1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, 5who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved in various trials, 7that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ— 8whom, not having known, you love. In him, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory, 9receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched diligently. They prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed to when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow them. 12To them it was revealed that they served not themselves, but you, in these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.
13Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober, and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ— 14as children of obedience, not conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance, 15but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior, 16because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
17If you call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judges according to each man’s work, pass the time of your living as foreigners here in reverent fear, 18knowing that you were redeemed, not with corruptible things like silver or gold, from the useless way of life handed down from your fathers, 19but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish or spot, the blood of Christ, 20who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in this last age for your sake, 21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.
22Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently, 23having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever. 24For,
“All flesh is like grass,
and all of man’s glory like the flower in the grass.
The grass withers, and its flower falls;
25but the Lord’s word endures forever.”
This is the word of Good News which was preached to you.
Word Study: Born Again (Gk. γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, gennao anothen). (3:3; Matt 27:51; John 1:12; 3:31; Acts 26:5; Gal 4:9; Jas 1:17; 3:15, 17; 1 Pet 1:3, 23) Strong’s 1080
The first of these two words, γεννάω (gennao), means to give birth. Here it is used in the passive, to “be born.” The use of this term communicates the profundity of the new beginning and transformation that occurs at the point of salvation and faith in Christ. The second word, used thirteen times in the NT, is the adverb ἄνωθεν (anothen), having the root meaning “from above.” There are several uses that derive from this, “from the beginning,” “for a long time” and “again, anew.” “From above” is essentially an adverb of place, but assuming these other uses, it becomes an adverb of time. This is similar to the English idiom for restarting a song or the like from the beginning, “take it from the top.” Many versions (KJV, NASB, NIV) translate the adverb as “again.” Some (NRSV, Youngs) choose “from above.” Which meaning fits best in the context of 3:3? Both meanings seem to work equally well and to be equally true. Nicodemus’ response in the next verse indicates that he took it as “again,” but is that how Jesus meant it? Jesus is clearly talking about a second birth, after one’s first physical birth, but He is also explains that He is speaking about heavenly things (v. 12). Normally, a word has one meaning in its context, but deliberately using a word with more than one meaning is an accepted literary device called double entendre (double intent). Jesus seems to be using this word in this way here, both as “again” and “from above.” In this case, Jesus would be using a play on this word. One must be born again, that is, from above.