1 Peter 1

Greeting

1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.To God’s chosen people who are temporary residents in the world and are scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

2 God the Father knew you long ago and chose you to live holy lives with the Spirit’s help so that you are obedient to Jesus Christ and are sprinkled with his blood.
May good willt and peace fill your lives!

Faith in Christ Brings You Joy

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! God has given us a new birth because of his great mercy. We have been born into a new life that has a confidence which is alive because Jesus Christ has come back to life.4 We have been born into a new life which has an inheritance that can’t be destroyed or corrupted and can’t fade away. That inheritance is kept in heaven for you,

5 since you are guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of time.
6 You are extremely happy about these things, even though you have to suffer different kinds of trouble for a little while now.

7 The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honor to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ appears again.
8 Although you have never seen Christ, you love him. You don’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words

9 as you obtain the salvation that is the goal of your faith.
10 The prophets carefully researched and investigated this salvation. Long ago they spoke about God’s kindnesst that would come to you.11 So they tried to find out what time or situation the Spirit of Christ kept referring to whenever he predicted Christ’s sufferings and the glory that would follow.

12 God revealed to the prophets that the things they had spoken were not for their own benefit but for yours. What the prophets had spoken, the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven, has now made known to you by those who spread the Good News among you. These are things that even the angels want to look into.

Live Holy Lives

13 Therefore, your minds must be clear and ready for action. Place your confidence completely in what God’s kindness will bring you when Jesus Christ appears again.14 Because you are children who obey God, don’t live the kind of lives you once lived. Once you lived to satisfy your desires because you didn’t know any better.15 But because the God who called you is holy you must be holy in every aspect of your life.16 Scripture says, “Be holy, because I am holy.”17 So if you call God your Father, live your time as temporary residents on earth in fear. He is the God who judges all people by what they have done, and he doesn’t play favorites.18 Realize that you weren’t set free from the worthless life handed down to you from your ancestors by a payment of silver or gold which can be destroyed.19 Rather, the payment that freed you was the precious blood of Christ, the lamb with no defects or imperfections.20 He is the lamb who was known long ago before the world existed, but for your good he became publicly known in the last period of time.

21 Through him you believe in God who brought Christ back to life and gave him glory. So your faith and confidence are in God.

Love Each Other

22 Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart. After all, you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. As a result you have a sincere love for each other.

23 You have been born again, not from a seed that can be destroyed, but through God’s everlasting word that can’t be destroyed. That’s why Scripture says,
24 “All people are like grass,and all their beauty is like a flower of the field.The grass dries up and the flower drops off,25 but the word of the Lord lasts forever.”This word is the Good News that was told to you.

1 Peter 1

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4 unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials,7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ:8 whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory:9 receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.10 Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:11 searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them.12 To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven; which things angel desire to look into.13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;14 as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance:15 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;16 because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers;19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ:20 who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of times for your sake,21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth.24 For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth:25 But the word of the Lord abideth for ever. And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you.