First Mennonite Church
April, 26, 2026
Newborn Babies Craving the Spiritual Pure Milk
Text: 1 Peter 2:2-10
There are indications that the letter of First Peter was used for baptismal services during the early Christian period. The topics and the commands in Peter’s first letter seem to indicate it was addressing new converts at the time of their baptism. But the scope of counsel and directives Peter’s letter gives, are not only for new converts, but for all believers, regardless of how long they have been members in the household of God.
In our passage this morning, the apostle calls the new believers “new born babies,” to whom he commands to “crave for the pure spiritual milk.” It is clear that Peter recognizes there is an entry point into the household of God as there is in any family. A family begins with the birth of children. And as we saw last week, that “God, in his mercy, has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Every believer must have experienced the new birth. That is how we enter into God’s family.
When someone is reborn of the Spirit, as Jesus told Nicodemus, the person discovers a new way of life, begins to see the world from a different perspective, and realizes that there is more he or she needs to learn about their new life. The person discovers there is a whole lot to learn. Growing in the new life becomes an exciting goal.
This is where Peter’s command enters the picture. The spiritual baby must be nourished for his or her strengthening and growth. And as we know, in the real case of babies, they do not hesitate to make their needs known. When the baby is hungry, they instinctively cry until they get fed. They crave for food. That is why Peter not only encourages new believers to seek spiritual nourishment, but commands them to crave for it—that is to desperately desire to be nourished spiritually.
Last week, I got a phone call from area code in WA. Whether the caller lives in that area or not, he simply said that lives in southern CA. However, his question to me was: what are the requirements for someone to get baptizes in the Mennonite Church? He told me he and his wife have been reading the Gospels and feel they should get baptized “as a sign of the inner change.” I told him that according to Jesus’ command when he commissioned his disciples, they should go and make disciples of all nations, and to baptize those who receive their message; they are also to teach them all things he had taught them.” “So,” I told him, “Baptism should take place within the context of a community, where you will continue to learn and to grow in the Lord. Therefore, seek a local congregation where you live so that you and your family can grow spiritually and serve the Lord. Because baptism is more than an outer sign of an internal spiritual experience. Baptism indicates your commitment to continue to learn and to follow the Lord.”
Spiritually speaking, the new born babies, Peter talks about, are not born out in the elements, they are born within the household of God—the Christian community, the church. Therefore, the birth of these new born babies put a great responsibility on those who are mature in the church. For those of us who are mature in the faith, for those of us who have been here for a long time, we have an obligation to see that the babies in the faith get nourished spiritually. We have the task to teach them about the God’s word. We need to model God’s love, forgiveness, call to godliness. We need to show them how to serve in the name of Christ; we need to teach them the language of the kingdom of God. We all have the obligation to see that these babies grow and are formed into the likeness, not of us, but of Christ. We should make every effort to see every new believer develops and matures in the Lord.
How long have you been in God’s household? Do you continue craving for the spiritual milk? How are you involved in providing care and nurture to those who are new in the faith?
Since the apostolic times, there have been some who come to the Lord but do not grow spiritually nor mature in their relationship with the Lord. As the apostle Paul told the Corinthians. He had to give them milk because they still could not handle solid food, he told them. These might be what Jesus talked about in the Parable of the Sower. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and although the seed sprouted, its root did not develop and the little plant died (Matthew 13:5, 6). But those who stay and continue in the house of God, they not only keep seeking to be nurtured, but they also become active in the household of God, serving and providing care for others. Again, these are the seed that fell on good ground and produced abundantly.
The case is that in every age and in every congregation, there are some who treat their new life in Christ as a binding contract which they believe will guarantee them eternal life. The truth is, we cannot consider our confession of faith and baptism as irrevocable guarantees into the household of God. We cannot take God’s salvation for granted. We should heed the word of encouragement the Apostle Paul gave the Philippians, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (2:12).
Here, the apostle Peter cautioned his first readers and readers of all times, that we are merely beginners in the life-long journey of discipleship. They, and we, need to deepen our sense of what it means to belong to this new family. We need to learn from the word of God to shape and guide the life of faith. In the household of God, we need to learn the way of faithfulness to the Lord. And we achieve these goals by nourishing our souls and minds with the word of God.
Peter’s command is that we crave for the pure spiritual milk. Yet, we also know by experience that it does not matter if we eat a delicious meal or even gorge ourselves at a sitting, we will need to eat again. That is also true about spiritual nourishment. We cannot eat just from time to time and think it is enough; we need to constantly get nourished. In this regard, the worship service, Sunday school, and Bible study times provide ongoing opportunities to nourish ourselves with the spiritual milk.
That is why throughout the New Testament, believers were exhorted to continually gather to be spiritually nourished (1Corinthians 14:26; Colossians 3; Hebrews 10:25). Hebrews points out to a common danger there is: the “habit of failing to meet in worship.”
Craving for spiritual nourishment will only be felt when we have tasted the goodness of the Lord.
When we commune with God in prayer, meditation, or worship, we get to taste the sweetness of God’s goodness. When we experience God’s reassurance and comfort through his word, we can say with the Psalmist, “Your word, oh Lord, is sweeter than the honey dripping from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). It is when we taste the goodness of the Lord that we begin to craving for his word.
So, I invite you to take time to read, to study, to meditate, and to memorize God’s word. Scripture memorization is a dying discipline. Let us revive this discipline and we will not only feed our souls and mind with the word of God but we will also be exercising our brain. We all desire to have a healthy brain; so, read a verse or two, three times, and try repeating it by heart. Feed your soul, mind and heart with the word of the Lord. Crave for the pure and undefiled spiritual milk.
Let me close with Peter’s instruction, once more: Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. Amen!
Pastor Romero