Born Again by the Word of God

“For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”  1 Peter 1:23

Our rebirth into the family of God is quite unlike our natural birth. All human birth, and indeed, due to the universal curse placed on all creation (Rom. 8:20-22) at the time of Adam’s rebellion (Gen. 3), all plant (1 Peter. 1:24) and animal reproduction as well, is “of seed which is perishable,” withering and dying.

Our spirits, however, if we have availed ourselves of God’s free offer of eternal life through the death of His dear Son, have been reborn of “imperishable” seed, not subject to decay or death. The agent which brought about this transformation is the imperishable “But the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

This “word” is modified by two descriptors, both of which are emphatic in the Greek. First, it lives; i.e., it actually possesses life. His sacrificial death yields our eternal life. Note the precious truth, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20). Secondly, the Word of God endures forever. There are two emphases here: One is on the quality of the Word; i.e., it will never change or lose its relevance. The other is on the self-perpetuating nature of the Word. It so consists of life that it is able to give life.

“This is the word which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:25), by which we are born again to incorruptibility and immorality. “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4).