New Birth!

New Birth!

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Context and Focus:

As is always the case, a command or directive requires the right audience, in order to measure obedience. As always, a command or directive is only binding on people who are subject to the authority and territory of the person giving the command. In this case, the verse above is directed to people who have been identified as 'God’s chosen people'. The introduction goes on to say that 'God had planned long ago to choose you and to make you his holy people, which is the Spirit’s work. God wanted you to obey him and to be made clean by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ'. This clear understanding is very important for the verse that is before us today. There are no accidents with God. I am not an afterthought or a mistake of creation. The fact that God formed me, placed me in my mother's womb, allowed me to be born, and has taken me through different circumstances and situations of life make it clear that God has a plan for my life. Long before my parents even came together, He already knew I would be alive on this very day these words were written. 

The Message:

What else can be more more important than the discovery, pursuit and fulfilment of God's plan and purpose for my life? As it has been laid out above, you are subject to the authority and influence of whoever you submit to. If I am a citizen of a country, I am bound by the laws and regulations of that country. As it is in the physical, so is it in the spiritual. I cannot be physically present and resident in two different countries at the same time. I can temporarily relocate, or reside in another country for some time, or even have dual citizenship, but at any point in time, I am physically present in one location at a particular time. This is like the new birth; it is an experience that is necessary for my earthly and eternal relevance. Just as I have been born physically, so do I have to be born spiritually. Just as there had to be physical allegiance to a physical kingdom, so do I also have to bear allegiance to a spiritual kingdom. It is not negotiable. This new birth is not received by inheritance or will, or assimilated by the natural senses, but it is the result of the dispensation of God's grace and mercy, made real by the gift of Jesus the Son of God as a sacrifice for sin. 

The Conclusion:

The consequences of sin is death, and it would apply to all men, irrespective of colour, circumstances or conditions. All of us had sinned, and all of us deserved to die, but by the exercise of this grace, we have received new birth into a new life that ends in eternal life with God. There was nothing I could have done to earn or deserve this free gift, because it is at the discretion of the One offering the gift. The timing of the gift was also his own prerogative, but he then gives me a choice as to the response. By this gift, I have the past and its weight taken care of, I have the present and its challenges sorted, and I also have hope that whatever the future holds, God has it all under his control. By the death and resurrection of Jesus, I know he has power to give life to my dead body, and whenever He returns in glory, I will also be raised up with Him. It is in Christ alone that this hope can be birthed and sustained. There is nothing and no one else that can give me that. Do I have this hope in me? Am I looking forward to the fulfilment of this promise by God? God's time of favour is here.