Moving on to 1 Peter 2:2, my Douay-Rheims Bible reads:

As newborn babies, desire the rational milk without guile, that thereby you may grow unto salvation.

Here are three of the most common Protestant translations:

New International Version (NIV): "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."

English Standard Version (ESV): "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

"King James Version (KJV): "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:"

In a Protestant-based Greek text analysis the English translation is "in respect to your salvation."

The Catholic one indicates that salvation is a process that you work towards whereas Protestants see it as something already achieved and that you mature in.

What's fascinating to me is that the KJV leaves out the word "salvation" completely. Typically I have found that the KJV and Douay-Rheims are very similar in wording, often word-for-word.

But, I found it interesting that the Greek text analysis I looked up translated it in a more Protestant flavor. So, I broke down the words. Granted, I am FAR FAR from being a Greek language scholar, but it's still fun to explore.

This is from the Blue Letter Bible Greek text analysis:

αὐξηθῆτε (pronounced awks-ay-thay-tay) is a Koine Greek verb meaning "you might grow" or "you may increase". It is a second-person plural, aorist passive subjunctive form of the verb auxanō (αὐξάνω).

Poly translate Ancient Greek translator translates the word to "be increased."

The next word is the one the Blue Letter Bible translates to "in respect to."

Bill Mounce translates it: Εἰς is a common Ancient Greek preposition meaning "into," "to," or "towards" (indicating movement or direction). It is used to express direction of place, limits of time, or figurative purpose.

The Ancient Greek translator translates it to "into"

This has me not liking the Protestant translation of "in respect to" because it changes the flavor of the word. Kind of like how:

"I'm going to the store"
"I'm going into the store"
"I'm going towards the store"
"I'm heading in the direction in respect to the store"
"I'm going within the store"

All have similar but subtly different meanings.

εἰς appears to be a simple preposition that doesn't require and acrobatic translation to flower up the verse or manipulate the reader towards an interpretation.

Lastly, Bill Mounce translates: σωτηρίαν
salvation, rescue, deliverance, the state of not being in grave danger and so being safe; this can refer to ordinary dangers and conditions on earth, but it usually refers to the state of believers being safe from righteous wrath in a proper relationship with God.

Other translation sources follow the "salvation, rescue, deliverance" translation.

This is, apparently, the original verse in Greek:

ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη τὸ λογικὸν ἄδολον γάλα ἐπιποθήσατε, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ αὐξηθῆτε εἰς σωτηρίαν,

So, the word salvation is there. (Take that KJV Bible).

A basic translation would be "increase into salvation." They get the "may increase" from the grammatical tense of the word αὐξηθῆτε.

If I am growing into something, that means I haven't quite gotten there, yet. But, it could also mean that I have it in my possession, but I can't fully utilize it, yet. That's the difference between growing into adulthood and growing into a pair of pants. So, which one is it?

Looking back into the text, it uses words like milk and newborn. To me that suggests growing into as into adulthood, something that isn't reached yet, as opposed to something already in my possession, but I just don't fit into it, yet.

The grammatical use of αὐξηθῆτε, which even the Protestant translations say "may grow" or "might increase" suggests to me that it isn't something already in our possession because not everyone gets there. Whereas the Protestant translation suggests that one already has salvation, but not everyone grows from it but stays a "baby Christian."

I don't know about you, but I see the Catholic point of view more clearly in the Greek Text.