1 Peter 1:23 Meaning: Born Again of Incorruptible Seed
having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever.
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth.
being begotten again, not out of seed corruptible, but incorruptible, through a word of God--living and remaining--to the age;
being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by [the] living and abiding word of God.
Meaning in one sentence
What does it mean to be born again of incorruptible seed? This verse shows that our new life comes through God's living, eternal word.
Context
Peter is writing to Christians scattered across Asia Minor, people who knew what it meant to face hardship for their faith. In this chapter he has been lifting their eyes to the hope they share: a living hope through Christ's resurrection, an inheritance that can never perish. Now he turns to how that hope shapes daily life. He calls them to holy living and to genuine love for one another. Verse 23 sits right in the middle of that call. It gives the foundation. The reason believers can love each other deeply is that they share a common birth, not the ordinary kind that ends in death, but a new birth from a source that never decays. That is the truth Peter wants them to hold onto.
Key Words
Three words carry the weight here. The verb for 'born again' (anagegennēmenoi) is in the perfect tense, it describes a completed action with lasting results. You were once born again, and that birth still shapes who you are. The word 'seed' (sporas) appears only here in the whole New Testament. It means the origin or source of life. Peter contrasts two kinds of seed: one that perishes, like everything human, and one that cannot perish, like everything from God. But the seed is not the same as the word. Notice the prepositions: new life comes from the imperishable seed, through the word. The word is the means, not the material. Finally, the word is described as 'living and abiding' (zōntos and menontos). Some readers attach these words to God, others to the word itself. Either way, the point is the same: the source of your new life is not fading or passing away. It is as alive and permanent as the God who speaks it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this verse with care, especially the phrase 'which lives and remains forever.' The Douay-Rheims Catholic translation attaches the phrase to God: 'by the word of God who liveth and remaineth for ever.' Many Protestant translators and commentators connect it to the word itself, as in the King James Version. The Cambridge Bible notes that the Greek word order leaves the question open, but most modern readers take it as referring to the word. There is also discussion about the 'seed.' Some, like Calvin, see the seed as the vital principle of grace and the word as the instrument. Others collapse seed and word. Both readings affirm the same truth: the new birth is imperishable because it comes from God through his enduring word.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume that the 'incorruptible seed' is the word of God itself, as if the Bible is a seed that gets planted directly into the soul. In fact, Peter makes a careful distinction. The seed is the divine principle of new life, the new nature that comes from God. The word is the means through which that seed is implanted. The word is living and it abides, but it is not the seed. This matters because it keeps our focus on God as the source of life, not on the process or the words as a formula.
Living This Out
This week, when you feel that your faith is fragile or that you are not growing the way you hoped, remember where your new life comes from. It is not a project you keep alive by your own effort. It comes from a seed that cannot perish. Open Scripture not as a duty but as the place where that living word meets you again. And because you share this same birth with others in your church, you can love them even when it is hard. Your love is rooted in what lasts.
Main takeaway: Your new birth comes from an imperishable seed, through God's living word, so your life in Christ is forever secure.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God's word is like a special seed that never dies. When you believe in Jesus, God plants that seed in your heart, and you become His child forever.
For ages 9, 12
Peter says we are born again not from a seed that rots, like human life, but from God's own seed, His living word. That means your new life in Christ isn't fragile. It lasts because God's word lasts. So when you read the Bible, you're not just reading old words; you're being fed by something alive and eternal.
Questions People Ask
What does 'born again' mean in 1 Peter 1:23?
The Greek verb 'anagennaō' means to be begotten again, to receive a new origin. In this verse it is in the perfect tense, emphasizing a completed action with ongoing results. This is the same concept Jesus described to Nicodemus in John 3: being born anew by the Spirit. Peter connects it here to the word of God as the means of that new birth.
What is the 'incorruptible seed' in this passage?
The seed (sporas) refers to the origin or principle of the new life. It is not the word itself, but the divine, imperishable nature that God imparts through the word. Unlike human seed, which decays and produces mortal life, this seed cannot decay and produces eternal life. Christians from different traditions see this seed as the work of the Holy Spirit or the new nature created in us.
Does 'which lives and remains forever' refer to God or to His word?
The Greek word order leaves the question open, and commentators are divided. The Douay-Rheims Catholic translation attaches it to God ('God who liveth'), while most Protestant translations attach it to the word ('the word of God, which liveth'). Either way, the point is that the source of the new birth is enduring and eternal. If the phrase refers to the word, it highlights Scripture as living and active. If it refers to God, it highlights the living God behind the word.
How does this verse connect to loving one another?
Verse 22 calls believers to love one another fervently from a pure heart. Verse 23 provides the basis: because we share a common birth from an imperishable seed, our relationship is not temporary like human family bonds. It is rooted in God's enduring word. This shared new life gives us the foundation for genuine, lasting love even when we face trials or disagreements.
Why does Peter use the word 'seed' (spora) here?
The word 'spora' appears only here in the New Testament. It means 'sowing' or 'seed' in the sense of the originating principle of life. Peter likely chose this unusual term to emphasize the contrast between human generation, which passes on a corruptible nature, and divine generation, which imparts an incorruptible nature. The word sets up the quotation from Isaiah that follows in verses 24-25, about grass withering but God's word enduring.
For pastors & researchers
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