Last time we were reminded that Christians are born again through the living Word of God. The Spirit uses the Word to bring us to new life in Christ. Peter makes a special point to remind us that the seed that brought life was not corruptible. Look again at what the passage says:

“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever’ (1 Peter 1:23).

How did Peter know this? Immediately in verse 24-25 he quotes Scripture:

“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

This is taken from Isaiah 40:6-8. This reminds me that knowing our Bibles is important. The more we are familiar with Scripture and memorize portions of it, the more we will be able to make connections between one part of Scripture and another, and we will be able to make applications to our lives more readily. Yes, Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit, but I’m thinking that by the time Peter wrote this letter, He knew the Old Testament pretty well and was familiar with this Isaiah passage.

Peter goes on now in verse 25 to tell us that this word was nothing other than the gospel which has been preached to us. As we have sat under the preaching of the gospel throughout our lives, we were hearing that uncorruptible, enduring Word of God. And it is that gospel which the Holy Spirit used to bring life to your soul, and give you a new heart, a new spirit, and God’s Spirit through the fulfillment of the New Covenant that Jesus promised on the night He was betrayed. God commands all people to simply repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15).

Let’s not let this gospel become just religious jargon for us. Let’s remember that it came at the cost of our Savior’s lifeblood because of the great love with which He loved us.