(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Living Stones
- Therefore, having set aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisy, and envies, and all slanders,
- like newborn babies, yearn for rational and pure milk, so that by it you might grow up in your salvation,
- if you tasted that the Lord is benevolent.
- To whom we’re approaching; a living stone that has indeed been rejected by men, but chosen and precious in God’s sight.
- And as living stones, you yourselves are being built as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus the Anointed.
- Therefore, it’s contained in scripture: “Behold, I establish a stone in Zion; a chosen, precious cornerstone and the man believing on Him definitely won’t be put to shame.1quotation/allusion to Isaiah 28:16
- Therefore the honor is to you, the men believing. But to disbelieving men, “The stone that the men building rejected, this became2“became” is literally “became into” the head corner stone,”3quotation/allusion to Psalm 118:22
- and “A stumbling stone, and a rock of offense.”4quotation/allusion to Isaiah 8:14 Men who stumble by disbelieving the word, and they were appointed to that stumbling.
- But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession,5quotation/allusion to Exodus 19:5-6, though in a different order so you might publicly proclaim the moral excellence of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- You who once weren’t a people, but now are the people of God; men who hadn’t received mercy, but now have received mercy.6quotation/allusion to Hosea 2:23
- Beloved, I urge you as strangers and sojourners to trade away the fleshly cravings which wage war against the soul,
- keeping your conduct among the gentiles noble, so that in whatever they slander you as evildoers, from observing your noble deeds they might glorify God in the day of the visitation of judgement.7“visitation of judgement” is one word in Greek. It can refer to most any kind of visitation, but can especially refer to a visitation of judgement. However, while the idea of judgement is implied, it’s only implied. Therefore “of judgement” was italicized to indicate a translator clarification.
Submission to Authorities
- Be submitted to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme,
- or to governors as sent by him for just vengeance against evildoers, but praise of men doing good,
- because this is the will of God; to silence the ignorance of foolish men through doing good
- as free men, and not using freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God.
- Honor all, ^love the brotherhood, reverently fear God, and honor the king.
- Household servants, be submitting to your masters in all reverent fear; not only to the good and reasonable, but also to the perverse.
- For this bestows favor, if someone suffering unjustly endures grief for the sake of conscience towards God.
- For what credit is there if you’ll endure even being punched because of sinning? But if you’ll even endure suffering because of doing good, this bestows favor in the sight of God.
- For you were called into this because the Anointed also suffered for your sake, leaving behind an example for you so you might closely follow His footsteps.
- “He who didn’t commit sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”8quotation allusion to Isaiah 53:9
- Who while being reviled wasn’t reviling in return; while suffering he wasn’t uttering threats, but was handing Himself over to the One judging justly.
- He who bore our sins in His body on the cross9“cross” the Greek word here literally means “wood”, but can also refer to anything made of wood., so that after having become dead to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose wounds you were healed.
- For you were like sheep wandering astray, but now you were returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
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