1 Peter 1:22-23
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.
Like James, Peter understood that salvation comes by the Spirit through the Word. The enablement of the Spirit and the truth of the Word are central concepts in these verses, as they were in James 1:18. Peter says first of all that these believers have purified their souls in obeying the truth, referring back (past tense) to their conversion, their experience of spiritual purification upon salvation. How were they purified? They obeyed the truth through the Spirit. The truth, as it often does, refers to the gospel of Christ as described in the text of Scripture. The word “truth,” then, hints at the concept of Scripture’s necessity since it is the central source of all truth. These believers encountered Scripture and had willingly submitted themselves to the truth. Their submission (obedience) to the truth saved them. In more common terms, they heard and believed the gospel.
This idea is further clarified in verse 23: “[You were] born again…through the word of God.” “Born again” refers, as it always does in Scripture, to the Christian’s new birth, his regeneration, the spiritual renewal he experiences when he received the gospel. Jesus used the same language in John 3 when He tells Nicodemus that he must be born again to be included in God’s kingdom. Nicodemus needed a new spiritual nature, a new heart. So also here in 1 Peter, being born again describes salvation. These believers were saved by Scripture, by the Word of God. Likewise, we are saved as we also obey the truth of the Word.
We could ask if “word of God” refers exclusively to Scripture, or of it speaks more generally of anything God speaks, whether within Scripture or outside it. Or perhaps it refers to the Word made flesh—Christ Himself. If the phrase as used here doesn’t refer specifically to the text of Scripture, then it may not be relevant to our discussion of Scripture’s sufficiency.
It is true that we don’t have all of God’s spoken words recorded in Scripture. Should we view the phrase as including anything we might understand God to say, including things not recorded? I don’t think so. For those of us living after the completion of the New Testament, God’s words to us are primarily found in the written Word. God, in His infinite wisdom, has preserved His words in written form so those in all generations can hear, know, and obey Him.
Should we then take the phrase as referring to the person of Jesus? As Hebrews 1:2 says, God has spoken to us by His Son. And He is, after all, the Word made flesh, the culmination of God’s communication with mankind. Here we need to be careful not to make one of two common mistakes. The first is to think that Jesus can be known apart from Scripture. It’s true that relationship with Christ is a vital part of Christianity, but that relationship must be founded on what He has said about Himself in Scripture. Relationship with Christ apart from His Word is unfounded at best and heretical at worst. It sounds noble to pursue Christ Himself, but we mock Him if we ignore His written revelation then ask Him to reveal Himself to us personally. He has already revealed Himself; He can be truly known through the Bible.
The second common mistake is to think we know Jesus just because we know His Word. A relationship includes knowledge, but it goes beyond that. I may know a lot of facts about my son, but if I don’t get down on the floor and play with him, I will never develop a vibrant relationship with him. Relationship with Christ means not only studying His person and work; it also means living according to that knowledge. It means trusting Him for salvation. It means obedience. It means worship from the heart. We can have impeccable Christology and still be lost. We need to know Him, love Him, and obey Him.
Oddly enough, both of these mistakes make the same error. Both divorce the Living Word from the written Word. But the Living Word is known through the written Word. The Christian’s greatest desire is to know the Bible and through it to know Christ. As the hymnwriter Mary Lathbury expressed, “Beyond the sacred page, I seek thee Lord.” Our end goal is relationship with Christ, but the means to that goal is knowing His written self-revelation. True relationship with Jesus begins in Scripture and follows through to joyful fellowship and worship.
Returning to the subject at hand, should we understand “word of God” to refer to the written word, the Bible? I think so. We have good reasons to understand “word of God” to typically refer to the written record we have available today. We have all of God’s words to us clearly and potently recorded in the text of the Bible. Thus, our understanding of “word of God” is primarily focused on the written words of Scripture.
To summarize, we learn that Scripture itself is effectual to save. We are purified by obeying it, and we are spiritually regenerated—born again—by it.
In addition to the Word itself, Peter describes another Actor in our salvation—the Holy Spirit. We obey the truth “through the Spirit,” that is, by His power. He strengthens our weak will and clarifies our cloudy minds. He helps us understand His Word. While we are born by the Word (means), we are born through the Spirit (power).
The phrase “born again…of incorruptible seed” is also significant here. What is this seed? I believe it refers our being born of God. This birth is not according to the flesh (corruptible seed) but according to the Spirit (incorruptible seed). The same contrast is made in John 3, where Jesus says, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Without spiritual birth, we will not see God’s kingdom (eternal life with Him). And how do we receive that birth? Through the Spirit. We are unable to please God by our own efforts: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). Spiritual renewal, spiritual rebirth, is received through the Spirit.
We conclude then that 1 Peter teaches that God’s Spirit and His Word are what save. The Spirit illumines our minds and enables our willing submission to the gospel, but the Word is an essential aspect as well. The Spirit works in tandem with His Word, not independent of it, to save men. Likewise, the Word is ineffectual on human hearts unless the Spirit is also at work. God has ordained these two—His Spirit and His Word—as the agents of salvation. But we ought not think of them as two independent entities, but rather an indivisible pair. The Holy Spirit has chosen to typically work in men through His Word. In God’s grace, He is imminently involved anywhere His Word is read, faithfully working through it to draw hearts to Himself. The Spirit’s saving work is not separate from the Word, but rather is inextricably linked to it.
Both the Spirit and the Word are active, but as we study that relationship in more detail, we understand that the information necessary for us to be saved is primarily communicated through Scripture. The Spirit does not bring new truth—new revelation—but rather uses what He has already revealed in the Word. Scripture is sufficient as the revelation of saving truth, and we need no other source or new revelation. The Spirit takes that revelation and, through it, transforms our hearts and lives.