1 Petrus 1

Petrus groet almal wat sy brief lees

1-2 Ek, Petrus, is ’n tapostel van Jesus Christus. Ek skryf hierdie brief vir julle wat tvreemdelinge is en wat op verskillende plekke woon in die provinsies Pontus, Galasië, Kappadosië, tAsië en Bitinië. God die Vader het julle gekies om sy volk te wees omdat Hy lank gelede dit besluit het. Die Heilige Gees het julle tgewy om sy volk te wees en om gehoorsaam te wees aan Jesus Christus. God het lank gelede besluit dat Jesus Christus moet sterf om julle sonde weg te neem. Ons bid dat God tgenadig sal wees vir julle en dat Hy vir julle baie vrede sal gee.

Julle moet bly wees, want God gee vir julle nuwe lewe

5 God is sterk, Hy pas ook vir julle mooi op, julle wat in Hom glo. Hy wil julle red op die tlaaste dag, julle sal dit sien.
6 Julle moet baie bly wees dat God julle wil red. Julle kry nou baie swaar en julle dink dat julle miskien moet ophou om vir God te dien. Maar julle sal net ’n kort tydjie swaarkry. 7 Hierdie dinge wat julle laat swaarkry, toets julle geloof, en julle geloof is meer tkosbaar as goud. Goud bly nie altyd dieselfde nie, maar ’n mens smelt goud in vuur om dit skoon te maak. Wanneer julle swaarkry en wanneer God julle geloof toets, dan sal mense sien dat julle geloof beter is as goud wat mense gesmelt het. Wanneer Jesus Christus weer kom, dan sal julle belangrik wees, God sal julle prys en vir julle teer gee. 8 Julle het nooit vir Jesus Christus gesien nie, maar julle is lief vir Hom. Julle sien Hom nou ook nie, maar julle glo in Hom. Ja, julle is baie bly, ’n mens kan nie met woorde sê of verduidelik hoe bly julle is nie, dit is God wat julle so bly maak.

9 Julle is bly, want julle weet wat julle gaan kry: God sal vir julle red, julle wat in Christus glo.
10 Die tprofete het baie hard probeer om uit te vind hoe God vir julle sal red, en hulle het vir julle die boodskap van tgenade gebring. 11 Die Gees van Christus wat in die profete gewoon het, het lank gelede vertel dat Christus baie swaar sal kry en dat Hy daarna Koning sal wees. Die profete het probeer om uit te vind wanneer en hoe die dinge met Christus sal gebeur, die dinge waarvan die Gees gepraat het.

12 God het vir die profete gewys dat hulle die goeie boodskap nie vir hulleself moes bring nie, maar vir julle. God het die Heilige Gees gestuur, en die Heilige Gees het vir die profete die goeie boodskap gegee wat hulle nou vir julle gebring het. Die tengele wil ook graag hierdie dinge weet.

Julle moet julleself aan die Here wy en julle moet lief wees vir mekaar

16 Julle moet so lewe omdat daar in die Ou Testament geskryf is: “tJulle moet julleself aan My twy, want Ek is heilig.”
17 Julle bid tot God en julle noem Hom julle Vader. Hy dink nie dat een mens belangriker is as ’n ander mens nie en daarom sal Hy elke mens toordeel oor wat hy gedoen het. Daarom moet julle vir God respekteer terwyl julle soos tvreemdelinge in die wêreld is. 18-19 Julle weet dat Christus julle vrygemaak het van die slegte lewe wat niks beteken nie, julle het by julle tvoorvaders geleer om so te lewe. Christus het julle vrygemaak, maar Hy het julle nie gekoop met silwer of goud nie. Dit is dinge wat kan ophou om iets te beteken. Nee, Christus het julle vrygemaak met iets wat baie beter is, Hy het julle vrygemaak toe Hy gesterf het. Hy het gesterf soos ’n lam wat ’n toffer was, ’n lam wat heeltemal gesond en perfek was. 20 God het vir Christus gekies om dit te doen voordat God die wêreld gemaak het. Nou is dit die einde van die tyd, God het Christus vir julle gestuur.

21 Julle glo in God omdat julle aan Christus behoort. Christus was dood, maar God het Hom weer laat lewe en God het Hom Koning gemaak. Daarom glo julle in God, julle weet en julle is seker dat Hy julle sal red.
22 Julle was gehoorsaam aan die waarheid en so het julle julleself tgereinig, nou kan julle waarlik lief wees vir mekaar. Daarom moet julle baie lief wees vir mekaar, julle moenie vals wees en ophou om lief te wees vir mekaar nie. 23 God het ’n nuwe lewe vir julle gegee, maar dit was nie soos wanneer ’n kind gebore word uit ouers wat kan sterf nie. Nee, God het vir julle hierdie nuwe lewe gegee toe Hy met julle gepraat het, God wat lewe en wat altyd daar is.

24 Want in die Ou Testament is geskryf:
tAl die mense is soos gras.
Hulle is miskien mooi en goed,
maar hulle is
soos die veldblomme.
Gras word droog,
en blomme val af,

25 maar wat die Here sê,
sal nooit verander nie.
En dit is die goeie boodskap wat die tboodskappers vir julle gebring het.

1 Peter 1

1 I, Peter, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ.
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.

2 You 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

3 Give 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.4 He 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.5 Through 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.
6 Because 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.
7 Your 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.
8 Even 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.9 You are receiving the salvation of your souls. It is the result of your faith.
10 The 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.11 They 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.
12 It 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

13 So prepare your minds for action. Control yourselves. Put your hope completely in the grace that will be given to you when Jesus Christ returns.
14 You should obey. You shouldn't give in to evil longings. They controlled your life when you didn't know any better.15 The one who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do.16 It is written, "Be holy, because I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44,45; 19:2)
17 You 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.
18 The 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.19 Instead, you were bought by the priceless blood of Christ. He is a perfect lamb. He doesn't have any flaws at all.20 He was chosen before God created the world. But he came into the world in these last days for you.
21 Because 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.
22 You 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.
23 You 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.

24 It 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.

25 But the word of the Lord stands forever." (Isaiah 40:6-8)
And that word was preached to you.