1 Peter 1:22-25

We need to come to Christ in the first instance because we are unclear, we are sinners. We need to be cleansed or purified. When we obey the truth, ie when we acknowledge and repent of our sins, seeking forgiveness from God through Christ we are purified. It is now possible for us to do the right thing. One of the first fruits of this should be to love one another deeply and sincerely. We should consider the needs of others as important as our own needs.

We have been born again. In John 3 Jesus talks about being born again of the Spirit, here Peter speaks about being born again through the Word. The Word of God and the Spirit are very closely related. In Ephesians 6 Paul says the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. The most obvious and effective sign of the Spirit having an effect in our lives is that He makes the Word of God alive to us, He makes it effective in our lives.

This is much more than an emotional experience (though our emotions may well be involved), for it is living and enduring. People are like grass, and the supposed glory of men is fleeting, it can turn from apparently being wonderful to being awful or insignificant in an instant. God's work in our lives, through His word, is permanent. The good news is the Word of God and its effect in our lives is eternal.