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"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, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 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, But the word of the LORD endures forever.' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you." (1 Peter 1.22-25).

In the text just quoted, Peter identifies an item that is incorruptible, i.e. the word of God. A few verses prior (1 Peter 1.3), he affirmed that the inheritance which is reserved for believers is incorruptible. Further to the verses presently under consideration, he states that his readers had been "born again" through this eternal and incorruptible word. He uses the figure of seed to represent the word of God as being the unending and perpetual source of spiritual life for humanity. The inheritance is incorruptible, the blood is incorruptible, and the word of God (seed) is incorruptible. This trio of incorruptible things provides an interesting view of blessings available to all who seek God.

There are yet other things in the New Testament that are identified as incorruptible. A review of these other items will add to our understanding of another world that exists outside the view of our physical eyes. In 1 Peter 3.4. In this passage, he commands Christian women to focus on the "hidden person of the heart" and thereby, obtain the "incorruptible beauty" which is "very precious in the sight of God."

Now look at the picture of incorruptible things painted before our spiritual eyes. Incorruptible God sent His Son to shed His incorruptible blood on our behalf. We know this through the incorruptible word which He wrote to inform us of it. Further, that word is like incorruptible seed; it produces spiritual life in all good and honest hearts. Those who continue to focus on godliness obtain incorruptible beauty and are promised an incorruptible crown, the crown that will be given in the land of our incorruptible inheritance. Life in that land will be unending in as much as all who enter its portals do so with incorruptible bodies obtained at the resurrection.

Look intently at the incorruptible! However, don't allow your eyesight to render you blind; look through the eye of faith.

Questions:

1. In what way can it be said that the word of God is like seed?

2. Of what or through what have believers been born again?

3. Human blood is one of the most corruptible items that can be imagined. A few moments being opened to the elements renders it useless for any worhtywhile purpose. Contrast that characteristic with the blood of Jesus. How corruptible is it?

4. Why must the corruptible things of god be viewed with the eyes of faith? How can our literal eyes blind us to the truth of incorruptible things?

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"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

Mercy and not Sacrifice (Sept. 30, 2010)