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Praise to God for a Living Hope
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
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As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
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but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
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Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
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Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
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Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
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and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
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But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
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Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
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Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
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“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
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For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.
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For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
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As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
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For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
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But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
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For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
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Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
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Suffering for Being a Christian
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
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Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
