1 Peter 1:23
having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
Truth to Learn
The source of our spiritual life, the word of God, is eternal.
Behind the Words
The expression, “having been born again” is translated from the Greek word anagennaō. This is a compound word made up of ana, meaning “again” and gennaō, which refers to the generation of offspring, that is, to give birth. The word is expressed here as a present, passive participle, so it could be expressed as “being a born again one.”
The word “of” is translated from the Greek word ek, which literally means “out of.”
“Corruptible” is from phthartos, which refers to something that is perishable or subject to corruption and decay.
“Seed” is translated from the Greek word sporas, which refers to the “sowing of seed.”
“Abides” is the translation of the Greek word menō, which means “to remain, to stay, to live, or to endure.”
Meaning Explained
The term ‘born again’ is used in only two places in the Bible, in John 3 where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and here.
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:3-6)
In the John 3 passage “born again” is translated from the Greek genao anothen, which literally means “born from above,” which Nicodemus clearly understood to mean “born again,” else he wouldn’t have asked the question he did.
Clearly, Peter is writing his letter to Christians, and he is telling us something about the spiritual life (salvation) that we have. He tells us that the process of being born again is not from a perishable sowing of seed. Our first birth, our physical birth, is from the sowing of perishable seed. The seed of our fathers that produced us would have eventually died and perished if it had not fertilized our mothers’ ovum. But our spiritual birth is the result of an imperishable seed.
This physical life, which was produced out of a perishable seed, is a perishable life. However, the spiritual life, the life we have as a result of the new birth, is produced by imperishable seed. As a result, this new life that we have is not perishable. It will abide … remain … endure forever!
Application
Can you imagine losing your life and trying to be physically born again? You simply can’t do it. Once this corruptible physical life is gone, it’s gone. But our spiritual life is different. We can’t lose our spiritual life because it is eternal. Do you see that? You can’t lose your salvation … ever … period!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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