Book of Common Prayer

Beloved, Keep Your Conduct Praiseworthy In The World So That God May Be Glorified

¹¹ Beloved, I exhort you as foreigners^[a] and pilgrims to be abstaining from fleshly desires which wage-war against the soul, ¹² holding your conduct good^[b] among the Gentiles in order that in what they are speaking-against you as evil-doers^[c], they may by observing your good works glorify God on the day of visitation^[d].

Be Subject To Human Institutions For The Lord’s Sake

¹³ Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake— whether to a king as being superior, ¹⁴ or to governors as being sent by him^[e] for the punishment of evil-doers and praise of good-doers. ¹⁵ Because thus is the will of God, that while doing-good you may be silencing the ignorance of foolish people.

Honor Everyone

¹⁶ As^[f] free ones, and not having the freedom as a covering of evilness, but as slaves of God, ¹⁷ honor everyone: be loving the brotherhood^[g], be fearing God, be honoring the king;

Be Subject To Your Masters, Whether Good Or Bad, Following Christ’s Example

¹⁸ ... servants, being subject to your masters with all fear^[h], not only to the good and kind ones, but also to the crooked^[i] ones. ¹⁹ For this finds favor— if for the sake of a consciousness^[j] of God one bears-up^[k] while suffering sorrows unjustly. ²⁰ For what-kind-of credit^[l] is it if while sinning and being beaten, you will endure? But if while doing-good and suffering you will endure, this finds favor with God. ²¹ For you were called to this^[m]. Because Christ also suffered for you, leaving-behind a pattern for you in order that you might follow-after His footsteps—

Christ Suffered Unjustly, Entrusting Himself To God

²² ... Who “did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” [Isa 53:9]; ²³ Who while being reviled, was not reviling-in-return; while suffering, was not threatening, but was committing Himself ^[n] to the One judging righteously; ²⁴ Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross in order that we, having died^[o] to sins, might live for righteousness; by Whose bruise you were healed. ²⁵ For you were going-astray like sheep, but now you returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

¹² This is My commandment: that you be loving one another just as I loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this: that one lay-down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you are doing the things which I command you. ¹⁵ I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I made-known to you everything which I heard from My Father. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, in order that you may go and bear fruit and your fruit may remain, in order that He may give you whatever thing you ask the Father in My name. ¹⁷ I am commanding these things to you so-that you will love one another.

The World Will Hate You As It Hated Me, Because You Will Be Testifying of Me

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know^[a] that it has hated Me before you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would be loving its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world— for this reason the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember^[b] the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master’. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But they will do all these things to you because of My name, because they do not know the One having sent Me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be having sin. But now they do not have an excuse for their sin. ²³ The one hating Me is also hating My Father. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works which no other one did, they would not be having sin. But now they have both seen and have hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵ But it has taken place in order that the word having been written in their Law [in Ps 69:4] might be fulfilled— that ‘They hated Me without-a-reason’. ²⁶ When the Helper comes Whom I will send to you from the Father— the Spirit of truth, Who proceeds from the Father— that One will testify about Me. ²⁷ And you also are going to be testifying, because you are [the ones] with Me from the beginning.