GROWING INTO SALVATION | Part 1

1 PETER 2:2 – Desire the spiritual milk of the Word, like newborn babies, so that by it you may grow and attain salvation.

According to this verse, once a Christian has forsaken their old life to believe in and follow the Lord, each individual must strive to grow spiritually to receive salvation. This is because, upon accepting the Lord and being transformed (born again), the Christian is considered to have entered a new life and is regarded as an infant in the faith. This rebirth depends on each individual’s decision; it does not occur automatically when one prays to accept the Lord, nor does it happen on a fixed schedule. However, once reborn, Christians must mature to attain salvation.

Before delving further into the meaning of this verse, we can use a questioning approach to gain a clearer perspective. If a Christian fails to grow spiritually after praying to accept the Lord, are they still saved? If they were, spiritual growth would be unnecessary, and this verse would be meaningless in Scripture. Would the Holy Spirit ever inspire the writing of any part of the Bible—even a single verse—in vain? God is the God of wisdom; would He ever do anything in vain—even something seemingly insignificant? If this passage represents the truth—a command Christians must obey—then why is spiritual growth so crucial, to the point that it is linked to eternal life? What, then, of the principle frequently preached in churches: “Believe and be saved”? Does the Word of God contradict itself?

First, let us examine the meaning of God’s Word in this passage, and then reflect on the principle of “Believe and be saved” later. Christians need to mature spiritually because remaining in a state of spiritual infancy makes us vulnerable to being led astray by the devil and the world—diverting us from the path God ordained (Ephesians 4:14; Proverbs 14:12, 16:25), the very path Jesus Christ opened for us through His death on the cross (Hebrews 10:20; John 14:6). History and real-life experience provide many examples of Christians being led astray due to a lack of maturity in their faith. The devil’s scheme is not to demand that Christians renounce the Lord, but rather to lure them onto a path that appears right. Many Christians believe that such actions constitute following or serving the Lord, yet the end of that path is destruction rather than eternal salvation. A prime example is serving God through mere outward forms, numerical metrics, or charitable activities, devoid of a sincere heart and the accompanying Truth (John 4:23–24).

Recognizing the danger of remaining spiritual infants, do we—as Christians—desire to mature? Or do we prefer to be lulled into continuing along a path that seems right?