The Gospel of 1st Peter
Peter, 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
according 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].
Blessed [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,
[born anew] into an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
who 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.
In this you rejoice greatly, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
so 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.
Though 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,
receiving as the result [the outcome, the consummation] of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Regarding 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],
seeking 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.
It 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.
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.
[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].
But 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];
because it is written, “You shall be holy (set apart), for I am holy.”
If 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.
For 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,
but [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ.
For He was foreordained (foreknown) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared [publicly] in these last times for your sake
and 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.
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],
for 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.
For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers And the flower falls off,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word [the good news of salvation] which was preached to you.
Content source: the Amplified Bible (AMP) by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631.
Image source: Our media Team
The apostle Peter, an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry, was revealed to him by the Spirit in which we can attain holiness, we can be saints, not of stone or wood, but of beings separated from evil, sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, that we have an inheritance of salvation by his grace and mercy.
Thank you Jesus
God calls his people to obedience, just as Jesus was absolutely obedient to his father's will, so must the church, obedience must characterize the lives of the saints.
Faith in the person of Christ and in the sufficient work of the cross allows the Christian to stand firm in his rejection of the world, in the same way that God chose Israel, he also chose the church from eternity as his own people, he made us reborn refers to the new birth, the living Christ makes possible a living hope, unlike the ancient legacy of Israel in Canaan, the Christian heritage is eternal life in the kingdom of God.
The salvation in the new testament is past, present and future, here we speak of our glorious final salvation when the second coming of Christ takes place.
The same Spirit that inspired the prophets of the Old Testament has inspired the truth of the gospel: so the message has its origin in God and not in men.
The day of Pentecost the Spirit began to empower all those who believed to proclaim the message.