What Does it mean to Grow in Faith?
Scripture instructs us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." This is a command that we are to obey (2 Peter 3:18). This growth entails spiritual development and an increase in one's level of faith.
When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior, we undergo a spiritual rebirth and are adopted into the family of God. But in the same way that a brand-new infant has to consume nourishing breast milk in order to grow and develop properly, a brand-new Christian similarly needs to consume spiritual nourishment in order to mature. "Like newborn babies, seek pure spiritual milk, so that through it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." "Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good, like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk" (1 Peter 2:2-3). In the New Testament, milk serves as a metaphor for the essential elements that comprise the Christian way of life.
But when a baby gets older, its diet shifts to incorporate solid foods as well as liquid ones. Read the following admonition that the author of Hebrews gave to the Christian community and keep this in mind while you do so: "In point of fact, despite the fact that by this time you ought to be instructors, you need someone to teach you the fundamental principles of God's word all over again. You can't survive on solid food; you need milk! Anyone who is still an infant and subsists on milk is not familiar with the teaching about what constitutes righteous behavior. But solid food is for the mature, who through repeated practice have learned themselves to differentiate between what is good and what is bad (Hebrews 5:12-14). Paul observed the same difficulty with the believers in Corinth; they had not matured in their faith, and he could only offer them "milk" since they were not ready for solid food. The problem Paul identified was that the believers in Corinth had not grown in their faith (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
The comparison between the development of a human infant and that of a spiritual baby is no longer valid once it is understood how each baby grows up. A human infant is nurtured by his or her parents by feeding, and development occurs normally. But a new Christian will only develop to the extent that he deliberately studies and obeys the Word of God and applies it to his life in some way. It is up to him to mature. There are some Christians who have been saved for a significant amount of time, but spiritually speaking, they are still quite young. They are not capable of comprehending the profound realities that are revealed in God's Word.
What kinds of foods are appropriate for a Christian to eat? The Holy Scriptures of God! The Bible is a source of spiritual nourishment for Christians since it contains the truth. Peter stated in his writing that by our (increasing) knowledge of God, we have been given everything that is necessary for life. It is important that you carefully read 2 Peter chapter one verse three through eleven, in which Peter outlines the personal characteristics that must be added to the beginning point of our faith in order for maturity to take place and for a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior, we undergo a spiritual rebirth and are adopted into the family of God. But in the same way that a brand-new infant has to consume nourishing breast milk in order to grow and develop properly, a brand-new Christian similarly needs to consume spiritual nourishment in order to mature. "Like newborn babies, seek pure spiritual milk, so that through it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." "Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good, like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk" (1 Peter 2:2-3). In the New Testament, milk serves as a metaphor for the essential elements that comprise the Christian way of life.
But when a baby gets older, its diet shifts to incorporate solid foods as well as liquid ones. Read the following admonition that the author of Hebrews gave to the Christian community and keep this in mind while you do so: "In point of fact, despite the fact that by this time you ought to be instructors, you need someone to teach you the fundamental principles of God's word all over again. You can't survive on solid food; you need milk! Anyone who is still an infant and subsists on milk is not familiar with the teaching about what constitutes righteous behavior. But solid food is for the mature, who through repeated practice have learned themselves to differentiate between what is good and what is bad (Hebrews 5:12-14). Paul observed the same difficulty with the believers in Corinth; they had not matured in their faith, and he could only offer them "milk" since they were not ready for solid food. The problem Paul identified was that the believers in Corinth had not grown in their faith (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
The comparison between the development of a human infant and that of a spiritual baby is no longer valid once it is understood how each baby grows up. A human infant is nurtured by his or her parents by feeding, and development occurs normally. But a new Christian will only develop to the extent that he deliberately studies and obeys the Word of God and applies it to his life in some way. It is up to him to mature. There are some Christians who have been saved for a significant amount of time, but spiritually speaking, they are still quite young. They are not capable of comprehending the profound realities that are revealed in God's Word.
What kinds of foods are appropriate for a Christian to eat? The Holy Scriptures of God! The Bible is a source of spiritual nourishment for Christians since it contains the truth. Peter stated in his writing that by our (increasing) knowledge of God, we have been given everything that is necessary for life. It is important that you carefully read 2 Peter chapter one verse three through eleven, in which Peter outlines the personal characteristics that must be added to the beginning point of our faith in order for maturity to take place and for a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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