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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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Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
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trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
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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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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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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.
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Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
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Suffering for Doing Good
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
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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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keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
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Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
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If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
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Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
