Daily Reader's Bible - Flipbook - Page 35
greater than their master.
Nor is the messenger more
important than the one who
sends the message. Now that
you know these things, God
will bless you for doing them.
THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST AND THE FOLLOWING GLORY
This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus
Christ.
I am writing to God’s chosen people
who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia. God the Father knew you and
chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made
you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him
and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus
Christ.
May God give you more and more grace
and peace.
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All praise to God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that
we have been born again, because God
raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we
live with great expectation, and we have a
priceless inheritance—an inheritance that
is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled,
beyond the reach of change and decay. And
through your faith, God is protecting you by
his power until you receive this salvation,
which is ready to be revealed on the last day
for all to see.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy
ahead, even though you must endure many
trials for a little while. These trials will show
that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as
fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith
is far more precious than mere gold. So when
your faith remains strong through many trials,
it will bring you much praise and glory and
honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed
to the whole world.
You love him even though you have never
seen him. Though you do not see him now, you
trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him
will be the salvation of your souls.
This salvation was something even the
prophets wanted to know more about when
they prophesied about this gracious salvation
prepared for you. They wondered what time or
situation the Spirit of Christ within them was
talking about when he told them in advance
about Christ’s suffering and his great glory
afterward.
They were told that their messages were not
for themselves, but for you. And now this Good
News has been announced to you by those
who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit
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[1 PETER 1:1–2:3]
sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that
even the angels are eagerly watching these
things happen.
So prepare your minds for action and exercise
self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious
salvation that will come to you when Jesus
Christ is revealed to the world. So you must
live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip
back into your old ways of living to satisfy
your own desires. You didn’t know any better
then. But now you must be holy in everything
you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For
the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because
I am holy.”
And remember that the heavenly Father to
whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge
or reward you according to what you do. So
you must live in reverent fear of him during
your time here as “temporary residents.” For
you know that God paid a ransom to save you
from the empty life you inherited from your
ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold
or silver, which lose their value. It was the
precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless
Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom
long before the world began, but now in these
last days he has been revealed for your sake.
Through Christ you have come to trust in
God. And you have placed your faith and hope
in God because he raised Christ from the dead
and gave him great glory.
You were cleansed from your sins when you
obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.
Love each other deeply with all your heart.
For you have been born again, but not to
a life that will quickly end. Your new life will
last forever because it comes from the eternal,
living word of God. As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord
remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was
preached to you.
So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with
all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind
speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave
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