1 Peter 1:23

ἀναγεγεννημένοι. So St. John ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους ὅτι … πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται; cf. Ephesians 4:17; Ephesians 5:2. ἐκ σπορᾶς ἀφθάρτου, i.e., of God regarded as Father and perhaps also as Sower (cf. 1 Peter 1:24); the two conceptions are combined in 1 John 3:9, πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ μένει. Compare Philo, Leg. All., p. 123 M. Λείαν … ἐξ οὐδενὸς γεννητοῦ λαμβάνουσαν τὴν σπορὰν.… ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. διὰ λόγου … μένοντος, the connection of ζῶντος κ. μέν. is doubtful; the following quotation might justify the abiding word and Hebrews 4:12, the living word in accordance with Deuteronomy 32:47 cf. Deuteronomy 32:3, ἐλπίδα ζῶσαν. On the other hand the rendering of the Vulgate, per verbum dei vivi et permanentis, is supported by Daniel 6:26 (αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν θεὸς μένων καὶ ζῶν) and supports St. Peter's argument: earthly relationships must perish with all flesh and its glory; spiritual kinship abides, because it is based on the relation of the kinsfolk to God living and abiding. For the word of God as the means of regeneration, cf. James 1:18, βουληθεὶς ἀπεκύησεν ἡμᾶς λόγῳ ἀληθείας. For its identification with ῥῆμα of the quotation, cf. Acts 10:36 f.