Sing
your freedom in faith you are free
Here
comes a praise from the heart. Listen to the gospel. Take your
liberation in faith in the Lord Jesus
1.PETER 1.
A Living Hope, and a Sure
Salvation
1Peter, an apostle (special
messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ,
To those [elect—both Jewish
and Gentile believers] who live as exiles, scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia [Minor], and Bithynia, who are
chosen 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the
sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to
be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace [that special sense
of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you
walk closely with God].
3Blessed [gratefully praised
and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be
born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually
transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an
ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, 4[born anew] into an inheritance which is
imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading,
reserved in heaven for you, 5who are being protected and shielded by
the power of God through your faith for salvation that is ready to be
revealed [for you] in the last time. 6In this you rejoice greatly,
even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been
distressed by various trials, 7so that the genuineness of your faith,
which is much more precious than gold which is perishable, even
though tested and purified by fire, may be found to result in [your]
praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8Though
you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not even see
Him now, you believe and trust in Him and you greatly rejoice and
delight with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9receiving as the result
[the outcome, the consummation] of your faith, the salvation of your
souls.
10Regarding this salvation,
the prophets who prophesied about the grace [of God] that was
intended for you, searched carefully and inquired [about this future
way of salvation], 11seeking to find out what person or what time the
Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He foretold the
sufferings of Christ and the glories [destined] to follow. 12It was
revealed to them that their services [their prophecies regarding
grace] were not [meant] for themselves and their time, but for you,
in these things [the death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus
Christ] which have now been told to you by those who preached the
gospel to you by the [power of the] Holy Spirit [who was] sent from
heaven. Into these things even the angels long to look.
13 So prepare your minds for
action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined,
spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace
[of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14[Live] as obedient children [of God]; do not be conformed to the
evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew
the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding
salvation]. 15But like the Holy One who called you, be holy
yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by your
godly character and moral courage]; 16because it is written, “You
shall be holy (set apart), for I am holy.”
17If you address as Father,
the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work,
conduct yourselves in [reverent] fear [of Him] and with profound
respect for Him throughout the time of your stay on earth. 18For you
know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually
unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your
forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold, 19but [you
were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a
[sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of
Christ. 20For He was foreordained (foreknown) before the foundation
of the world, but has appeared [publicly] in these last times for
your sake 21and through Him you believe [confidently] in God [the
heavenly Father], who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so
that your faith and hope are [centered and rest] in God.
22 Since by your obedience to
the truth you have purified yourselves for a sincere love of the
believers, [see that you] love one another from the heart [always
unselfishly seeking the best for one another], 23for you have been
born again [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed,
renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is
perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that
is, through the living and everlasting word of God.
24For, “All flesh is like
grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers
And
the flower falls off, 25But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word [the good news of salvation] which was preached
to you.
