1Greetings from Peter, an apostle
2God planned long ago to choose you by making you his holy people.
A Living Hope
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. This new life brings us a living hope through Jesus Christ’s rising from death.
4Now we wait to get the blessings God has for his children. Those blessings are kept for you in heaven. Those blessings cannot ruin or be destroyed or lose their beauty.
5God’s power protects you through your faith, and it keeps you safe until your salvation comes. That salvation is ready to be given to you at the end of time.
6This makes you very happy. But now for a short time different kinds of troubles may make you sad.
7Why do these troubles happen? To prove that your faith is pure (true). This purity of faith is worth more than gold. Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold will ruin. The purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears (comes).
8You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You can’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are filled with a joy that cannot be explained. And that joy is full of glory.
9Your faith has a goal. And you are receiving that goal—your salvation.
10The prophets
11The Spirit
12It was shown to those prophets that their service was not for themselves. The prophets were serving you. They were serving you when they told about the things that you have heard. You heard those things from the men who told you the Good News.
A Call to Holy Living
13So prepare your minds for service, and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace (kindness) that will be yours when Jesus Christ appears (comes).
14In the past you did not understand about these things, so you did the evil things you wanted. But now you are children {of God} who obey. So don’t live like you lived in the past.
15But be holy
16The Scriptures
17You pray to God and call him Father. God judges each man’s work equally. So while you are visiting {here on earth}, you should live with fear (respect) for God.
18You know that {in the past} you were living in a worthless way. You got that way of living from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver.
19But you were bought with the precious blood (death) of Christ—a pure and perfect lamb.
20Christ was chosen before the world was made. But he was shown {to the world} in these last times for you.
21You believe in God through Christ. God raised Christ from death. Then God gave glory to him. So your faith and your hope are in God.
22Now you have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. Now you can have true love for your brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply—with all your heart.
23You have been born again. This new life did not come from something that dies. It came from something that cannot die. You were born again through God’s living message
24The Scriptures
25But the word of the Lord lives forever.” And this is the word (teaching) that was told to you. Isaiah 40:6–8