Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
"Born again" (cf. 1 Peter 1:23) describes the Christian who experienced spiritual regeneration (John 3:3). The phrase stresses the great change that takes place at conversion and our resultant participation in the life of God. God has been exceedingly merciful in giving us this blessing (cf. Romans 11:30-32; Romans 15:9; Ephesians 2:1-7; Titus 3:5). One writer considered salvation the major theme of this epistle. [Note: Paul A. Cedar, James , 1, 2 Peter, Jude, p. 120.] 