THE TEMPORARY AND THE ETERNAL
1 Peter 1:22-25 NKJV
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 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."
This first chapter of First Peter is rich. Peter exalts Jesus, who through His resurrection has given us eternal hope. Peter speaks to the genuine faith of the believers, that it is more precious than gold. He discusses living holy before God and the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb of God. And, because of all these eternal, powerful things, Peter encourages the people to put their faith and hope in God. It truly is a chapter worth reading again and again.
Our verses for today encourage the believers to keep walking in love with one another. Because they have purified their souls by obeying the truth, to keep on loving and obeying. One of the key reasons Peter encourages this love is because these people have been born again from the seed of the word of God, that is eternal. I find it interesting that Peter references being born again. The first time we see the phrase 'born again' is from Jesus in the third chapter of John. Jesus tells Nicodemus that a man must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus balks at that idea, wondering how someone can reenter the womb and be born. Of course, Jesus was speaking of spiritual rebirth, but people today still balk at the truth of being born again.
Peter declares that we are born again, recreated, new spiritually by the seed of the word of God. The seed of God's word is not perishable. It does not have a shelf life. Peter declares that God's word is living and eternal. There are many things in life that are temporary. In fact, pretty much everything we can see and touch is temporary. Even our bodies here on earth are temporary dwellings. But God's word is not temporary. God's word is eternal.
Peter then quotes Isaiah 40 when he speaks of all flesh being as grass and the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass will wither, and the flower will fade. This is a fact of this life. Think for a moment about who was a big deal when you were young. And where are they now? I remember some movies from my early teens that starred Robert Redford. He was a very handsome actor. I say 'was' because he did not keep that same glory when he was 80. The same applies to many famous people, athletes, and musicians. I know Mick Jagger, of The Rolling Stones, is still going, but one look at him today, and you know that glory departed long ago.
Yes, the glory of man is temporary, but we are not temporary. We have been recreated through the seed of the eternal word of God. Our bodies may fade, but our inner man is being renewed day by day. And because the seed we are born from is eternal, then so are we. This is the good news that we preach. We become a part of a kingdom that does not fade or lose glory. We belong to a God who never fades away, who is not the God of the past only, but is God of the future. And eternally we will be singing and worshipping and praising Him.
PRAYER
Thank You, Father, for the eternal seed of Your word that never fades and never loses power. Thank You that I have been born again from this marvelous eternal seed. I am eternally grateful to You!