1 Peter 1:23-25 NLT
[23] “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. [24] As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. [25] But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.”
Let’s gaze, for a moment, at Peter’s next gem of truth. Like a seed sown in good soil, that produces new life, so God’s Word sown in a believing heart, will bear the fruit of eternal life because His word cannot fail. Peter endorses Paul’s explanation of the way of salvation in Romans 10…
Romans 10:8-9 NLT
[8] “In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: [9] If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
… But Peter takes a step backwards. He adds the truth that the seed of God’s Word is the agent of our salvation. The message of Jesus is the seed we have received, and will always accomplish its mission. As Isaiah’s prophecy declared,
Isaiah 55:10-11 NLT
[10] “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. [11] It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Peter’s words, then, put our salvation into the category of certainty and security. Since God’s Word is the beginning of our salvation, the seed that produces the growing ‘plant’ of wholeness in the believer, we have the assurance, again, that God will finish what He started.
The Holy Spirit plants the seed of our salvation securely in our hearts when we believe and receive the message of Jesus. God’s ‘power pack’ is in the seed, guaranteeing its fruitfulness despite all odds. The seed in us also secures the end result of our faith, the holiness and likeness to Jesus that gives us our place in God’s heavenly kingdom forever.
As we rely on God’s promises, so we persevere in this life of faith through the trials and tests we face, with determination to endure to the end.
1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT
[6]”So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. [7] These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Romans 5:3-5 NLT
[3]” We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. [4] And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. [5] And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
To crown all the reassurances that we will safely reach our destination because God’s promises can never fail, is His priceless gift of the Holy Spirit. He journeys with us because He is in us. He keeps us on track, monitoring and guiding us through every thought, choice, decision, and action, and calling us back when we wander off the path. He reassures us that we are chosen, called, greatly loved and highly favoured, children of God who are being groomed for an indescribably wonderful future.
God’s seed plays a powerful role in us on every level. His seed produces eternal life in us, reproduces the fruit of His Spirit in our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviour, and protects us from a life of sin.
The Greek word for ‘seed’ is ‘sperma’, meaning ‘something sown’. Imagine that! God has sown His sperma in us!
1 John 3:9 NIV
[9] “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed (sperma) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.”
It is God’s ‘sperma’ that produces life in us. This life of God in us, given to us through the work of His Spirit, raises us from death caused by sin, and continues to work life in us by protecting us from the sinful ways of our past. His Word, through the Spirit, alerts us when we sin, arouses our conscience, and leads us back to the path of obedience to Jesus.
What a treasure to lay hold of in a dark and threatening world!