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So get rid of every kind of evil, and stop telling lies. Don't pretend to be something you are not. Stop wanting what others have, and don't speak against one another. 2 Like newborn babies, you should long for the pure milk of God's word. It will help you grow up as believers. 3 You can do this now that you have tasted how good the Lord is. 1:13–2:3 Because believers love Jesus, they obey God. They seek to live a holy life by following Jesus' example. Jesus has no flaws and never has any evil desires. Peter called the message about Jesus the living word of God. This means that the truth about Jesus is more than mere words that are preached. The message has power to change people's lives. People who believe God's word begin a new way of life. That is what it means to be born again. They are born into the kingdom of God and are waiting for Jesus' return. In this way they are like outsiders on earth until Jesus returns. Believers start this new way of life like babies. They grow up in the faith as they receive God's word and study it. Peter described this like drinking milk and tasting how good God is.
4 Christ is the living Stone. People did not accept him, but God chose him. God places the highest value on him. 5 You also are like living stones. As you come to Christ, you are being built into a house for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done. 6 In Scripture it says,
‘Look! I am placing a stone in Zion.
It is a chosen and very valuable stone.
It is the most important stone in the building.
The one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.’ (Isaiah 28:16)
7 This stone is very valuable to you who believe. But to people who do not believe,
‘The stone the builders did not accept
has become the most important stone of all.’ (Psalm 118:22)
8 And,
‘It is a stone that causes people to trip.
It is a rock that makes them fall.’ (Isaiah 8:14)
They trip and fall because they do not obey the message. That is also what God planned for them.
9 But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are God's special treasure. You are all these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people. But now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy. But now you have received mercy.
2:4–10 Peter described Jesus as an important and living Stone in a building. The building was the temple. Peter wasn't talking about the temple in Jerusalem. He meant the church. The church is made up of those who belong to Jesus. Most people in Israel didn't accept that Jesus is the Messiah sent by God. Peter used words from Psalm 118 and Isaiah chapter 8 to talk about that. But the people receiving Peter's letter did believe in Jesus. Because of this, Peter said they were also living stones. They were part of the building or house for God. This means that Jesus' followers can worship God wherever they are in the world. And everywhere they go, they can show others who God is. Peter described the believers with words that had always been used to describe the Israelites. This included being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This showed that all who follow Jesus are God's people.
11 Dear friends, you are outsiders and those who wander in this world. So I'm asking you not to give in to your sinful desires. They fight against your soul. 12 People who don't believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good deeds. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.
13 Follow the lead of every human authority. Do this for the Lord's sake. Obey the emperor. He is the highest authority. 14 Obey the governors. The emperor sends them to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right. 15 By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don't know what they are saying. 16 Live as free people. But don't use your freedom to cover up evil. Live as people who are God's slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respect for God. Honour the emperor.
18 Slaves, obey your masters out of deep respect for God. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. 19 Suppose a person suffers pain unfairly because they want to obey God. This is worthy of praise. 20 But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honour you for this? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for this. 21 You were chosen to do good even if you suffer. That's because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example that he expects you to follow. 22 Scripture says,
‘He didn't commit any sin.
No lies ever came out of his mouth.’ (Isaiah 53:9)
23 People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn't do the same thing back to them. When he suffered, he didn't say he would make them suffer. Instead, he trusted in the God who judges fairly. 24 ‘He himself carried our sins’ in his body on the cross. (Isaiah 53:5\rq*) He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. ‘His wounds have healed you.’ (\rq Isaiah 53:5) 25 ‘You were like sheep wandering away.’ (Isaiah 53:6) But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the one who watches over your souls.
2:11–25 The believers Peter wrote to were scattered all over the eastern Roman lands. They lived among people who didn't believe in Jesus. Peter wanted them to live godly lives and to practice holy living. This would show unbelievers who God is. Peter gave two main instructions about how to do this. First, believers should do good deeds or good works instead of acting on sinful desires. Second, they should show their respect for God by honouring people in authority. Peter knew that human authorities often fail to keep order. They often punish people who haven't done wrong. A story about that from Peter's life is recorded in Acts chapter 12. Peter wasn't teaching that it's good for people to be treated badly. He wasn't teaching that some people are allowed to harm others. He was showing how the suffering of believers is like the suffering of Jesus. When Jesus was treated unfairly, he didn't attack the people who hurt him. He trusted God to judge fairly on judgement day. This is the example for believers to follow.