Good morning. This is from first Peter. For you have been born again not of a seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God. The have been born again (or regenerated) is in the Greek perfect tense. That means it is an action that has been completed in the past, but has an effect on us today. We are not in the process of being born again; it has been completed. And because of that we are who we are in Christ. Of course this seed is not like a regular seed that perishes when we plant it. This seed, the word, is living and abiding and from God. That reminds us of Hebrews 4:12; for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Since this word is alive, then so are we. Since it abides forever, then so do we. And because of this: you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The living word makes us living stones. The sacrifices we offer are not dead animals - instead they are spiritual sacrifices. Hebrews tells us about these sacrifices. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. As we've said before it's not the kind of sacrifice people usually talk about. "I am praising God even though I don't feel like it." Again we don't sacrifice dead animals - our sacrifices are praise to God. Father thank You that the reader was not born again of some dead rhetoric; but of Your living and abiding word. And because it lives forever, so does he/she. He/she continually offers up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to You.

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