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"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. -Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever:" (1 Peter 1:3, 23).

 "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3-4).

         What tremendous changes are required as "He taketh away the first, that He might establish the second." Only GOD can effect such changes! "Blessed be the God and Father... according as His divine power..." These phrases place the emphasis where it belongs. It is the handiwork of God, as He sovereignly fulfills the counsel of His own will. It was THE FATHER who set forth His Son to become the SURETY, the YES, the GUARANTEE that this new covenant would be totally successful. And it is in our Lord Jesus Christ that we first see the "taking away of the first," by His fulfilling all of the righteousness of the law, and then "establishing the second," as He ushers in a new dispensation. The former ministration, as championed by Moses, is done away. The new ministration finds its Head in Jesus Christ. "He hath obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of A BETTER COVENANT, which was established upon BETTER PROMISES." (Hebrews 8:6).
       Better promises-- with God making promise both for Himself, and for us, saying, " I WILL... and THEY SHALL..." Better promises-- with God promising to pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh, so that His Spirit becomes the ENERGIZING LIFE-FORCE which shall carry out the new covenant in perfection, thus making it totally the outworking of HIS GRACE.
         Thus we have a NEW MINISTRATION, for a NEW COVENANT, energized by a NEW SPIRIT.  And, it rightly follows, it shall be fulfilled in a NEW PEOPLE, for "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14). Jesus said it clearly to Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:6-7).
         BEGOTTEN AGAIN-- from the Greek "anagennao." The prefix "ana" means: again, and the word "gennao" means: to beget. Thus they combine to mean: to beget again.
         The root is "genea" from whence comes a host of different words, all related, and meaning: to beget, to generate, generation.
         "Genos"_- kind, offspring, stock, be born of, etc.
         "Ginomai"-- to cause to be, to become.
         The new birth is a process of becoming-- becoming a new creation in Christ, where old things have passed away, and all things have become new. It is not accomplished in one giant stride, but is a process of growth and development, until we are mature, having come "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13).
         The new birth covers all three dimensions of our being--spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is quickened by His Spirit. "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord." (Proverbs 20:27). "For Thou wilt light my candle: The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness." (Psalm 18:28). HE is "The True Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (John 1:9).
         It takes the Spirit of God moving upon our heart to light our candle (quicken our spirit) and bring us unto a God-consciousness. Then follows the process of the renewing of our mind, until we are "renewed in the spirit of our mind." (Ephesians 4:23).
         "Transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2).
         Yes, then it shall truly be said, "We have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16).
       With our spirit quickened by the Spirit of God, our mind renewed into His mind, it rightly follows that He will then "Change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body." (Philippians 3:21). Thus bringing forth a totally new creation in Christ, spirit, soul, and body.
         It is, Peter writes, "according to His abundant mercy (that He) hath begotten us again..." It is His own super-abounding grace to us-ward, it is His overflowing mercy, it is His all-conquering love, that has purposed our regeneration. We are not self-begotten. It is not a self-initiated realization. It is God's sovereign handiwork in us. For "God's gift is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God's mercy. - It depends not on one's own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God's having mercy on him." (Romans 9:16, Amplified).
         "Every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. By His own wish He made us His own sons through the Word of truth, that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of His new creation." (James 1:17-18, Phillips).
       Jesus clearly stated, "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him." (John 6:44). Our birthing into HIS NEW CREATION LIFE is sovereignly wrought by the will of God, as "IN CHRIST shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order (rank, time)." (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). It is the Father who does the begetting, according to His will and purpose as He draws every man unto Himself. Such love and mercy to us-ward is overwhelming, we can but bow low to worship at His feet.
         Furthermore, Peter writes on, we have a "LIVELY HOPE" because of "the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3). Had He not risen from the dead, there would be no hope for mankind's regeneration. Jesus Christ is the "YES" of the New Covenant. It was His resurrection that guarantees that we also shall live in the fullness of His life.
         Jesus said, "Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: BECAUSE I LIVE, YE SHALL LIVE ALSO." (John 14:19). He was crucified, buried in the tomb, and the world saw Him no more. No more could the world know Him after the flesh. But there were those who WOULD SEE HIM. These would be the first fruits of a new creation-- even those whom He has chosen to be the FIRST PARTAKERS of the NEW LIFE.  And so He said unto them, "YE SHALL SEE ME. " And when He emerged out of the tomb in resurrection life, He appeared unto them, and said, "Behold My hands and My feet, that IT IS I MYSELF: handle Me, and see... " (Luke 24:39). Having been raised from the dead, He could now proceed to work out the promise, "BECAUSE I LIVE, YE SHALL LIVE ALSO." It is a living hope, a secured expectation that we shall come into the fullness of His life.
         With Paul we pray, "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection out from among the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11).
       Obviously it was a GOD-GIVEN prayer, which also would be GOD-FULFILLED. For it is God which worketh in us "both to will, and to do." He imparts the desire, and He supplies the power for its fulfillment.
         Paul desired to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in an experiential knowledge which is only wrought out by being like Him. This is beautifully expressed in the chorus:

                                               "I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness,
                                               For then I shall behold You as You are,
                                               And my spirit's deepest longings will be answered
                                               As I worship You no longer from afar."

         It is when HE has conformed us to His image, that we'll experientially know Him as He is-- not just by mental illumination, not just by inner spirit knowledge, but by our very STATE OF BEING testifying of His reality.
         Certainly many a son understood his father much better once he also became a father, and likewise a daughter understood her own mother much better, once she was a mother. Ah, how much more we shall KNOW HIM once we have been conformed to His image, and are partakers of His divine nature, and that which is invisible becomes manifest in our own being. Yet the attention is not drawn to ourselves, but unto HIM-- for all that we BECOME witnesses unto Him. Thus He is magnified and exalted!
         Paul also desired to know in an experiential way the power of Christ's resurrection-- to have that power surging through his own being, overcoming all sin and self, that he might manifest the Christ life. The word "power" here is the Greek word "dunamis" meaning: ability. It bespeaks of that which overcomes all resistance, yes, even death itself, for the POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION would lift him out from among the dead.
         The Greek word used here for "resurrection" is found only this one time in the New Testament, and it is literally an "out-resurrection." Furthermore, this was not to be limited only to some future resurrection time, but also be a SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION even now, out from a state in which we are dead in trespasses and sins, to one in which we are ALIVE WITH THE DIVINE LIFE OF GOD motivating our entire being.
         How we desire the full operation of His life to so surge through us that the fragrance of the Christ-life would permeate us, and be expressed through us. Yet it is self-evident that Christ's RESURRECTION LIFE, in any degree or meaning, can only FOLLOW that inworking of the cross with its death to self, etc. The very word resurrection signifies that there has been a death out of which one is raised. Thank God for HIS CROSS which brings an end to our trespasses and sins, and to all of our self -ego in its willful rebellion, etc. so that henceforth we might manifest more and more of Christ-- to be expressed not only in our present daily living, but ultimately in a new body also.
         "We have a painful longing, not because we want to get rid of these 'clothes' but because we want to know the full cover of the permanent house that will be ours. We want our transitory life to be absorbed into the life that is eternal." (2 Corin. 5:4, Phillips).
         So, thank God, WE ARE BEING BORN AGAIN, the process is on, and shall continue until He shall have brought forth a totally NEW GENERATION-- spirit quickened, mind renewed, body changed. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God." (1 Peter 1:23).
         By the WORD-- by the LOGOS of God. The word "logos" is a very full word, it includes the whole mind, will, intent, purpose behind that which IS expressed, spoken. Jesus Christ IS THE WORD OF GOD! He is the expression of Divine Thought and Purpose, a revelation of the Mind of God to mankind. What we see IN HIM, as THE WORD, is what we are to become. This Word is the NEW NATURE found in the new covenant generation. For He said, "I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people." (Hebrews 8:10). HIS WORD in heart and mind, so that these also become a further expression of God to man.
         Truly THE WORD is that incorruptible seed of which the new CHRIST-LIFE in us is formed. It is a WORD-LIFE! We are born of the Word, nourished by the Word, as we "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18). And truly, He gives "unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who hath called us." (2 Peter 1:3).
         Knowledge-- knowledge of HIM! No wonder the prophet bemoaned the fact that "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge." (Hosea 4:6). Without a knowledge of Him, there is no life, for "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." (John 17:3).
         To KNOW-- literally, TO KNOW BY EXPERIENCE. It is not a mere form of head-knowledge, mental assent to a few doctrines about Him, but it is to EXPERIENCE HIM. Same word is found in John 8:32, "Ye shall know (by experience) the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Thank God, for the promise, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Habakkuk 2:14). "For all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest." (Hebrews 8: 11 ).
         There are "given unto US exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature..." (2 Peter 1:4).
         Interesting word, "nature," being the Greek word "phusis" from the root "phuo" which means: to puff or blow, i.e. to swell up; but only used in the sense "to germinate or grow." It speaks of that INHERENT LIFE IN THE SEED which germinates and grows, bringing forth after its kind.
         When the incorruptible seed, which is the WORD OF GOD, is placed within us, and begins to expand and grow within us, it will be an expression of HIS will, HIS thought, HIS purpose. And truly, "The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own." (Romans 8:19, Phillips). No more just an INNER SEED, or as a babe in the womb, but bursting forth into full expression, a revelation of Him!
        "Partakers of the DIVINE nature." Or, as Phillips translates, "To share God's essential nature." How staggering is the thought! We who have so shared in the nature of the earthy, with all of its weaknesses, lusts, passion and pride, are to be (Greek, become) partakers of GOD'S OWN NATURE, character, essence. Essence is defined as "that which in being underlies all outward manifestation, and is permanent and unchangeable." We who have been so earthy, so fickle in our moods and emotions, subjected to the futility and frustration of change and decay, are to be made partakers of that incorruptible realm which is permanent and unchangeable-- totally righteous, and forever so!
        Such is the resurrection life of the new covenant generation, first revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, and ultimately in us. "And as concerning that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore He saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts 13:34-35). True, Paul goes on to state, "David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption. But He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption." (Verses 36:37).
         How marvellous! It is the new creation resurrection life which brings us into the fulfillment of "the sure mercies of David," which includes the blessed promise, "NO MORE to return to corruption." It cannot be corrupted! It is the DIVINE NATURE which is permanent and unchangeable! This excludes all thoughts of re-incarnation, etc. for the "sure mercies of David," do not include repetitious cycles of birth and returning to corruption. It is a NO MORE CORRUPTION, it is truly more abundant life!
         "The man who is really God's son does not practice sin, for God's nature is in him, for good, and such a heredity is incapable of sin." ( 1 John 3:9, Phillips).
        Holiness springs out of the Spirit realm, and it is a principle of genetics. You shall be holy, because your Father is holy. This is not just a command, it is a promise-- based upon the Father's own nature. His character traits are to be found in you. Holiness is guaranteed because it is hereditary. "Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (King James Version).
         "In accordance with His deliberate purpose He brought us into being by means of the Word of truth, resulting in our being a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:18, Wuest Expanded).
         Literal translation: "A kind of the 'of Himself' creatures."
        All of this is in harmony with that prophetic word of Enoch, which Jude shares with us, (Jude 14, Literal trans.), "Lo, came the Lord in holy myriads of Himself" These are tremendous words, far beyond the theology of Christendom-- that God is bringing forth a manifestation of His new covenant generation which can rightly be called "the creatures of Himself," for they are all of His divine nature.
         "He made Him who personally knew nothing of sin to be a sin-offering for us, so that through union with Him we might come into right standing with God." (2 Corinthians 5:21, Williams). It is this UNION WITH HIM that brings us into a BECOMING-- "becoming the righteousness of God in Him." Only the Sinless One could ever be such an offering for us-- freely giving to us of His sinless  life, that we might be born of Him, and come into a state of being that also is sinless. We repeat, it is a principle of genetics, as we are BORN OF GOD. He is incorruptible, hence so also is the nature of His new creation.
         There is a process in all of this becoming. And we "share with Him His sufferings as to be continuously transformed by His death." (Philippians 3:10, Williams).
         CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFORMED-- how we praise God for such an on-going inworking of His grace, that we might be "changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18). But we cannot isolate this "continuously transformed" from the other part of the verse, of our "sharing with Him His sufferings," even in all its death ramifications. Our transition from this earthy generation-- of the flesh, of man, of the letter, etc. into the new covenant generation-- which is of the Spirit, of God, the inward man, this transition, we say, is made as we share the inworkings of His cross, being made conformable to His death. "Crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." (Galatians 2:20). HE LOVES US, He gave Himself to be a sin-offering for us, and now He imparts HIS SEED-LIFE into us, that we might come forth in the newness of life, His incorruptible life. Bless His name for ever!
         Consider some of that suffering we share with Him. "In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation."( Acts 8:33 ).
         Who, in that dark hour, can tell of His birth? Who can tell of His generated Source? Who can tell of His lineage? Who can declare that God is His Father? Ah, in His humiliation there was none that dare stand up and declare His generation. Peter, His own disciple, who had received that tremendous revelation, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." (Matthew 16:16), could not stand the hour of His humiliation, and "denied with an oath, I do not know the Man." (Matthew 26:72). Thus His true identity was veiled over, "And He was numbered with the transgressors." (Mark 15:28). Nobody knew who He really was, "For had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:8. Yet God gave a rare glimpse of insight to the centurion, and they that were with him, as they stood before His cross, and as they saw "those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:54).
         Be assured that, while we share in this humiliation, going forth "unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach," (Hebrews 13:13), yet we need no man to declare our generation either, for it is "The Spirit itself (that) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." (Romans 8:16). It is an INTERNAL KNOWING which we hold in trust before God. "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God." (Romans 14:22). We know that we are HIS, and He knows that we are His, let it suffice us.
         Furthermore, Jesus said, "He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory." (John 7:18). All self-proclamation is surely being dealt with by His cross, as we share in His humiliation, preparatory to our manifestation as His new covenant generation.
         When "ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God," (Colossians 3:3), then who shall declare your generation? Humiliation time is not brag-time, it is not ego-trip-time. But it is a time of His tremendous love, that He would choose to draw you to Himself, and share of His processings in you!
         Proverbs 30:13 tells us, "There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up." Yea, we have felt the disdain of their raised eyebrows, as with scorn they looked upon us, and we, like our Lord, have to bear the same in silence-- sharing His reproach. "We are made as the filth of the world, and are the off scouring of all things unto this day." ( 1 Corinthians 4:13). The generation OF THIS WORLD will not receive you. Nor will much of Christendom receive you-- for you are a misfit in their camp, a challenge to their doctrine, a threat to their kingdom.
         But, TO GOD you are His new covenant generation, clothed with humility, seeking only to lift up Christ, not man, not self, that He alone might be exalted. And this new generation is vitally involved with His time and appearing.
         "When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise Thee." (Psalm 102:16-18).
         In harmony with His new covenant, HE IS CREATING A NEW PEOPLE. The Hebrew word is "bara" meaning: to prepare, form, fashion, create. It is the same word as used in Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God." He is preparing, forming, fashioning a people. "This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise." (Isaiah 43:21).
         "If any man be in Christ a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away;  behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17). The verb tenses in the Greek are difficult to bring over into our English language, unless we use a more expanded wording. It is much more accurate to say, "the old things have passed, are passing, and shall continue to pass away," behold, all things have become, are becoming, and shall continue to become new." This gives us a view of the on-going process of our being changed even now, from glory to glory. And we are "confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1 :6).
         UNTIL THE DAY of Jesus Christ! When He shall appear in His glory! The full disclosure of this new covenant generation is vitally linked with His own appearing. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:4). He is the Finisher of this creative-redemptive process of our new birth. And we need to "gird up the loins of our mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:13).
         "We don't know what we shall become in the future. We only know that, if reality were to break through, we should reflect His likeness, for we should see Him as He really is." (1 John 3:2, Phillips).
         Wuest: "And not yet has it been made visible what we shall be. We know absolutely that whenever it is made visible, like ones to Him we shall be, because we shall see Him just as He is."
         Even Job possessed this tremendous hope, and declared,  "For I know My Defender exists, and at last will stand over my dust,  And after this skin is destroyed I shall yet in my flesh gaze upon God! Whom I shall gaze on for myself, Mine eyes shall see Himself, not another, fulfilling  the hopes of my breast." (Job 19:25-27, Ferrar Fenton translation).
         THE TIME is of His appointment, but there is a time when the new covenant generation shall SEE HIM, be like Him, and come forth in His victory-- the fullness of His life.
         Psalm 14:5, "For God is in the generation of the righteous."
        Righteousness is a state of being, a condition of heart and mind wherein the very nature and character of God IS seen. God said of Noah, "For thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation." (Genesis 7:1). Whatever its degree, there was a righteousness found in Noah that was pleasing unto the Lord. And God has been WITH other generations, righteous in their time, walking according to the light He had given them. But there is a new covenant generation in whom He will dwell. He was WITH others, He will be IN these! Even as Jesus said, "He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:17).
         How little we yet comprehend WHO ABIDES WITHIN us. Surely if we really knew this, we would not struggle so hard to live out His life, but we would yield to HIS living out the Christ-life through us. Praise God for the promise, "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one." (John 17:23).
        How little do we yet comprehend our ABIDING IN HIM. But there is "the generation of them that seek Him, that seek Thy face, O God of Jacob." (Psalm 24:6). There is an all-consuming desire to see Him, become one in and with Him. "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee." (Psalm 73:25).
         Paul stated it so well, "That I may win Christ, and be found in Him." (Philippians 3:8-9). There cannot be a true UNION, a oneness with Him, until He is our sole desire. For the new covenant generation are a people in covenant relationship with God-- to functionally be as one, to live and breathe as one.
         We read that "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel." (Psalm 103:7). There are those who find their delight just in beholding His marvellous deeds. And there are those who, like Moses, cry out, "Shew me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that I may find grace in Thy sight." (Exodus 33:13). For they desire to know His way and working, the secret of His plan and purpose. But I dare say, there is a generation that shall know His acts, know His way, and then go on to KNOW HIS PERSON-- to intimately and gloriously know Him!
        "A  chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that shall shew forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into His marvellous light." (1 Peter 2:9).
         This choosing is not with the thought of rejecting others, for ALL shall be redeemed, "every man in his own order." But God's choosing is for a specific purpose-- to fill an appointed position, that they might become His DISPLAY VESSELS. "He hath raised us up together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. " (Ephesians 2:6- 7).
         The marvellous work of redemption, as seen in His first fruits, these creatures of Himself, shall be a demonstration of what He purposes to ultimately work in every man. As is the first fruit, so also shall be the entire harvest, when He "gathers together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him." (Ephesians 1:10).
         Truly, "A seed shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation." (Psalm 22:30). It is a new covenant generation, through whom He shall bless all nations, revealing the wonders of His grace, and bringing hope to the hopeless, love to the loveless, and life to those who have long dwelt in the regions of the shadow of death.

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