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

We have a deep conviction that when God makes a promise, His word can be trusted. In fact, the Bible claims that His word will endure forever. His word never changes and it is the revelation of God that leads to salvation. Paul states in Romans 10 that if you confess and believe the word that is preached you shall be saved. When we confess and believe we can have confidence that the redeeming grace of God has brought salvation through the work of Christ. Peter shines light on this truth in 1 Peter 1. Throughout this chapter he (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) has encouraged the persecuted Christians to remember that they have a secure salvation because this is the work of God. At the end of chapter 1 he provides the glorious truth that because of the truthfulness of God’s word we can rest in confidence. Notice verses 23-25:

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For,“ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY IS LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.”And this is the word which was preached to you.

God has so moved in my life that i can now proclaim that I am born again. If you have placed your hope for salvation in Christ you can proclaim this same truth. These verses provide encouragement that this salvation is not temporal but eternal. The hope I have in Christ is based on the word of God. Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 where Isaiah is prophesying to those who will be take captive to Babylon. The Hebrew people went into captivity around 586. Isaiah had the longest prophetic ministry in the Old Testament. He served as a prophet from 739-681 bc.

You remember that the people of God were taken into captivity under king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605-562 bc). It is believed that one of the 7 wonders of the world existed in Babylon during this time. The hanging gardens of Babylon has been a subject of much debate. If the gardens were indeed part of the scenery during the time of captivity, the Hebrews looked at these massive garden walls with amazement. For the captives of Babylon the power and authority of Babylon was real and at the time seemed supreme. However the prophet states (regardless of the existence of these walls) that the grass is going to wither and the beautiful flowers will fade BUT God’s word will last forever. When God speaks things happen! 

In 1st Peter 1 we are instructed that our salvation in Christ is secure because God has spoken. God has spoken because of the perfect work that Christ has accomplished. This passage is a call to rest in confidence of salvation in Christ. Enjoy the glorious communion with Christ. One indicator of communion with Christ is expressed by a sincere love for the saints as he identifies in v22. It is important to remember that God has spoken and He has proven that He can be trusted. His revelation endures because it is the word of God.​