1 Peter 1:23 23since you have been born again, not from perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. 24 For, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news preached to you.
A second motivation is connected to the imperative verb from verse 22 that calls readers to love one another. Having been Born again (anagegennēmenoi) is a perfect passive participle with a causal meaning. It indicates the reason why we should love one another: we have a new identity that is connected to heaven, where our salvation is stored and kept under God’s all-powerful guard. The reason we can love from a purified heart is that we have been changed and transformed by God’s word. We have heard, received, and believed in the good news of Jesus.
For Peter’s readers, this word came through the preaching of the gospel from unstated witnesses who traveled to the provinces listed in verse 1. Peter could have been one of those who preached the gospel to them, but he takes no credit in these verses. Since we are far removed from the eyewitnesses, the word we receive comes through the Bible as God’s word to us.
The words of the gospel was planted in the hearts of Peter’s readers and grew to new life. This seed is the inheritance of verse 4, which is imperishable (aphthartou) and not dependent on anything earthly except people’s faith to accept it. This message brings life. The word of the gospel plants a seed in our souls when we hear about eternal life in Jesus. The Holy Spirit grows this seed through many ways as it is watered through the witness of other people, life’s circumstances, our own quiet thoughts, and other ways. This seed sprouts into a new life and sends its roots deep into our thinking, finding a place to remain. One of the primary evidences that this seed is growing is that believers love another. God’s sanctifying work grows love as we learn to live out the salvation found in Jesus Christ.
Humanism is the belief that people can improve the world through human effort, ingenuity, and technology—without any divine intervention. Humanistic thinking leads to putting human comforts first and foremost. Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 to show that human effort fails because it is temporary. It cannot solve the deep problems of human existence. It grows and shines for a time, like the grass, then withers away. The word of the Lord endures forever because it reveals God’s eternal plan in Jesus Christ. It is eternal because it results from Jesus’ resurrection that guarantees our faith in him lasts beyond death. We become participants in God’s eternal plan when we believe and receive it through faith. God’s work in us through the Holy Spirit not only gives us eternal life but empowers us to love one another by sanctifying our hearts, removing the dross of the old life and purifying the new self. As Peter notes, this often comes through trials and difficult times that test our faith and help it to grow.