Our Incorruptible Foundation
1 Peter 1:23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
See All... Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1 Peter 1:24For 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:
See All... 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:
Peter 1:25
See All... But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
INTRODUCTION: The meaning of incorruptible is often underestimated. It is not simply that which has not been corrupted. In a greater way, it refers to those things which are not able (-ible) to be corrupted. It is not a word of survival, but a word of triumph. No power in heaven and earth is even able to corrupt what God has established.
Since one of the incorruptible things is the Bible, some may wonder about the teaching of 2 Corinthians 2:17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
See All... – “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” If there are many who corrupt the word of God, how can we say that the word of God is incorruptible? It is a matter of perspective. From man’s viewpoint, men are continually corrupting the words and the word of God. They change it and correct it and thereby corrupt it. However, Psalm 119:89For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
See All... teaches us, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” That is, God preserves His word from the corruptions of men. They may corrupt their copies, but He holds the true text pure for the ages and keeps it from being corrupted. God’s word is truly incorruptible.
Let us consider the threefold incorruptible foundation of our faith found in 1 Peter One.
- THE INCORRUPTIBLE BOOK (1 Peter 1:23-25 [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.
See All...) - The Eternal Word
- It lives and abides forever (Psalm 119:89For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
See All...) - It continues in contrast to other things
- The grass of creation (Isaiah 40:8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
See All...) - The life of man
- The Source of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
See All...) - This word is the source of the gospel
- The gospel is based on the eternal word and is all the more sure because of its sure foundation
- This is the gospel that is preached unto us (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
[4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
See All...) - The Force of the New Birth
- The word of God is incorruptible
- The word of God is the incorruptible seed of the new birth (James 1:18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
See All..., 21) - Therefore, our new birth is not based on any corruptible seed that could fail (John 1:12-13 [12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
[13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
See All...) - THE INCORRUPTIBLE BLOOD (1 Peter 1:18-20 [18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
[19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
[20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
See All...) - The Rejected Redemption Price
- The corruptible things
- As silver and gold
- That cannot take away sin (Psalm 49:6-8 [6] They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
[7] None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
[8] (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
See All...) - The traditional things
- Received from the fathers
- Based on vain conversation; meaning, the empty practices of religion. This refers to those who would seek redemption by their own good works (Titus 3:5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
See All...). - The Blood of Christ
- The precious blood of Christ
- There is no other blood like His blood ( precious includes the idea of rare )
- It is the blood of God (Acts 20:28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
See All...) - The blood of the Lamb of God
- Its character
- Without blemish
- Without spot
- Its power (as seen in the tribulation saints)
- To wash their garments white (Revelation 7:14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
See All...) - To give the power to overcome (Revelation 12:11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
See All...) - The Foreordained Sacrifice
- Foreordained before the foundation of the world
- God knew the world would need a Saviour
- The Godhead determined that Christ would die for our sins (Revelation 13:8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
See All...) - Manifest to us in these last times
- Now that Christ has come and died
- Now the way of salvation is made plain
- THE INCORRUPTIBLE BOUNTY (1 Peter 1:3-5 [3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
[4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
[5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
See All...) - His Abundant Mercy
- A proof of the blessedness of God
- The ultimate cause of the new birth (Titus 3:5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
See All...) - A mercy that is applied in abundance (Isaiah 55:7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
See All...) - Our Lively Hope
- The cause of our hope: the new birth
- The evidence of our hope: the resurrection of Christ (John 14:19Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
See All...) - The energy of our hope: not just alive, but lively (Exodus 1:19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
See All...) - Our Incorruptible Inheritance
- Nothing will defile it
- Heaven will preserve it
- Personal in nature – “for you”
- His Keeping Power
- Kept by the power of God
- Kept through faith
- Kept unto the salvation to be revealed (Romans 8:23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
See All...; 1 John 3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
See All...)
CONCLUSION: Our salvation and eternity is not based on cunningly told myths and fables. Rather, it is founded on the incorruptible book of God, blood of Christ, and bounty of the believer. Are you unsettled in you faith today? Return to the foundations that will make you strong.