₁₇You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. ₁₈For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; ₁₉it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. ₂₀He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. ₂₁Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.

₂₂Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for your fellow-believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. ₂₃For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.