Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Peter 1:23

"having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth." — 1 Peter 1:23 (ASV)

Being born again. (See the notes on John 3:3.)

Not of corruptible seed. This is, as Doddridge notes, "not by virtue of any descent from human parents." The result of such a birth, or of being begotten in this way—as the word rendered born again more properly signifies—is only corruption and decay. We are begotten only to die. No permanent, enduring life is produced by that. It is in this sense that this is spoken of as "corruptible seed," because it results in decay and death. The word rendered seed here—spora—occurs nowhere else in the New Testament.

But of incorruptible—that is, by truth, communicating a living principle to the soul which can never decay. Compare 1 John 3:9: His seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

By the word of God. (See the notes on James 1:18.)

Namely: Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures. (Compare also the notes on John 1:13.)

It is the uniform doctrine of the Scriptures that Divine truth is made the instrument of quickening the soul into spiritual life.

Which liveth and abideth for ever. This expression may refer either to God, as living forever, or to the word of God, as being forever true. Critics are about equally divided in the interpretation. The Greek will bear either construction. Most recent critics incline to the latter opinion—that it refers to the word of God, or to his doctrine. So Rosenmuller, Doddridge, Bloomfield, Wolf, Macknight, and Clarke.

It seems to me, however, that the more natural construction of the Greek is to refer it to God, as ever-living or enduring; and this interpretation agrees well with the connection. The idea then is, that as God is ever-living, that which is produced directly by him in the human soul, by the instrumentality of truth, may be expected also to endure forever. It will not be like the offspring of human parents, themselves mortal, liable to early and certain decay, but may be expected to be as enduring as its ever-living Creator.