(click for Audio)
In 1 Peter 1:3 the Apostle Peter overflows with praise to God for His wonderful gift of "new birth into a living hope".
What is this new birth all about, and why is it so important for us? We reflect back on Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, where He said that unless a person is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. As we explore further in the New Testament we are reminded that our salvation - the gift of eternal life - is something that is completely out of reach for us. However God in his great mercy has made it available to each of us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. By believing in Him we trade in our old life - a life under the burden of sin and death and facing inevitable judgement - and we receive new life in which we are reconciled to God, freed from the control of sin and rescued from judgement.
God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but to save all those who will accept this wonderful gift of His mercy.
