At its single New Testament appearance, ἄδολον modifies “milk,” portraying the Word of God as absolutely pure, undiluted, and trustworthy sustenance for believers. The image draws on the natural appetite of an infant, whose growth depends on milk untainted by additives or contaminants. In this way the apostle Peter underscores that spiritual maturity is impossible apart from Scripture received in its original integrity.

Scriptural Usage

1 Peter 2:2 exhorts: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” The surrounding context (1 Peter 1:22–2:3) contrasts this purity with “all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.” The believer who has been “born again… through the living and enduring word of God” must now be nourished by that same Word, uncontaminated by the errors, philosophies, and attitudes that characterized the old life.

Theological Implications

1. Sufficiency of Scripture. Pure milk needs no supplementation. The verse champions the adequacy of the Word for growth (see 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Acts 20:32).
2. Sanctification. The call to “crave” the Word links desire with holiness. An appetite for pure doctrine stands opposed to deceitful, corrupting influences (James 1:21; Ephesians 4:22–24).
3. New Birth and Growth. Spiritual life originates and matures through the same source—God’s incorruptible Word (John 3:3–6; John 17:17).

Historical Background

Early church writers picked up Peter’s metaphor. Clement of Alexandria urged believers to “drink the milk of the Word” free from “human tradition.” The fourth-century Cappadocians treated baptismal catechesis as placing newborn Christians at the breasts of Scripture. Throughout church history, reform movements—from the monastic renewal of Bernard of Clairvaux to the Protestant Reformation—have appealed to this verse when calling God’s people back to unadulterated biblical teaching.

Pastoral and Devotional Applications

• Personal Discipleship: Regular, prayerful reading of Scripture should be approached with expectancy, as infants instinctively long for milk (Psalm 119:97).
• Teaching Ministry: Preachers and teachers are warned against mixing the gospel with human ideology or cultural fads (2 Corinthians 2:17).
• Corporate Worship: Liturgical readings, expository sermons, and Scripture-saturated hymns serve to present the congregation with pure milk.
• Spiritual Discernment: Believers measure every doctrine or prophetic claim against the “pure milk” standard (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1).

Cross-References to the Theme of “Without Deceit”

Psalm 32:2; Proverbs 12:22; Isaiah 53:9; John 1:47; Revelation 14:5. Though using different vocabulary, each passage commends a life and message free from duplicity, reinforcing the pattern modeled in Christ and expected of His followers.

Christological Connections

Jesus Christ embodies the purity Peter commands. His teaching is “grace and truth” (John 1:14). His character is “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). As the Living Word, He guarantees the reliability of the written Word. Receiving Scripture in its ἄδολον quality therefore means ultimately receiving Christ Himself.

Summary

ἄδολον captures the uncompromised nature of God’s Word and the believer’s need to receive it unpolluted. Peter’s lone but weighty usage forms a nexus between new birth, ongoing growth, and ultimate salvation. The term challenges every generation of the church to guard the purity of doctrine, cultivate an eager appetite for Scripture, and embody lives free from deceit.