Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 15

 We as Children of God are Called to be Holy Part 6

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle Peter goes on from our steadfast and fervent love for all of our true brothers and sisters 'in Christ' to the origin of this love for people we never knew in this life (as the Apostle Paul went from one day chasing down Christians to kill them to the day after being saved by Christ Jesus our Lord to pursuing them to be with them and love them with a holy love 😍) and that would be the new life imparted to us and now abides in us through our hearing the Gospel of Christ and receiving salvation from Christ, that is, receiving Christ Himself. The Apostle Peter declares it to us with these words, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 James 1:23) (KJV). The entire theme of this first (1st) Chapter of Peter's epistle is the reminding those scattered Jewish believers in our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ as well as we true believers today and all true believers of every era and generation since the Cross ➕ of Christ that our salvation our new life is a result of the Supernatural work of God the Holy Spirit in our inner man 👨 and inner woman 👩 that has made us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) on the earth 🌎. The Apostle James said the same thing writing to the same scattered and persecuted Jewish believers 'in Christ' with these words, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:16-18) (NKJV). What we see then, is that true salvation 'in Christ' is not some mere decision that some person makes in a service or ceremony or any other man made event, but instead of this it is the miraculous work of God that brings down heaven into man 👨 and woman 👩 and causes us to have new thoughts which brings about new desires which produces a new life that now can please God the Father because we have become His adopted sons and daughters, let us remember continually these words written to the believers in Rome by the Apostle Paul, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin." (Romans 6:1-7) (NKJV). Our new life 'in Christ' is lived in us and through us by the Power of the Holy Spirit, but He will not live out this incorruptible seed as the Apostle Peter says above without our free cooperation and when we are unwilling to cooperate with God the Holy Spirit and with the Word of Truth, then we allow our old man 👨 or old woman 👩 to live out the only thing that it produces and that is corruption. We must stay in the Word of God and stay away from people (whether spiritual or religious) who have no personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ no matter their former affiliation to us i.e. relatives, childhood friends, church members, former work associates, club members, neighbors, or any such persons who would be an influence upon us for evil 😈 and not for good, as the Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers with these words, "Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits.' Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame." (1 Corinthians 15:33-34) (NKJV). As the Apostle James stated above, we are now 'a kind of firstfruits of His creatures' and because we are new creatures 'in Christ' we must work out this new life that  Christ has worked in us through the Gospel by virtue of our surrender to Him, as our Lord Jesus said to us with these words, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5) (NKJV). Let us remember these words written by the Apostle Paul which attest to every word declared above by our Lord Jesus Christ first (1st), "I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me." (Galatians 2:20) (NKJV) and second (2nd) these words, "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27) (NKJV). To be a Christian means simply but supernaturally that Jesus Christ has come into any sinner and given each one of us a new nature (being born again of incorruptible seed) by which we can now love 😍 Him and obey Him when we yield and surrender to Him and His working in us through God the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Here is what Albert Barnes said of 1 Peter 1:23, "'Not by virtue of any descent from human parents' - Doddridge. The result of such a birth, or of being begotten in this way - for so the word rendered 'born again' more properly signifies - is only corruption and decay. We are begotten only to die. There is no permanent, enduring life produced by that. It is in this sense that this is spoken of as, 'corruptible seed,' because it results in decay and death. The word here rendered 'seed' - σπορά spora - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. By truth, communicating a living principle to the soul which can never decay. Compare 1 John 3:9; 'His seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.' 'Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures.' It is the uniform doctrine of the Scriptures that divine truth is made the instrument of quickening the soul into spiritual life. This expression may either refer to God, as living forever, or to the Word of God, as being forever true. Critics are about equally divided in the interpretation. The Greek will bear either construction. Most of the recent critics incline to the latter opinion - that it refers to the Word of God, or to His doctrine. So Rosenmuller, Doddridge, Bloomfield, Wolf, Macknight, Clarke. It seems to me, however, that the more natural construction of the Greek is to refer it to God, as ever-living or enduring; and this interpretation agrees well with the connection. The idea then is, that as God is ever-living, that which is produced directly by Him in the human soul, by the instrumentality of truth, may be expected also to endure forever. It will not be like the offspring of human parents, themselves mortal, liable to early and certain decay, but may be expected to be as enduring as its ever-living Creator." Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of 1 Peter 1:23, "As they were of God, according to his abundant mercy, by the resurrection of Christ, to a lively hope of a glorious inheritance; as in 1 Peter 1:3 and therefore seeing they were brethren in a spiritual relation, they ought to love as brethren; being children of the same Father, belonging to the same family and household, having the same spirit, and the same nature and disposition, and being members one of another, and heirs of the same grace and glory; and not only so, but were taught of God their Father, in regeneration, to love one another: it became them highly, therefore, to exercise that grace, and particularly since they were born, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible; referring not to seed cast into the earth, which first corrupts and dies, and then is quickened, and rises, and brings forth fruit; but to human seed, and which the Jews call טפה סרוחה, 'the filthy drop' (k); which is in itself corrupt, and is corrupted, and whereby the corruption of human nature is propagated; for whatsoever is born of the flesh is carnal and corrupt; and so the Apostle has reference to the first birth, or natural generation of men, in which they are polluted and depraved, and confirms what the evangelist says, John 1:13 that regenerate persons are not 'born of blood'; or become new creatures, and holy men, by their natural descent, or first birth, be it from whom it will; for all men are of one blood originally, and that is tainted with sin; nor by the will of fallen creatures, of corruptible men, themselves or others; but of water, and of the Spirit, of the grace of the Spirit of God, which is seed pure and incorruptible, having no mixture or taint of sin, nor any degree of pollution in it, and which remains so; nor can it be corrupted by all the wickedness there is in man's heart; nor by all the pollutions of the world, or temptations of Satan; and this seed is conveyed into the heart by the Spirit of God, in regeneration, and it contains all grace in it, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever; for the incorruptible seed, and the ever living and abiding word, are two distinct things; though interpreters generally confound them: and by 'the Word of God" is either meant the essential Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; who is concerned in regeneration as well as the Father and the Spirit; by whose resurrection, and in consequence of it, the elect of God are begotten again; and who, as the Word, is able to build up all the sanctified ones, and give them the inheritance they are born heirs unto: or the Gospel, the Word of Truth, which is made use of as a means of begetting souls again; and the rather, since it seems to be so interpreted, 1 Peter 1:25 the phrases, 'which liveth and abideth forever', may be either read in connection only with 'God', and as descriptive of Him, who is the living God, is from everlasting to everlasting, in distinction from idols; and here added, to show that He can give power and efficacy to His word, to regenerate and quicken, and will continue to preserve and make it useful to all His saving purposes; so Jarchi explains the passage in Isaiah 40:8 after referred to, 'the Word of our God shall stand for ever', 'because He lives and abides, and it is in His power to confirm it therefore it follows, 'O Zion, that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain'; for because He lives forever, this promise is published. Or else with the Word of God, and is true both of Christ, and of the Gospel. Christ is the Word which lives; in Him, as such, is life; He has life in Himself as God, as man, and as Mediator; and is the author of life, natural, spiritual, and, eternal; and abides for ever in His person, without any change; and in His offices and grace, and righteousness; He abides a priest continually, has an unchangeable priesthood, and ever lives to make intercession, and of His kingdom there is no end: the same is said of the 'Memra', or Word of God, in the Chaldee paraphrase on Hosea 11:9 'I am God', מימרי, 'My Word abideth for ever': compare John 12:34. The Gospel also may be said to live, in opposition to the law, which is the killing letter; and because it points out the way of life and salvation to sinners; and is a means of quickening dead sinners, and of ingenerating that faith by which men live on Christ; and of revealing to them that righteousness which is unto justification of life; and of supporting and maintaining spiritual life in them; and of reviving drooping saints; the Syriac version renders it, 'the living Word of God': and it remains, and will abide; all its promises, blessings, doctrines, and ordinances, are lasting; it will continue in the world until all the elect of God are gathered in, until the second coming of Christ, and to the end of the world; notwithstanding all the persecutions of men, and cunning, craft of false teachers, and all the ridicule and contempt it is treated with by mockers and scoffers: and will abide in the effects of it, in the hearts of the saints, to all eternity."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…