August 31
1 Peter 2: 1: Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile,
and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2: As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3: If so be ye
have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Newborn believers are spiritual babies. But whether we are a newborn believer or have
been in the faith many years, this passage applies.
First, lay aside everything of the flesh:
malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speakings. These things are of the flesh and will not
profit. This is all we were before we
were born of God. Now, we are to lay aside these things.
Secondly, desire the word of God as a
newborn baby desires the milk. It is by
the word of God that the Holy Spirit will grow us in spirit and in truth. Believers receive many questions from unbelievers
when others hear that we have confessed faith in Christ. Give yourself to
reading the word, to listening to the gospel preached and to asking God for wisdom.
An understanding of the word is the only way you can properly answer anyone.
All men are fools in the natural born condition but in their eyes they are wise.
They think you have been duped. Therefore the Lord says, “Answer not a fool
according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool
according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” (Pro 26: 4-5) Answer
not an unbeliever in a worldly, fleshly spirit with worldly, fleshly answers or
you will be like the fool. But answer the fool by the scriptures because if
left in his folly he will be wise in his own conceit. Yet, remember, sometimes
the best answer is no answer at all.
These things we will do if we have truly
tasted that the Lord is gracious. Once,
we have a taste for the grace of God then we have a bad taste for those things
we once loved.