October 11
“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 1:23-25.
When people are born into this world, they are sinful. Through Moses, the Lord said, “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth,” Genesis 8:21. David, the psalmist, wrote, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me,” Psalm 51:5. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags,” Isaiah 64:6.
When we were born into this world, we were not members of God’s family. To become a member of God’s family, we must be born again spiritually. The Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, “‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,’” John 3:3-6.
Some people are born again when they are adults. They come into contact with the message of sin and grace, with the message of the Law that shows them that they are sinners and with the message of the Gospel that tells them of God’s love and that they are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Through the message of sin and grace the Holy Spirit touches their hearts and they believe in Jesus as their Savior and become members of God’s family.
Others are born again when they are infants and are brought by their parents to the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19. Infants are included in the words, “all nations.” Jesus also said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it,” Mark 10:14-15.
On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children,” Acts 2:38-39. Peter certainly was talking to both adults and children. He said, “Let every one of you be baptized,” and, “The promise is to you and to your children.”
We are born again, “Not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.” Don’t limit the power of the Holy Spirit. When Zacharias and Elizabeth were told that they would become the parents of John the Baptist, the angel said, “He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb,” Luke 1:15. At that time, the Virgin Mary went to visit Elizabeth, and Scripture reports, “When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,” Luke 1:41. The Holy Spirit dwelt even in the unborn baby.
Some people brag and say, “I am a born-again Christian!” My question is, “What other kind is there?” If you are a Christian, you are born again. If you are born again, you are a Christian.
O Holy Spirit, through the power of the Word revealed in the Gospel, keep us in the faith trusting in Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior, who suffered, died, and rose again to redeem us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.