do we know if that  momentary spirit is proclaiming an "other gospel" (which is  accursed)(Ga1:8-9), unless we have the -standard- that HAS BEEN PREACHED  and HAS BEEN RECEIVED? How do we know what has already been given "once  for all"? (Ju1:3)  It's been recorded. It has been written down. Thus,  when a strange spirit starts spewing forth some strange things, how does  God's child recognize immediately whether that utterance is from God's  Holy Spirit, or not?  By -knowing- God's Word. How does one know God's  Word? By feeding.

How does a young man know how to stay away from evil and keep a  "cleansed" way? "By taking heed according to Your Word" (Ps119:9)

So... it starts out with milk; and then with maturity, growth and  strength, the building progresses to stones. (vs4-5) Something that is  solid and is not easily moved.

Indeed, the apostasy likes to be "spirit-filled", which wafts around in  the breeze; and they get tossed around, to and fro, by "every wind of  doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful  plotting" (Eph4:14)

But if we are in Christ, Jesus is the "living stone". He is the  Foundation. (1Co3:11) Sinful man rejected Him, but He was "chosen by  God" (vs4) And as we are Christ's "Church"... well, we often say that  the Church of Jesus Christ is not that 'building', with the sign out  front, and padded pews inside. But in fact, the Church -is- a Building.  A building of "living stones" that is being built up "a spiritual house"  (vs5)

And here we have another Jewish picture. A "holy priesthood" and  "spiritual sacrifices". In the OT when animals were offered up, they did  so, typically, on stones. Thus, if the Believer -is- a "living stone"  with which the Church is being built, the Believer is two things: both  the building and the altar.
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The building was the "house" representing God's presence, where God  placed His name, to dwell. (1Ki8:27, De12:5,11, 1Ki5:5) Thus, the  Believer experiences the -glory- of God's indwelling presence through  the Holy Spirit. (Rom8:9)

But also, the stone was the "altar". (Ex20:25) If we experience God's  glory, we also must be a living sacrifice...

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you  present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which  is your reasonable service." (Rom12:1)

Now... something built of stone can be both a shelter as well as an  obstacle. It can be a support or an obstruction. It can be a place of  refuge or an object for shame.  And these perspectives are based on  either Faith or Disobedience.

To the one placing their Faith and Trust in Jesus Christ, the "chief  cornerstone" (vs6), the building is precious. God "elected" Israel, and  those who were obedient received blessing. They have no cause for shame.

But the same rock that supports the person walking in the light (next  lesson vs9), if a person is in darkness they cannot see the stone, and  they stumble.

When Israel was in rebellion God sent Jeremiah to be a "wall of bronze"  (Jer15:20) Yes: different materials (different passage and events) but  the same concept. A wall against which the person in darkness butts up  against, and since they are in darkness, they cannot see to get up 'on'  it for support, or 'in' it for shelter.

Such a person "stumbles". Why? Being disobedient "to the Word" (vs8 )

The apostasy has been throwing away God's Word for ages. If they  couldn't explain it away with consensus of the dialectic, they changed  the words themselves with perverted translations. They eventually wrote  songs, "Walls come down, walls come down"  That is... "walls" of  "doctrine". That's what the Bible is: Doctrine. Let's not have the  Bible, we'll have spirit.

But what is the standard against which obedience or disobedience is  gauged? The Bible. The Holy Scriptures (Rom1:2, 2Tim3:15); God's Word.  There is a saying, "When all else fails, read the instructions"  Thus,  if those in darkness refuse to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, what is the  outcome? Failure. Disobedience. And the payment for disobedience is  death. That Stone that is the Church's foundation; instead to the  unbeliever:

"...on whomever it falls, it will crush him to pieces." (Mt21:44)