having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever.

 (a) When a leper had been healed, he was sprinkled with the blood of a bird ( Leviticus 14:1-7). Sprinkling with blood is, therefore, the symbol of cleansing. By the sacrifice of Christ, the Christian is cleansed from sin. 