“having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”
not of corruptible seed
Peter first sets forth the negative of how a person is born again, and then he presents the positive, “not…but.” The negative can be seen in such passages as:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” (John 1:12).
It is nice to be positive, but the negative at times is necessary. If the battery in your car only had a positive pole but not a negative, it would not start. Both negative and positive are necessary to obtain the total truth. The positive message of heaven and the negative message of hell are both realities in God’s Word. Heaven and hell are mighty contrasts. The contrast here is “corruptible” and “incorruptible.”
“Seed” is the instrumental means of birth. It is the means of becoming a parent. “Seed” is the word from which we get the English word “sperm.” This is the kind of seed that produces birth. Physical conception comes from the union of the male sperm with the female egg. Nine months later, birth occurs.
The spiritual realm operates the same way. Spiritually, the sperm is the Word of God. When the Word of God implants into the egg of positive volition, a person becomes a child of God.
“Corruptible” signifies to bring into an inferior or worse condition, into destruction. “Corruptible” pertains to that which will disintegrate and die — “perishable, mortal” (Romans 1:23).
PRINCIPLE:
Law of the universe: life does not reproduce without a seed.
APPLICATION:
Without spiritual birth, man will perish. Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Do you believe in Jesus? He is your hope for an incorruptible, imperishable life, eternal life.
