βBeing born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth foreverβ (I Pet. 1: 23).
We are prone to think of death as following birth. People are born to live their lives and then die.
Spiritually, however, it is the other way. St. Peter, by divine inspiration, says that we must be βborn againβ because: βAll flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away:Β But the Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto youβ (I Pet.Β 1:24,25).
This new birth is a spiritual matter, necessitated by the fact that by nature men are βdead in trespasses and sinsβ (Eph. 2:1). Thus believers are not born again in the same way as they were first born, but are born again β given new life,Β by believing the Word of God.
Godβs Word, in this passage, is calledΒ βincorruptible seedββ seed that cannot die. Once the Word takes root in oneβs heart, once it is believed and received, it never dies, but produces βeverlasting lifeβ.
βThe Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto youβ (I Pet.Β 1:25).
The Word of God takes root in oneβs heart only as one believes the gospel, the good news, about Christβs redemptive work (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Peter himself proclaims this wonderful gospel:Β ββ¦ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and goldβ¦but with the precious blood of Christβ¦βΒ (I Pet. 1:18,19).
βFor Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to Godβ¦β (I Pet.Β 3:18).
BY BELIEVING THIS GOOD NEWS, DEAD SINNERS ARE βBORN AGAINβ. source