The Enduring Word
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.”
Now, this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
We begin this broadcast 6 days before Christmas. What a fitting word for this week. “The Enduring Word” Not only was a babe born into the world, but the Enduring Word became flesh and dwelt among us, the only begotten of the Father full of “grace and truth.” As we study this portion of scripture, let us receive the Word as the eternal word of God revealed in the Logos or the Word made flesh.
Verse 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. Obedience regarding the “truth” is how one’s soul is purified. It is a work of the Spirit, but our cooperation is absolutely necessary. The heart of what God the Father desires is our involvement in the process.
Theologians may argue over the “sovereignty” of God verse the “free will” of man, but the debate misses the heart of the Father which is rooted in relationship. Yes, God is sovereign, but this sovereign God is looking for our response to His love and grace so that a relationship is established between a loving caring Father and an obedient son or daughter. Three things come to my mind: Choice, Yes/No, and discipline. I choose by my yes or by my no as to my response to God’s loving provision. If I choose yes, then I begin an adventure that requires the discipline of a changed lifestyle toward God, who becomes my Father, and towards others that He loves and cares about and wants me to love as well.
By receiving God’s truth which is manifested in a person, Jesus the Christ and what He did through His redemptive work begins the process of purification of the soul. The change takes me from love and focus of myself to a depth of love for others that I did not have the capacity to possess before receiving the truth centered in Christ, and now by the Spirit, I freely give to others by sincerity. I mentioned discipline early on. Well, that discipline is “fervently” with a pure heart. Let me define this by saying “fervent love” for others by not expecting anything in return.
Verse 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
Peter says, “Having been born again” This is not a religious saying or simply a doctrine, but this is the fact of what took place. You and I were born into this world. We have biological parents. It took a male and a female to produce the birth of a human being. Is it not strange how far the human race has fallen regarding basic facts? A man and a woman joined through sexual intercourse produce either a boy or a girl gender. Thus, procreation happens.
Peter replicates what Jesus said to Nicodemus years before, “except a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, we must move past Adam’s natural process of reproducing life. The life that Adam produces ends in death because of “disobedience” to the command of God. Jesus came and established another law, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Peter is speaking of the divine seed of God’s Word, an incorruptible seed that comes through the word of God. It is that word of God planted in us that makes it possible to “purify our soul.” It is the word of God that 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,
Peter underscores for our understanding that life in the flesh is like the grass. Nature teaches us so many eternal truths. I have dealt with more grass than I can count. It is beautiful for a little while, and then it fades away. I just threw away Roses that I had bought for my wife for her birthday. They were so beautiful, but as Peter reminds us, they faded and into the trash they went.
Many of God’s people are still fixated on the natural life we live in this world. I am grateful for all the Lord has given to me in this life. I have never gone hungry; I have always had adequate clothing. The Lord allowed Becky and me to purchase a house in the early eighties. This helped us lay a financial foundation for our family that has extended into our old age. We have always had transportation to go where needed. At some point, our children will inherit what we have acquired over the years. There is some consolation in that what we leave behind will benefit our children and grandchildren after we have passed on. But the truth is that it will all fade away eventually.
Whatever you possess, hold unto it loosely. In the long haul, none of these earthly possessions matter. Our Founding Fathers who helped to establish America understood this more than most. They were willing to lose wealth and fame for what held a higher value to them, and that was freedom. Many of those men believed that death was the only option if they did not have the freedom they were fighting to possess.
How much more is the freedom that Christ purchased for us? How many, down through history, were willing to give up their lives so that others might possess the freedom that comes through the word of God. Hebrews 11 gives to us the “honor roll of the faithful,” in Hebrews 11. These were men and women that, by faith, were looking for that which had not been seen but suffered because they knew there was a more significant promise and a greater cause that those other generations would one day realize of the promises of God. They knew God’s word was eternal. They knew that His word would endure forever.
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Peter reminds the people of God about this. It is His word that holds the highest value. The grass fades, the flowers disappear, but the word of the Lord endures forever. “Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” This is the same word that is preached today. It is the word that is incorruptible; it is the word that is the “incorruptible seed.” It is that word that is intended to go deep into the soil of our life and produce an eternal substance that establishes the eternal Son of God in our own hearts, purifying our soul.
How did that word come? It came by the “preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God.” Have you had the gospel preached to you? Note that the gospel is not the gospel of salvation but of the kingdom. The good news is that God’s Messiah is presently reigning over the nations. Salvation flows out of His kingdom rule. It is an eternal kingdom established by His word which endures forever.
The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom (Matthew 28:18)
God declares: I have set My King upon My holy mountain of Zion (Psalm 2).