Good morning. Speaking of
Jesus: He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in
these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who
raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in
God. Now Jesus existed before the foundation of the world, so I don't think
that is what it is talking about Him being foreknown before the foundation of
the world. Perhaps it is talking about foreknowing His death and resurrection.
He appeared in these last times for us. We would not be believers in God
without Jesus. Our faith and our hope are not in man nor man's ability but in
God. Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere
love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart. It is
necessary that our souls be purified to live the Christian life. Otherwise our
love for the brethren would not be sincere. It would be "I love you as
long as you do what I approve of". For you have been born again not of a seed
which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding
word of God. Things that are born of perishable seed will die. Since we are
born of imperishable seed, we will never die. We live because the word of God
is living and abiding. Remember from Hebrews that the word of God is living and
active. Father thank You that the reader has purified his/her soul for a
sincere love of the brethren. He/she is born again of the living and abiding
word of God.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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