I am sending this letter to you, God’s chosen people. You are strangers in the world. You are scattered all over Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. ²You have been chosen in keeping with what God the Father had planned. That happened through the Spirit’s work to make you pure and holy. God chose you so that you might obey Jesus Christ. He wanted you to be made clean by the blood of Christ.

May more and more grace and peace be given to you.

Peter Praises God for a Hope That Is Alive

³Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a hope that is alive. It is alive because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. ⁴He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. It is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you. ⁵Through faith you are kept safe by God’s power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days.

⁶Because you know this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble.

⁷Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. It is worth more than gold. Gold can pass away even though fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. That will happen when Jesus Christ returns.

⁸Even though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him. You are filled with a glorious joy that can’t be put into words. ⁹You are receiving the salvation of your souls. It is the result of your faith.

¹⁰The prophets searched very hard and with great care to find out about that salvation. They spoke about the grace that was going to come to you. ¹¹They wanted to find out when that salvation would come. The Spirit of Christ in them was telling them about the sufferings of Christ that were going to come. He was also telling them about the glory that would follow.

¹²It was made known to the prophets that they were not serving themselves. Instead, they were serving you when they spoke about the things that you have now heard. Those who have preached the good news to you have told you those things. They have done it with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into those things.

Be Holy

¹³So prepare your minds for action. Control yourselves. Put your hope completely in the grace that will be given to you when Jesus Christ returns.

¹⁴You should obey. You shouldn’t give in to evil longings. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better. ¹⁵The one who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do. ¹⁶It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

¹⁷You call on a Father who judges each person’s work without favoring one over another. So live your lives as strangers here. Have the highest respect for God.

¹⁸The blood of Christ set you free from an empty way of life. That way of life was handed down to you by your own people long ago. You know that you were not bought with things that can pass away, like silver or gold. ¹⁹Instead, you were bought by the priceless blood of Christ. He is a perfect lamb. He doesn’t have any flaws at all. ²⁰He was chosen before God created the world. But he came into the world in these last days for you.

²¹Because of what Christ has done, you believe in God. It was God who raised him from the dead. And it was God who gave him glory. So your faith and hope are in God.

²²You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for your brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply, from the heart.

²³You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts forever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can’t die. ²⁴It is written,

“All people are like grass.

All of their glory is like the flowers in the field.

The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground.

²⁵But the word of the Lord stands forever.”

And that word was preached to you.

2So get rid of every kind of evil. Stop telling lies. Don’t pretend to be something you are not. Stop wanting what others have. Don’t speak against each other.

²Like babies that were just born, you should long for the pure milk of God’s word. It will help you grow up as believers. ³You can do it now that you have tasted how good the Lord is.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴Christ is the living Stone. People did not accept him. But God chose him. God places the highest value on him.

⁵You also are like living stones. As you come to him you are being built into a house for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done.

⁶In Scripture it says,

“Look! I am placing a stone in Zion.

It is a chosen and very valuable stone.

It is the most important stone in the building.

The one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.”

⁷The stone is very valuable to you who believe. But to people who do not believe,

“The stone the builders did not accept

has become the most important stone of all.”

⁸And,

“It is a stone that causes people to trip.

It is a rock that makes them fall.”

They trip and fall because they do not obey the message. That is also what God planned for them.

⁹But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are a people who belong to God. All of this is so that you can sing his praises. He brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰Once you were not a people. But now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy. But now you have received mercy.

¹¹Dear friends, you are outsiders and strangers in this world. So I’m asking you not to give in to your sinful longings. They fight against your soul. ¹²People who don’t believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good works. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.

Obey Your Rulers and Masters

¹³Follow the lead of every human authority. Do it because the Lord wants you to. Obey the king. He is the highest authority. ¹⁴Obey the governors. The king sends them to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right. ¹⁵By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don’t know what they are saying. God wants you to stop them.

¹⁶Live like free people. But don’t use your freedom to cover up evil. Live like people who serve God. ¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone. Love the community of believers. Have respect for God. Honor the king.

¹⁸Slaves, obey your masters with all the respect you should give them. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. ¹⁹Suppose a person suffers pain unfairly because he wants to obey God. That is worthy of praise. ²⁰But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for that? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for that.

²¹Christ suffered for you. He left you an example. He expects you to follow in his steps. You too were chosen to suffer. ²²Scripture says,

“He didn’t commit any sin.

No lies ever came out of his mouth.”

²³People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn’t do the same back to them. He suffered. But he didn’t say that bad things would happen to them. Instead, he trusted in the One who judges fairly.

²⁴He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross. He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. His wounds have made you whole.

²⁵You were like sheep who were wandering away. But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the Leader of your souls.

Read in Logos