Verse 18

By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Referenced Verses

  • 1 Pet 1:23 : 23 You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
  • John 1:13 : 13 – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.
  • Rev 14:4 : 4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb,
  • 2 Thess 2:13-14 : 13 Call to Stand Firm But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • 1 Pet 1:3 : 3 New Birth to Joy and Holiness Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  • Jer 2:3 : 3 Israel was set apart to the LORD; they were like the first fruits of a harvest to him. All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the LORD.
  • Eph 1:12 : 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.
  • John 3:3-5 : 3 Jesus replied,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him,“How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?” 5 Jesus answered,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
  • Rom 4:17 : 17 (as it is written,“I have made you the father of many nations”). He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed– the God who makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do.
  • Rom 8:29-31 : 29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
  • Rom 9:15-18 : 15 For he says to Moses:“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh:“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then, God has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden.
  • 1 Cor 4:15 : 15 For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, because I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
  • Eph 2:4-5 : 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ– by grace you are saved!–
  • Col 1:20-21 : 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross– through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 Paul’s Goal in Ministry And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds,
  • Amos 6:1 : 1 The Party is over for the Rich Woe to those who live in ease in Zion, to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria. They think of themselves as the elite class of the best nation. The family of Israel looks to them for leadership.
  • Lev 23:10 : 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When you enter the land that I am about to give to you and you gather in its harvest, then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion of your harvest to the priest,
  • Heb 12:23 : 23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect,
  • Jas 1:21 : 21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.
  • 1 John 3:9 : 9 Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God.