1 Peter 1:22 - 2:3
22 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, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because
“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
We show obedience to the truth of God’s gospel by obedience in the direction of holiness and genuine love for our brethren. This means we love God and man purely from our hearts, and not in feigned outward social actions that ring hollow. Genuine concern comes only from a changed heart, and is impossible apart from God’s work in us, for we are born again from above by the faith given by His word’s revealing (Romans 10:17). His word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and is eternal; this word with the power to save also is to be obeyed to yield to His Spirit’s work in us, for everything else fades away without eternal effect. The word of the gospel is Christ Himself (John 1:1, 14) who we heard preached to us to the conversion of our souls. He delivered us from the power of sin by this word to the end that we should continue to walk in it, being transformed day by day to be more like Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our part is to say no to the sin which so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1-2), desiring instead His word and following what is revealed there on His heart and will for us. We do this if we have truly tasted His grace so that we may grow in sanctification and giving glory to our Savior, Lord, and Master. Having tasted that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), we follow Him.
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