Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 1:22-25
The Special Verse: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23, KJV)
Reflection:
Christians are praying and asking God to purge them, however we see the responsibility to purify our souls is on us. We can do this by renewing our minds with the word of God and choosing to keep our minds focused on what is pure. But here's what we need to understand: our spirit doesn't need purification. When we are born again, God gives us one new spirit — already renewed, already made new in Christ.
That spirit is sealed. It's the very Spirit given to us for the day of redemption, and it should be given preeminence within us instead of our soul. Our spirit cannot be contaminated by sin the way Adam's spirit became contaminated in the Garden of Eden. That's what we get to rely on after our new birth — a spirit that is already clean, already sealed, already protected.
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently" (1 Peter 1:22, KJV)
So if our spirit is already sealed and protected, what's left for us to purify? Our soul — our mind, will, and emotions. And the way we purify our soul is by obeying the truth. That's not automatic like our spirit's rebirth was; it's a daily choice.
Here's why the Word matters so much in that process: a seed always produces after its own kind. Plant a seed, and it grows into exactly what its kind was created to be — nothing else. It's the same with the Word of God planted in us. The eternal, incorruptible Word deposited in our hearts has the power to produce the very life of God in us. But it can only produce what it is, and only when we let it take root.
When we don't obey the Word, we make it ineffective in our lives. No fruit comes from a seed we never let grow. And a Christian who doesn't obey the Word ends up living a life that feels empty — going through the motions of faith without ever experiencing what that Word was meant to produce.
"But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:25, KJV)
We are part of the family of God. We become — and remain — Christians by embracing His Word and letting it live and abide in us, because it lives and abides forever.