What Re-Born Represents || 1 Peter 1:3 || Manna for the Mind #118

Welcome to Day 118 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about taking scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses) and building our understanding of their teachings through their context and connecting scripture. I believe that doing this helps us understand how to be the type of human that God created us to be.

Today’s passage is 1 Peter 1:3. We’ll discuss what it means to be born again through his mercy and resurrection.

1 Peter 1:3

AMP	NLT	MSG
3 Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,	3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,	3 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for,

“Born again” refers to spiritual birth (regeneration) – the Holy Spirit’s act of bringing believers into God’s family. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3, this concept of new birth is a beautiful metaphor for new life from God. It took me many years to fully grasp what it means to be re-born into God’s family. As a Methodist, I was baptized at a young age, reborn, and prepared to enter God’s family from the start of my life. However, as I grew and learned more about God and the Bible, baptism felt foreign, confusing, and unnecessary. I often wondered, “Why is this necessary?” It felt ritualistic. However, after many attempts at understanding John 3, I realized its significance. It’s a profound moment in a person’s walk with Christ to take a moment, surrounded by the Spirit and body of believers, to have our sins washed away and forgiven, to have a re-start (a re-birth) at doing life with God leading our words, thoughts, and actions. This fresh start is significant through baptism; whichever form you receive is excellent. When we receive God’s magnificent gift, he brings us new freedom, identity, and a greater family. The joy of being part of this greater family is indescribable and brings a sense of belonging and happiness.

Romans 8:29

AMP	NLT	MSG
29 For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers.	29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.	29 God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored.

The ultimate goal is to make us like Christ. As we become more and more like him, we discover our most authentic selves, the person he created us to be. This journey of personal growth is inspiring and motivating. We find this out through reading and following his word, studying his ministry in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), praying to him, embracing the Holy Spirit within us, and doing his work in the world. Reading and studying can involve a lot of different things. You can simply pick up a Bible and read and go wild. You can download the BibleApp and find specific plans on the different books of the Bible or different topics that you’re struggling with or are interested in. You can find different books that do the same thing. You can join a church and/or a small group to learn about God with a group of believers. The list goes on and on how you can learn about the Bible. Embracing the Holy Spirit within you will help you wrestle with learning about God’s teaching and how you can make sure you are hearing from God rather than someone else. This also comes through prayer. It doesn’t have to be this big, elegant, ritualistic item you must do to be a Christian. Still, it’s simply a conversation with God that expresses gratitude and the need for forgiveness for the different ways we’ve messed up and not reflected God in our lives. Going out and helping others doesn’t have to be this enormous production; it can be finding small ways to help your community. It could be picking up trash at your local park, helping at a food pantry, or generally meeting the need of someone calling out for help. These are big topics that I know I’ve significantly simplified, but these are the core foundations of what it means to follow God.

2 Thessalonians 2:13

AMP	NLT	MSG
13 But we should and are [morally] obligated [as debtors] always to give thanks to God for you, believers beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through the [a]sanctifying work of the Spirit [that sets you apart for God’s purpose] and by your faith in the truth [of God’s word that leads you to spiritual maturity].	13 As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation. This salvation came through the Spirit, who makes you holy, and through your belief in the truth.	13 Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends—so loved by God! God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth.

Paul consistently taught that salvation begins and ends with God. We can do nothing to save ourselves from the bondage of sin. We need to accept God’s gift of salvation. This is a significant step of trust and faith that this Savior, whom we can’t tangibly see ourselves and who committed an act thousands of years ago, is still meant for me. It’s true, though. When we read the different stories about how the Bible is meant for all Jews and Gentiles, we (in the USA in 2024) are those Gentiles. The story of Christ is still meant for us. We might not be in the same country, culture, or timezone. Still, we can all be united under the goals of loving God with all of who we are and loving each other as Jesus loved us.

Paul encouraged Thessalonian believers by reminding them that God had chosen them from the beginning. Being made holy is the process of Christian growth through which the Holy Spirit makes us like Christ. To be holy means to be set apart, showing that our lifestyle and what we say and do will be set apart from those that don’t represent a godly lifestyle. It’s why we often call the ministry of Jesus an “upside-down” kingdom. It’s a way to show how loving each other can indeed be a healthy thing and not out of a place of arrogance and pride. We can live outside of what the world calls “successful” and still reap the heavenly blessings.

I want to leave you with two scriptures: the simple call to salvation and Jesus’s original version of the Lord’s Prayer. These are pertinent to today’s devotional, and I pray they impact you in whatever way is needed.

Romans 10:9-10	Matthew 6:9-13
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.   10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.	9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.   10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.   11 Give us today the food we need,   12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.   13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.