A Living Hope

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead^(A)

²³ You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.^[a](A)

⁴ for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.^(A)

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.^(A)

Paul’s Thanksgiving after Affliction

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation,^(A)

¹² Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer.^(A)

⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,^{(A) 5} he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water^[a] of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.^{(B) 6} This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

³ And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for^[a] a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,^(A)

³ Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”^{[a](A) 4} Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.^{(B) 6} What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You^[b] must be born from above.’^{[c] 8} The wind^[d] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”^(C)