The Lord is Good

1Rid yourselves therefore of all ill-will and all deceitfulness, of insincerity and envy, and of all evil speaking. 2Thirst, like newly-born infants, for pure milk for the soul, that by it you may grow up to salvation; 3if you have had any experience of the goodness of the Lord.

The Living Stone

(Isaiah 28:14-22; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

4Come to Him, the ever-living Stone, rejected indeed by men as worthless, but in God's esteem chosen and held in honour. 5And be yourselves also like living stones that are being built up into a spiritual house, to become a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6For it is contained in Scripture, "See, I am placing on Mount Zion a Cornerstone, chosen, and held in honour, and he whose faith rests on Him shall never have reason to feel ashamed."

7To you believers, therefore, that honour belongs; but for unbelievers— "A Stone which the builders rejected has been made the Cornerstone,"

8and "a Stone for the foot to strike against, and a Rock to stumble over." Their foot strikes against it because they are disobedient to God's Message, and to this they were appointed.

9But you are a chosen race, a priesthood of kingly lineage, a holy nation, a people belonging specially to God, that you may make known the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not found mercy, but now you have.

11Dear friends, I entreat you as pilgrims and foreigners not to indulge the cravings of your lower natures: for all such cravings wage war upon the soul. 12Live honourable lives among the Gentiles, in order that, although they now speak against you as evil-doers, they may yet witness your good conduct, and may glorify God on the day of reward and retribution.

Submission to Authorities

(Romans 13:1-7)

13Submit, for the Lord's sake, to every authority set up by man, whether it be to the Emperor as supreme ruler, 14or to provincial Governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and the encouragement of those who do what is right. 15For it is God's will that by doing what is right you should thus silence the ignorant talk of foolish persons. 16Be free men, and yet do not make your freedom an excuse for base conduct, but be God's bondservants. 17Honour every one. Love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the Emperor.

18Household servants, be submissive to your masters, and show them the utmost respect—not only if they are kind and thoughtful, but also if they are unreasonable. 19For it is an acceptable thing with God, if, from a sense of duty to Him, a man patiently submits to wrong, when treated unjustly. 20If you do wrong and receive a blow for it, what credit is there in your bearing it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you bear it patiently, this is an acceptable thing with God.

Christ's Example of Suffering

(Isaiah 53:1-8; Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; John 18:19-24)

21And it is to this you were called; because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you an example so that you should follow in His steps. 22He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from His mouth. 23When He was reviled, He did not answer with reviling; when He suffered He uttered no threats, but left His wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge. 24The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed. 25For you were straying like lost sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Protector of your souls.