First Peter: Humility | Part 1: Trials — Born Again to Be Like Him

Born Again to Be Like Him - 1 Peter 1:17-25

2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” 

Have you been born again? The only kind of Christian is a “bornagain” Christian. 1 Peter 1:23, “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God who lives and abides forever.”

You were born the first time of seed corrupted by sin. You must be born again of Christ’s seed to become like Him! Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

You need more than a physical birth. You need a spiritual birth! (See John 3:1-7)

John 3:1-7, There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “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. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

1 Peter 1:17-20, And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

The new birth was always God’s plan even before the world began! Revelation 13:8 says Jesus is “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

1 Peter 1:2, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”

We are born again to bear His image and become like Him! Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

1 Peter 1:15-16, “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Becoming like Christ results in a heart of humility, living a holy life, and loving others fervently. 1 Peter 1:21-22, “who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 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.”

1 Peter 1:23-25, 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.

Today is the day to make certain of your salvation. Have you been born again?