Begotten Us Again (1 Peter 1:3)

2024-05-28

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)

Jesus says, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Do you know that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”? As sinners and rebels, we are not acceptable the way we are; we must be born again and made into entirely new creations.

Note that we have been born again, an event that has happened already for every believer. We were also born again “unto a lively hope.” Because we were born again spiritually, we shall also be born again physically at the time of a future, physical resurrection. All this is “according to his abundant mercy.”

However, notice a subtlety, that being “born again” means that whatever was born the first time was cut off. That is gone. The first birth creature died the violent death of the cross with Christ. The second birth was born with Christ out of resurrection. You cannot live in both worlds. The blessings of the second will not be realized without the death of the first.