1 Peter 1:22-25 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Children of Adam are to act one way – but Children of God are to act another way. Children of Adam act the way they act because they are driven by the flesh. But Children of God act differently because they are driven by the Spirit.

Children Of Adam Are Born To Lust
Children Of God Are Born To Love

Though “Lust” and “Love” both have four letters and begin with the letter “L”, no two words could be more different. “Lust” is love INWARD, self satisfaction, self pleasure, self gratification. “Love” is love OUTWARD, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, treating others with respect whether they deserve it or not. We read:

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

What “purifies your soul”? It is to “obeying the truth through the Spirit”. What is “THE TRUTH”? It is what God has said. God is the Source of all Truth. When God passed by Moses He told that grand old Believer:

Exodus 34:6-7 … The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty …

Moses would later sing to Israel:

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 … I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

God is where TRUTH is. God knows what is right and wrong, good and evil. Man does not establish truth, but God does. His Truth is revealed in His Word, the Bible. “The Word of the Lord is RIGHT, and all His works are done in TRUTH” (Psalm 33:4). The devil and the worldly are constantly striving to twist and pervert the truth of God. “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15).

When God became Incarnate, when the Eternal Son of God became Perfect Man, the Bible says that “the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17). Jesus came to show us the Truth. He came to show us that, as sons of Adam, we were sinners far from God. Yet

John 3:16 God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Our sinfulness separated us from God. Even those who were careful followers of the Law of Moses were exposed as sons of Adam in their behavior. Last Wednesday in John Chapter 8 our Lord Jesus spoke to the Pharisees who thought that by keeping the Law they were right with God. They were not. Why? In the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees we read (if you wish, turn over to this text with me):

John 8:37-44 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Though the Pharisees were “Abraham’s seed”, that is, physical descendants whose lineage could be traced back to Abraham, they nonetheless were sons of Adam and not Sons of God. Why? Because:

(1) They did not believe on the Manifest Truth of God, the Living Word which is Jesus Christ, and because

(2) Their outward works were those things which sons of Adam would do, not Sons of God. Jesus spoke TRUTH to them, and they would not hear. They were LUST driven, and not LOVE driven. The lost son of Adam will do “the LUSTS of your father the Devil”. The Pharisees plotted murder against Christ. The Pharisees formulated lies against Christ. Religious, they had no relationship with God – they were divorced from Christ, and married to their own lustful pleasures.

Jesus set this criteria in John 8:42:

If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me

The output of LOVE is that which proves salvation or damnation! Jesus Christ came FROM God, the Manifest Truth of God, and so would be loved and treated with love by all those born of God. Those who are born of God, like Christ, proceed forth and come from God. Those who are “born again” are creations of God. Those who LOVE GOD will LOVE HIS CREATION.

Let’s go back to our focal text:

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Word Study: Those who are SAVED are saved “unto unfeigned love of the brethren”. Let’s break this down. The word “unto” is the Greek Primary Preposition eis {pronounced ice}, which means “with the RESULT OF or the PURPOSE OF”. Just as Jesus shared with the Pharisees, if you are “born again” the question is not “Am I religious enough?”, but rather “Do I love and care for my brothers and sisters in the Lord? Do other Children of God matter to me?”. If you have no concern for your fellow believers, then you most likely are NOT saved. If you are more focused on YOUR satisfaction than you are the glory of God and the care of others, then you more likely are NOT saved.

Word Study: The word “unfeigned” is the Greek Adjective anypokritos {pronounced an-oo-pok’-ree-tos}, which means “without hypocrisy or undisguised”. The Pharisees often went to Christ and said things like:

Matthew 22:16 … Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

But after buttering Jesus up, they would ask Him trick questions, like “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17). Jesus always saw through through this, just as God always sees through hypocritical love. Jesus told them, “Why do you test Me, you HYPOCRITES?” God knows your hearts, and whether your love is hypocritical or not. Jesus called out the hypocrites because He loved them.

If your heart is hardened toward other Christians, if you seek only to RULE rather than to SERVE in the Kingdom of God, you are not serving LOVE but LUST – and God knows it! SEEING you are “Born Again”, you are to be BEING “Born Again”!

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

The sons of Adam love one another’s LUSTS, and endorse one another’s LUSTS, seeking to grow the godless darkness. But the Sons of God “love one another”. We don’t love sin, but we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We care that our fellow believers grow in Christ and in the knowledge of His Word. The phrase “love one another” is found thirteen times in Scripture. Here are a few of these:

John 13:34 {Jesus said} A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 15:12 {Jesus said} This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:17 {Jesus said} These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Romans 13:8 {The Apostle Paul said} Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 {The Apostle Paul said} But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

1 John 3:11 {The Apostle John said} For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23 {The Apostle John said} And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1 John 4:7 {The Apostle John said} Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 John 4:12 {The Apostle John said} … If we love one another, God dwelleth in us

If one professes to be saved, but does not love his or her fellow Christian, then that person’s salvation is suspect. The Bible tells us to “love one another with a pure heart fervently”. The word translated “fervently” is the Greek Adverb ektenōs {pronounced ek-ten-oce’}, which means “with an outstretched hand intently”. Various versions translate this:

NIV “love one another deeply, from the heart.”
CSB “from a pure heart, love one another constantly.”
NASB “fervently love one another from the heart.”
NLT “Love each other deeply with all your heart.”
BBE “see that your love is warm and from the heart.”

We never love sin. We as believers are to “hate even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 23). We are never to make peace with sin, as sin is an affront to our God. But we are to love our fellow believers – and treat all people the way that we want to be treated.

Am I A Child Of God?

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The child of Adam is born of “corruptible seed”. The word translated “corruptible” is the Greek Adjective phthartós {pronounced fthar-tos’}, which means “that which is perishable”. God does not perish, but humans do. You who are here today are made of flesh and blood – and the scripture says:

1 Corinthians 15:50 … flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Jesus told Nicodemus, the Teacher of Israel:

John 3:3, 6 … Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Though Nicodemus, a Pharisee of Pharisees, was considered a “good” man, he could not enter the kingdom of God. Only those BORN to the Kingdom can enter the Kingdom.

That which is born of sperm and egg is a child of Adam. That which is born of Spirit and Gospel, the Word of God, is a child of God. One is temporary – the other not.

1 Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

“all flesh is as grass”. Grass comes, and grass goes. Grass grows, and is green and tall today. It has beautiful flowers for a season. But then time passes on. It’s like the little poem:

Old age is golden so I’ve heard it said,
But sometimes I wonder as I crawl into bed.
With my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,
My eyes on the table until I wake up.
As sleep dims my vision I say to myself,
Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
How do I know my youth is all spent?
My get up and go has got up and went!
But in spite of it all I’m able to grin,
I belong to Jesus, for I’ve been born again!
Heaven’s my home, not a hole in the ground,
When you bury this body, I’ll not be around.
For face to face with my Savior I’ll be,
I sure hope you’ll receive the Gospel,
And join US in for all eternity!

Beloved, the “grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away”. Whatever green you have will turn brown. Whatever god you cherish will die away. I hear tell of these “Swifties” who worship the ground Taylor Swift walks on. Whatever talent she has will one day cease to be. Whitney Houston, a truly great artist, died as the grass withered for her at 48 years old. Michael Jackson, an award winning artist, died as the flower faded away at 50 years old. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, met the King of Kings and Lord of Lords at 42 years old. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix died at just 27 years old.

You do not know when this life will end. But God’s promise is “the word of the Lord endureth for ever”. If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have been “born again of the Spirit”. And if you are born again of the Spirit, you are a Child of God with purpose. Heaven is your home. But while on this earth, you will love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as you want to be loved.

1 Peter 1:22-25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Are you saved? Does your outward behavior reflect an inward Child of God? If not, TODAY is the day of salvation. REPENT. Turn from being your own god. Turn to the arms of Jesus. Jesus loves you, and gave Himself for you. Turn your life over to Him. Stop trying to be god, and let Him be God. Embrace Him Who embraced your sin on Calvary. Grab His nail scarred hand, and trust in Him. The Scripture promises:

Romans 10:9-13 (ESV) … if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

May God the Holy Spirit move on your hearts today. My hands are cleansed of your blood (Ezekiel 3:18). The ball is in your court. What will you do? What will YOU do? Amen and Amen!