Eternal Seed

1 Peter 1:23-25 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
 
IN our previous lesson, Peter taught that one reason to love one another deeply from the heart (v. 19) is God’s eternal plan of salvation through Jesus. He could have said, “Do this because it is the second of Jesus’ Great Commandments.” (Matthew 22:39) Certainly that should be all we need to know. But Peter raised our level of commitment to the command. He reminded us of God’s great love demonstrated in his eternal plan of salvation through Jesus, so our love for one another would be as God’s love is for us. Now Peter gives a second reason. This is a supernatural second step – a result of the plan: For you have been born again.
   We must pause to know these are not empty or short-lived promises. But they can be if we forget what the words mean. About 30 years ago, “born again Christian” was a very common phrase to describe a “true” believer. This was one who was not a cultural Christian but one committed to follow Jesus through repentance and confession. But the phrase became meaningless as it became overused. And too many did not live as if their repentance and confession were empty words.
   But Jesus spoke it. John 3:3 “I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Peter taught it. Paul taught it. God’s eternal plan of salvation is to re-birth his chosen people into a New Covenant of eternal life. “Born again” is not a label but a vital, living phrase. We must use it in proper context to declare our joy in God’s miraculous majesty, love and grace. After all, Jesus also said, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (John 3:5-6)
   This rebirth is from the imperishable seed of Jesus’ resurrection. We are born again through the living and enduring word of God. All other things are temporary. Mankind’s powerful and ingenious mind cannot compare to the LORD God Almighty. Peter emphasized his point with Isaiah 40:6-8 “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
   This is God’s love gift to you. He has delivered the Savior and the Spirit to re-birth your life through his eternal plan of salvation. From eternity past to eternity future, the Word of God will never diminish or fade.
   As you have received this gift, remember to live each day with a purpose to praise God. Glorify his name with your love for others. Pray the Spirit uses you to unwrap God’s gift to those who must be born again. And this is the word that was preached to you.