LDS One Essence

mmksparbud said:

That is the point---you do not have the word of God nor believe in it---You truly believe in JS and what he says for you only believe that parts of the bible that agree with his false ideas.

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This is the gospel in a nut shell:

(Old Testament | Ecclesiastes 12:13 - 14)

13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

All those who keep these two commandments will be saved because God has promised that they will:

(New Testament | Matthew 22:37 - 40)

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Andrewn said:

An unfortunate mistranslation renders "eis" as "with." In fact, in the KJV itself this preposition is translated as follows:

KJV Translation Count — Total: 1,774x
The KJV translates Strong's G1519 in the following manner: into (573x), to (281x), unto (207x), for (140x), in (138x), on (58x), toward (29x), against (26x), miscellaneous (322x).

Strong’s Definitions [?](Strong’s Definitions Legend)
εἰς eis, ice; a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases:—(abundant-)ly, against, among, as, at, (back-)ward, before, by, concerning, + continual, + far more exceeding, for (intent, purpose), fore, + forth, in (among, at, unto, -so much that, -to), to the intent that, + of one mind, + never, of, (up-)on, +perish, + set at one again, (so) that, therefore(-unto), throughout, til, to (be, the end, -ward), (here-)until(-to), …ward, (where-)fore, with.

As you can see that the primary meaning of "eis" is "to" (It is translated into, to, unto 60% of the time.)

So, taken in context, the Apostle Paul prays that Ephesians would be filled with grace to all the fullness that comes from God, i.e. up to the great limit that God provides.

This is very different from Col 1:19 & Col 2:9. There it is declared that all God's fullness _dwell_ in Christ.

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You have done a lot of research on this scripture, but your i.e. sums it up. You had to add these non-biblical words to the scripture so it makes sense with "to" instead of "with".

"to" and "with" make not a lot of difference in the thought process of this scripture, but with "to" you have to add "a limit" that the scripture does not say, otherwise using "to" would give you the same idea that you are still going to get all of the fullness that comes from God.

We believe you can get a fullness of God, just like Jesus had the fullness of God. Notice the difference, Jesus had the fullness in his lifetime. There are certain men that may have a fullness in their lifetime too, but most will get that fullness after the resurrection.

There is a lot of time in eternity, and those who overcome this world and sit with Jesus in his throne will receive a fullness of God, which means that will be like Jesus is, a God.
I know that "a God" throws you, but all the scriptures that relate to being like God can only result in one conclusion: If we are as perfect as God, and if we are as holy as God, if we are one with God, if we have a fullness of God, if we sit in his throne, we will be like God, we will be Gods ourselves, knowing right from wrong, and choosing to do the right, all the time and doing the will of our God, all the time. Under those circumstances God will trust us to even create like he did and does.

There is an incomprehensible future waiting for those who overcome this world and sit with Jesus in his throne. I have no doubts you will be there, I hope I am.

Andrewn said:

The whole context is about the Lord's discipline. V. 10 says that discipline is necessary to obtain the holiness that comes from God. V. 14 emphasizes that necessity of the pursuit of holiness.

The word rendered "partake" in your translation simply means to have or to receive.

KJV Translation Count — Total: 6x
The KJV translates Strong's G3335 in the following manner: be partaker (2x), eat (1x), have (1x), take (1x), receive (1x).

Strong’s Definitions G3326 and G2983; to participate; genitive case, to accept (and use):—eat, have, be partaker, receive, take.

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OK, it takes discipline to partake or receive of his holiness. Has not changed the idea that we can recieve God's holiness, which makes us as holy as he is. If we are as holy as God is, what are we?

Andrewn said:

Christ is by nature God. But he did not consider his equality with God as something to be used for his own advantage. Instead, he humbled himself by taking the human nature.

We are advised to have this same mindset of humility and selflessness.

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We are advised to have this same mindset of humility and selflessness, and godliness, not being afraid to be equal with God.

Having said "equal with God", I refer you to a man with a son, whose son grows up to be like him, and has the same success and influence as he has had. We could call them equal, like father , like sone, but we know they are not really equal. The father is the sire of the son and if the son is a good son, he will always take second place to his father, even as successful and influential as he becomes.

We too, if we become a God, will always take a lower position than our God, who gave us everything in order to become like him. As good sons, we will always look up to our God and our Father and give him what is rightfully his. We can never be truly equal to him.

He is the way said:

This is the gospel in a nut shell:

(Old Testament | Ecclesiastes 12:13 - 14)

13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

All those who keep these two commandments will be saved because God has promised that they will:

(New Testament | Matthew 22:37 - 40)

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

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Again and again and again---you do not keep the commandments of God---you serve a different God, Father and Holy Ghost than the Godhead of the bible---that is the bottom line. You fail in you self righteousness and can not be covered with the blood of the Savior--for you have rejected Him. You have refused to listen to the true Holy Spirit and listen to a false one. You do not, have not, kept the commandments of God, none of you have, including JS.

Andrewn said:

You've repeated this personal sentiment again and again and it makes me uncomfortable. I don't think we have the ability to judge people. But we can critique their beliefs. Also, I don't understand on what basis you can say, "You fail in you self righteousness and can not be covered with the blood of the Savior--for you have rejected Him. You have refused to listen to the true Holy Spirit and listen to a false one." I realize how disturbing their Tritheistic beliefs are. Does God give people a test in Theology before letting them into His Kingdom?

Everyone is saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8).

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24)

Am I totally wrong?

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This forum is not for debates between Christians---


While the LDS church labels itself as a Christian religion, and many Mormons call themselves Christians, CF has taken the position that Mormons are not considered Christians on our forum because they don't believe in the eternal deity of Jesus Christ (please read "What Mormons believe about Jesus Christ", and "Mormon Doctrine of Jesus: A Christian Perspective"). Mormons also do not believe in the triune nature of God (please read "Do Mormons believe in the Trinity"). To be considered a Christian faith group at CF that faith group must accept the Nicene Creed as defined in our Statement of Faith.

From the CF Statement of Faith:

Faith groups and individuals that deny the full, eternal deity of Jesus Christ or His incarnation whereby He, as God, took on human flesh (becoming fully God and fully man in one person), are considered non-Christians at CF. Posts that deny the full, eternal deity of Jesus Christ or His incarnation are considered non-Christian theology and are not allowed in "Christians Only" forums. Discussions in all "Christians Only" forums must be in alignment with Trinitarian beliefs.

Any member that states or argues that Mormons are Christians, or Mormon members that claim to be Christians, may have their post(s) removed and may be subject to a staff action. If you would like to discuss this with the CF Admins or Advisors, please open a support ticket.

He is the way said:

One thing is for sure it is impossible to prove something to someone who will not believe. There are still people who believe the earth is flat. So whether I can prove it or not I can show all of the evidence that is in the Bible. There is a lot of it.

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Andrewn said:

I guess this goes both ways. It's contrary to reason to uphold that billions of Christians of different denominations that lived in the past 2000 years and many of whom spoke Koine Greek, the language of the NT, simply didn't understand what the Bible says. It's a lot more likely that Joseph Smith who thought the KJV was the word of God, misunderstood the Bible.

"The Greek psalter's contents were well established prior to the meeting and contained a common Greek translation of the Psalms. After looking the manuscript over, Joseph Smith identified the manuscript as being a Dictionary of Egyptian Hieroglyphics and pointed to the capitalized letters saying that they were Hieroglyphics followed by their meanings in Reformed Egyptian. Caswall went on to claim that this was evidence of Smith's position as a fraud."

The Greek Psalter Incident - Wikipedia

"Regarding Greek, even if his skills were not at the level of being able to pick up a Greek Bible and sight-read it with ease, a modest case can be made that Joseph had genuine interests in, gave actual support to, and achieved certain abilities in learning Greek, particularly the Greek of the New Testament."

Joseph Smith’s Awareness of Greek and Latin | Religious Studies Center

Note that the 2nd is an LDS website.


You're welcome to quote as many verses / passages as you'd like. You put up a serious challenge. The verses you quoted compelled me into serious study of their context and meaning. My hope is that you will take the answers as a stimulus for study, also. We're talking about beliefs in eternal life, not playing a game of ping pong.

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what books were in JS Library?

Peter1000 said:

If we are not called to be gods, why does God want us to be perfect like him, and holy like him, and be one like him, and be full of him, and partake of his divine power, and learn all things of life and godliness?

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For the same reason non-smokers do not go outside to hang around people who are smoking.
We can't stand the smoke. We don't want people smoking in our house or cars. God does not want filth of sin in his place neither.

ViaCrucis said:

Oh, I don't think there is any intended deception involved. I think that missionaries and those speaking on behalf of the LDS are well-meaning and sincere.

And I've been trying to find a way to phrase this as kindly, gently, non-offensively as I can. But, Peter, it's just that it doesn't work on people unless they have serious gaps in their knowledge of history, the Bible, theology, etc.

Because it amounts to, "Everything ever believed by Christians everywhere, going back to the Apostles themselves, is wrong--so instead listen to this guy from New York who claimed he found plates of gold written by ancient Jews who came to the Americas, and then interpreted them supernaturally by looking at rocks in a hat. Also, the Bible is wrong sometimes and the guy who found the golden plates fixed it, and it just so happens that the Bible now agrees with everything that guy is saying. And you can know all of this is true because when you read this new sequel to the Bible based on the golden plates, God will tell you it's true by giving you a warm feeling in your abdomen."

And far be it for me to simply make fun of someone else's beliefs when, as far as the world is concerned, all the things I believe are equally as silly and ridiculous. But the point isn't the absurdity, or the apparent absurdity--after all St. Pauls God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and to display His wisdom and power. So it's not the absurdity of it--though it might in part be the sheer level of utter convenience the justifications behind these claims are--it's that in order to be a Mormon I have to turn to Christ, the Apostles, the Fathers, the Councils, the Creeds, the Scriptures, two thousand years of faithful, abiding confession, teaching, and tradition, and say "Oh, nevermind this. A man dug up golden plates and said he spoke to God, and God told him that every church was wrong."

It's not like I'm keeping my faith in Christ going from what I am to being a Mormon, because I don't know your Jesus Peter. The Jesus you talk about isn't the Jesus I have faith in. I know the Jesus my Catholic brothers talk about, I know the Jesus my Orthodox sisters talk about, I know the Jesus Methodists, the Anglicans, the Presbyterians, et al talk about. I know their Jesus, because their Jesus is my Jesus. It's the same Jesus. But I don't know your Jesus Peter. To become a Mormon I would have to turn away from Jesus toward something else.

What I'd be turning away from isn't just a "school of religion", or some religious identity. It's not position, or standing, or anything like that--I don't have any such things anyway. It's not all these extraneous, fiddly bits--that's not what really matters. It's that I'd be turning away from Jesus. And it's all about Jesus Peter. Without Jesus nothing about any of this matters. The discussions, debates, arguments had all over this websites, all the talk, all the muttering, all the diatribes, rants, pontifications, lectures, homilies, sermons, eloquent or uneloquent. The only thing that really matters is Jesus.

And I know, once you read to the bottom of that part there and you see me saying "it's all about Jesus" you'll probably, after any other rebuttals and counter-points you provide, say something like "Amen" or some way of agreeing so as to say, "Yeah, man, totally on board, Jesus is what matters, that's what it is for me/us". But it's an empty amen. And, again, I'm not saying that to be unkind. I'm not trying to be offensive, rude, or condescending. I'm simply being honest. Because I think it is in your best interest that I be honest.

Because here is what I want Peter. I want you to meet the same Jesus I know. Which is why I will always continue to preach the Gospel here. I'm not going to convince you, argue you into believing anything--I can't. But I believe in the Gospel, and I believe that God works through His word.

The blessings of God go with you Peter.

-CryptoLutheran

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JS started out as a kid with an active imagination. 15 years old ???

He is the way said:

This is the gospel in a nut shell:

(Old Testament | Ecclesiastes 12:13 - 14)

13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

All those who keep these two commandments will be saved because God has promised that they will:

(New Testament | Matthew 22:37 - 40)

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

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Ecclesiastes 12 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
The Problems of Old Age
12 Remember your Creator while you are young, before the bad times come—before the years come when you say, “I have wasted my life.”[a]

2 Remember your Creator while you are young, before the time comes when the sun and the moon and the stars become dark to you—before problems come again and again like one storm after another.

3 At that time your arms will lose their strength. Your legs will become weak and bent. Your teeth will fall out, and you will not be able to chew your food. Your eyes will not see clearly. 4 You will become hard of hearing. You will not hear the noise in the streets. Even the stone grinding your grain will seem quiet to you. You will not be able to hear the women singing. But even the sound of a bird singing will wake you early in the morning because you will not be able to sleep.

5 You will be afraid of high places. You will be afraid of tripping over every small thing in your path. Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree. You will drag yourself along like a grasshopper when you walk. You will lose your desire, and then you will go to your eternal home. The mourners will gather in the streets as they carry your body to the grave.

Death
6 Remember your Creator while you are young,
before the silver rope snaps and the golden bowl is crushed
like a jar broken at the well,
like a stone cover on a well that breaks and falls in.
7 Your body came from the earth.
And when you die, it will return to the earth.
But your spirit came from God,
and when you die, it will return to him.

8 Everything is so meaningless. The Teacher says that it is all a waste of time![c]

Final Words of Advice
9 The Teacher was very wise. He used his wisdom to teach the people. He very carefully studied and arranged[d] many wise teachings. 10 The Teacher tried very hard to find the right words, and he wrote the teachings that are true and dependable.

11 Words from the wise are like sharp goads. When these sayings are written down and saved, they can be used to guide people, just as a shepherd uses a sharp stick to make his sheep go the right way. 12 So, son, study these sayings, but be careful about other teachings. People are always writing books, and too much study will make you very tired.

13-14 Now, what should we learn from everything that is written in this book?[e] The most important thing a person can do is to respect God and obey his commands, because he knows about everything people do—even the secret things. He knows about all the good and all the bad, and he will judge people for everything they do.

1 Corinthians 15 Good News Translation (GNT)
The Resurrection of Christ
15 And now I want to remind you, my friends, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm. 2 That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it—unless it was for nothing that you believed.

3 I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures; 4 that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures; 5 that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles.

8 Last of all he appeared also to me—even though I am like someone whose birth was abnormal.[a] 9 For I am the least of all the apostles—I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church. 10 But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me. 11 So then, whether it came from me or from them, this is what we all preach, and this is what you believe.

Peter1000 said:

You have done a lot of research on this scripture, but your i.e. sums it up. You had to add these non-biblical words to the scripture so it makes sense with "to" instead of "with".

"to" and "with" make not a lot of difference in the thought process of this scripture, but with "to" you have to add "a limit" that the scripture does not say, otherwise using "to" would give you the same idea that you are still going to get all of the fullness that comes from God.

We believe you can get a fullness of God, just like Jesus had the fullness of God. Notice the difference, Jesus had the fullness in his lifetime. There are certain men that may have a fullness in their lifetime too, but most will get that fullness after the resurrection.

There is a lot of time in eternity, and those who overcome this world and sit with Jesus in his throne will receive a fullness of God, which means that will be like Jesus is, a God.
I know that "a God" throws you, but all the scriptures that relate to being like God can only result in one conclusion: If we are as perfect as God, and if we are as holy as God, if we are one with God, if we have a fullness of God, if we sit in his throne, we will be like God, we will be Gods ourselves, knowing right from wrong, and choosing to do the right, all the time and doing the will of our God, all the time. Under those circumstances God will trust us to even create like he did and does.

There is an incomprehensible future waiting for those who overcome this world and sit with Jesus in his throne. I have no doubts you will be there, I hope I am.

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The NT is written in Greek, that is what he is discussing.

Peter1000 said:

OK, it takes discipline to partake or receive of his holiness. Has not changed the idea that we can recieve God's holiness, which makes us as holy as he is. If we are as holy as God is, what are we?

Click to expand...

Holy Humans Batman.

Peter1000 said:

We are advised to have this same mindset of humility and selflessness, and godliness, not being afraid to be equal with God.

Having said "equal with God", I refer you to a man with a son, whose son grows up to be like him, and has the same success and influence as he has had. We could call them equal, like father , like sone, but we know they are not really equal. The father is the sire of the son and if the son is a good son, he will always take second place to his father, even as successful and influential as he becomes.

We too, if we become a God, will always take a lower position than our God, who gave us everything in order to become like him. As good sons, we will always look up to our God and our Father and give him what is rightfully his. We can never be truly equal to him.

Click to expand...

One can not change their nature. Our nature can be cleaned up by God.

A Human is still a Human. A cat is still a cat. so on.

mmksparbud said:

Again and again and again---you do not keep the commandments of God---you serve a different God, Father and Holy Ghost than the Godhead of the bible---that is the bottom line. You fail in you self righteousness and can not be covered with the blood of the Savior--for you have rejected Him. You have refused to listen to the true Holy Spirit and listen to a false one. You do not, have not, kept the commandments of God, none of you have, including JS.

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This is not about me or whether I will be saved or not, It is about what Christ told everyone to do. Jesus Christ is the judge and He will judge according to our works:

(New Testament | 1 Peter 1:17)

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

(New Testament | Revelation 20:12 - 13)

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

He is the way said:

This is not about me or whether I will be saved or not, It is about what Christ told everyone to do. Jesus Christ is the judge and He will judge according to our works:

(New Testament | 1 Peter 1:17)

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

(New Testament | Revelation 20:12 - 13)

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

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1 Peter 1 Expanded Bible (EXB)
1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God’s ·chosen [elect] people who are ·away from their homes [exiles; temporary residents; refugees; foreigners] ·and are scattered [L of the Diaspora/Dispersion; C an analogy to the Jewish people scattered around the known world since the Babylonian exile] all around Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia [C all located in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey]. 2 God the Father ·planned long ago to choose you [L chose you according to his foreknowledge] ·by making you his holy people, which is the Spirit’s work [or by the sanctifying/purifying work of the Spirit; or by setting you apart by means of the Spirit]. God wanted you to obey him and to be ·made clean [L sprinkled] by the blood of the death of Jesus Christ. [C In the OT blood from animal sacrifices was sprinkled on persons and objects to indicate purification or forgiveness of sins; Ex. 24:3–8.]

Grace and peace be ·yours more and more [L multiplied to you].

We Have a Living Hope
3 ·Praise be to [L Blessed be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s ·great [abundant] mercy he has caused us to be born ·again [anew; John 3:5–8] into a living hope, ·because Jesus Christ rose [or by means of the resurrection of Jesus Christ] from the dead. 4 ·Now we hope for [or This new birth provides us with] ·the blessings God has for his children [L an inheritance]. ·These blessings [or This inheritance], which cannot be destroyed or be ·spoiled [corrupted; defiled] or lose their beauty, ·are [is] kept in heaven for you [Matt. 6:19–21; Luke 12:33]. 5 God’s power protects you through your faith until ·salvation is shown to you [or the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed] ·at the end of [in the last] time. 6 ·This makes you very happy [or Rejoice in this], even though now for a short time ·different kinds of troubles may make you sad [you have had to suffer various kinds of trials/testings]. 7 These ·troubles [trials; testings] come ·to prove that your faith is pure [to test and prove the authenticity of your faith; C a test that proves the genuineness of a valuable metal]. This ·purity of faith [or tested and proven authenticity] is ·worth more [more precious; more valuable] than gold, which can be ·proved to be pure [tested and proven authentic] by fire [Ps. 66:10; Prov. 17:3; 27:21; Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:3] but ·can [or will] be destroyed. But the ·purity [tested and proven authenticity] of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor ·when Jesus Christ is shown to you [L at the revelation of Jesus Christ]. 8 You have not seen ·Christ [L him], but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you ·are filled [rejoice] with ·a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory [an inexpressible and glorious joy]. 9 ·And you are receiving [or …because you are receiving] the ·goal [outcome; purpose] of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

10 The prophets [C of the Old Testament] searched carefully and ·tried to learn [diligently inquired/investigated] about this salvation. They prophesied about the grace that was coming to you. 11 The Spirit of Christ was in the prophets, ·telling [witnessing; testifying] in advance about the sufferings of Christ and about the glory that would follow those sufferings [Luke 24:25–27, 45–49]. The prophets ·tried to learn [inquired; investigated] about what the Spirit was showing them, ·when those things would happen, and what the world would be like at that time [about the circumstances and time; or about the person and time]. 12 It was ·shown [revealed to] them that their service was not for themselves but for you, when they ·told about [announced] the truths [L things] you have now heard. Those who preached the ·Good News [Gospel] to you ·told you [announced] those things with the help of the Holy Spirit who was sent from heaven—things into which angels desire to look.

A Call to Holy Living
13 ·So [Therefore; For this reason] ·prepare your minds for service [prepare your minds for action; or, be alert; L gird the loins of your mind] and ·have self-control [be disciplined]. ·All your hope should be for [Focus all your hope on] the gift of grace that will be ·yours [brought/given to you] ·when Jesus Christ is shown to you [L at the revelation of Jesus Christ]. 14 ·Now that you are [As; or Like] obedient ·children of God [L children] ·do not live as you did in the past. You did not understand, so you did the evil things you wanted [L do not be shaped by the desires/lusts of your former ignorance]. 15 But be holy in all ·you do [your behavior/conduct], just as ·God, the One [L the One] who called you, is holy. 16 [L For; Because] It is written in the Scriptures: “You must be holy, because I am holy [Lev. 11:45; 19:2; 20:7].”

17 ·You pray to God and call him Father, and he [L Since you address as Father the one who] judges each person’s ·work [deeds] ·equally [impartially; without prejudice]. So while you are ·here on earth [living as exiles/strangers/sojourners], you should live with ·respect [fear] for God [Prov. 1:7]. 18 [L For] You know that in the past you were living in a ·worthless [meaningless; futile; vain; Eccl. 1:2] way, a way passed down from ·the people who lived before you [your ancestors]. But you were saved [ransomed; redeemed] from that useless life. You were ·bought [ransomed; redeemed; C like a slave whose freedom was purchased by a payment], not with something that ·ruins [perishes; spoils] like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ [Is. 52:3], who was like ·a pure and perfect lamb [a lamb without defect or blemish; Lev. 1:3]. 20 Christ was ·chosen [destined; L foreknown] before ·the world was made [L the foundation/creation of the world], but he was ·shown to the world [revealed] in these last times for your sake. 21 Through Christ you ·believe [have faith/trust] in God, who raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory. So your faith and your hope are in God.

22 Now that your obedience to the truth has purified your ·souls [or lives], you can have ·true [genuine; sincere] love for your Christian brothers and sisters. So love each other ·deeply [earnestly] ·with all your [L from the] heart.[a] 23 You have been born ·again [or anew], and this new life did not come from ·something that dies [L a perishable seed], but from ·something that cannot die [L an imperishable seed]. You were born ·again [or anew] through ·God’s living message that continues forever [L the living and abiding/enduring word of God]. 24 ·The Scripture says [L For; Therefore],

“All ·people are [T flesh is] like the grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the ·field [L grass].
The grass ·dies [withers] and the flowers ·fall [drop off],
25 but the word of the Lord ·will live [remains; abides; endures] forever [Is. 40:6–8].”

And this is the word that was ·preached [or proclaimed as Good News/Gospel] to you.

1 Peter 1 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
1 1-2 Peter, messenger of Jesus Christ, sends this letter to the exiles of the dispersed tribes (in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia), whom God the Father knew and chose long ago to be made holy by his Spirit, that they might obey Jesus Christ and be cleansed by his blood: may you know more and more of God’s grace and peace.

Your faith is being tested, but your future is magnificent
3-5 Thank God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that in his great mercy we men have been born again into a life full of hope, through Christ’s rising again from the dead! You can now hope for a perfect inheritance beyond the reach of change and decay, “reserved” in Heaven for you. And in the meantime you are guarded by the power of God operating through your faith, till you enter fully into the salvation which is all ready for the d?nouement of the last day.

6-9 This means tremendous joy to you, I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold, and gold, as you know, even though it is ultimately perishable, must be purified by fire. This proving of your faith is planned to bring you praise and honour and glory in the day when Jesus Christ reveals himself. And though you have never seen him, yet I know that you love him. At present you trust him without being able to see him, and even now he brings you a joy that words cannot express and which has in it a hint of the glories of Heaven; and all the time you are receiving the result of your faith in him—the salvation of your own souls.

10-12 The prophets of old did their utmost to discover and obtain this salvation. They did not find it, but they prophesied of this grace that has now come to you. They tried hard to discover to what time and to what sort of circumstances the Spirit of Christ working in them was referring. For he foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow them. It was then made clear to them that they were dealing with matters not meant for themselves, but for you. It is these very matters which have been made plain to you by those who preached the Gospel to you by the same Spirit sent from Heaven—and these are facts to command the interest of the very angels!

Consider soberly what God has done for you
13-16 So brace up your minds, and, as men who know what they are doing, rest the full weight of your hopes on the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ reveals himself. Live as obedient children before God. Don’t let your character be moulded by the desires of your ignorant days, but be holy in every department of your lives, for the one who has called you is himself holy. The scripture says: ‘Be holy, for I am holy’.

17-21 If you pray to a Father who judges men by their actions without the slightest favouritism, then you should spend the time of your stay here on earth with reverent fear. For you must realise all the time that you have been “ransomed” from the futile way of living passed on to you by your fathers’ traditions, not with some money payment of transient value, but by the costly shedding of blood. The price was in fact the life-blood of Christ, the unblemished and unstained lamb of sacrifice. It is true that God chose him to fulfil this part before the world was founded, but it was for your benefit that he was revealed in these last days—for you who found your faith in God through Christ. And God raised him from the dead and gave him unimaginable splendour, so that all your faith and hope might be centred in God.

Let your life match your high calling
22-25a Now that you have, by obeying the truth, made your souls clean enough for a genuine love of your fellows, see that you do love each other, fervently and from the heart. For you are the sons of God now; the live, permanent Word of the living God has given you his own indestructible heredity. It is true that: ‘All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures for ever’.

25b The Word referred to, as far as you are concerned, is the message of the Gospel that was preached to you.