What a blessing it is to have the Word of God in our lives.  Paul reminded the Jews of such in Romans 3.  After telling them that they were sinners, just like the Gentiles were (Romans 2), he anticipated that they would ask, “Then what advantage has the Jew” (Romans 3:1).  Paul was always prepared to give an answer.  “Much every way,” he said (Romans 3:2).  Now, notice the primary reason Paul states for their advantage.  He said, “To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

The great advantage the Jews had over the Gentiles in Paul’s day was that they had access to God’s Word.  That is still a great advantage for the people of God today.  By having such unrestricted access to the Word of God, we can study it, meditate upon it, and grow spiritually on a regular basis.

If we spend time in the Word, we will grow stronger in Christ all the time.  Peter said, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).  Notice a couple of things here.

First, we must desire the Word of God.  I like the ESV translation here because it reveals the strength of the desire that we should have for God’s Word.  It is not a casual desire that we can take or leave…it is craving.  The word for “long for” here is the same word that Paul used when he spoke of the Christian’s desire for the glorified body that he will have in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:2).

Is heaven, and the glorious body we will have there, something we can take or leave?  Of course not.  Our lives are built around pleasing God and going to heaven.  It is the strongest of cravings.  The illustration that Peter gives is that of a baby yearning for milk.  When a baby wants his milk, what will satisfy him other than the milk that he craves?  The answer is nothing,  and nothing should be able to take the place of the Word of God in our lives either.

Second, Peter writes about, not only growing, but growing into salvation.  Salvation is the end of growing in Christ.  A Christian, who is growing and getting stronger spiritually, knows that he is on the right track toward heaven.  Are you growing spiritually?  That is a very important question.  We should all be stronger now than when we first obeyed the gospel.

Do not just answer this question about spiritual growth without consideration.  It is easy to overlook our flaws, and even ignore them when we are growing weak spiritually.  The Christians at Laodicea were convinced that they were in great shape spiritually, but Jesus told them that they were, “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.”  They really missed on their self-analysis, didn’t they?”  We can do the same thing if we do not examine ourselves truthfully.

Are you growing in Christ?  I can almost guarantee that if you do not desire the Word to the point where you are studying it regularly, you are not growing. If that is the case, you should purpose in your heart to study God’s Word more often.  It will give you an advantage in your striving for salvation.  There are not too  many things that we have access to that can help us grow as much as the Word of God.  Remember, faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

The value and importance of spiritual growth cannot be overestimated.  It does not happen by accident.  We must put forth maximum effort to increase in faith and grow in Christ consistently.  What is your spiritual trajectory? I pray that we do not allow ourselves to be stagnant, but instead, continue to “grow up into salvation” so that we can enjoy heaven together after a while.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.