A FOREVER WORD
1 Peter 1:23-25 NKJV
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because
“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,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
I believe it was the De Beers company that came up with the marketing slogan that "diamonds are forever." That is a pretty memorable slogan, and depending on your taste, paying for them can be forever. But I digress. But there is something that is forever, and it's free.
Peter was writing to Jewish believers and encouraging them to stay steady in difficulties, live holy before God, and to love each other. That is a super quick summary of the first chapter. He instructs them this way because they are new creations. They have been born again.
I have been surprised at the pushback that the term 'born again' creates. For those of us who have made Jesus our Lord, it's a great thing. For those who don't believe in a spiritual rebirth, the term is problematic. But modern evangelicals did not coin 'born again.' Jesus gave us 'born again', and Peter uses the same term. There is a spiritual rebirth, and thank God we are not the same people that we were.
We have been born from seed that is incorruptible. Seed that does not age, fade, decay, or lose its potency. By believing the word preached, we have been changed, born again spiritually. And God's Word is forever, so our spiritual condition does not age, fade, decay, or become diminished.
Peter then contrasts the forever nature of our spirit with the temporary nature of our flesh. All flesh is as grass, which is very temporary. And all of the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off. I realize that this in itself is not a blessing. But we all know that no one stays the same. The most attractive movie stars from the 60s and 70s are not so good-looking today if they are still here. Everything about our flesh nature is temporary. Nothing down here lasts forever. But we will because we have been born from the incorruptible seed of God's Word that lives and abides forever.
There is the mindset of the New Testament authors that is different from what we typically see in today's culture. The mindset is much more conscious of eternity. Peter was conscious of what was beyond this life. Actually, the scriptures have a spiritual focus that is not limited to the world in which we currently live. God is eternal. His word will last forever. And we are eternal spiritual beings in temporary residence here on earth. This is a much different perspective than what the world offers.
APPLICATION
There is a spiritual realm that supersedes this natural world. But we have to be intentional about bringing focus to the things that will be forever. We must keep one hand on this world and one hand on eternity. One of the ways we do that is by reminding ourselves of how quickly time here passes and how we can impact the next life. Not get so heaven-focused that we are complacent about living for God here. But reminding ourselves how this life is brief, so our rejoicing is in our relationship with the Lord and His eternal, unchanging word.
I am the first to admit this eternal mindset will not just drop on us. But by spending time in God's eternal word, we get a sense of the fact that this life is not all there is. I am all for making this life count. And I am all for making the next life count as well.
PRAYER
Dear Father, help me to develop more of an eternal mindset based on Your word that lives and endures forever.