1:4a
In this verse Paul introduced one of the themes in his letter: salvation is based on Christ’s death on the cross.
who: The pronoun who refers to Jesus. It connects verses 3 and 4. In some languages, it may be natural to make this connection by starting a new sentence that has Jesus as the subject. For example:
Jesus gave himself for our sins (New Century Version)
gave Himself: This phrase means that Jesus “voluntarily gave his life,” “willingly died,” or “chose to die” on the cross.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
Christ…gave himself as a sacrifice (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He yielded/surrendered his life
-or-
Jesus was willing to be punished and killed
for our sins: This phrase means “to pay for our sins” or “to take the punishment for our sins.”
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
on account of our sins
-or-
so that our sins might be forgiven
sins: The word sins means the things that we do when we disobey God’s standard of what is right or good. Sins include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. A person can also sin by not doing what God wants him to do.
Use a general term that can include any wrongdoing against God. For example:
disobedience
-or-
wrong acts
-or-
offenses ?against God?
-or-
evil deeds
In some languages it may be natural to translate the word sins with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:
wrong things that ?we? have done
Here are problems to avoid:
(a) The term should not imply that only crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Actions like gossip and greed are also sins.
(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.
1:4b
to rescue us from the present evil age: This clause states the purpose of Jesus’ giving himself to die for our sins (1:4a). He gave himself in order to deliver us from the evil that dominates our world. He freed us from being slaves to sin.
Some other ways to express this purpose are:
4a Christ gave himself for our sins 4b in order to deliver us from the present evil age.
-or-
4a Christ gave himself for our sins 4b so that he might deliver us from the present evil age.
to rescue us: The phrase to rescue us means “to free us.”
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
to deliver us (English Standard Version)
-or-
to rescue us (New International Version)
-or-
to redeem us
This phrase does not mean that Jesus removes us from this world.
the present evil age: At times Paul used this phrase to refer to the evil period of time in which Christians lived. He also used it to refer to the evil way that people lived during this period. In this context, this phrase focuses on the sinful and wicked way of life in our world.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
the sinful way that people live in this world
-or-
this evil that is in this world
-or-
the wickedness that is now on the earth
-or-
the evil ways in which human beings think and act (SSA)
1:4c
according to the will of our God and Father: This clause gives the background and reason for Jesus giving his life to set us free (in 1:4a–b). It means that it was God’s will that Jesus die for our sins in order to deliver us.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
?Christ did this to obey? the will of our God and Father.
-or-
because that was what our God and Father wanted (God’s Word)
See the General Comment below for some other ways to translate this clause.
our God and Father: This phrase describes God in two ways: he is our God, and he is also our Father. It does not refer to two different beings.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
God our Father (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
our God, who is our Father
-or-
our Father God
General Comment on 1:4a–c
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in this verse. For example:
4a Jesus gave his life for our sins, 4c just as God our Father planned, 4b in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
4c Christ obeyed God our Father 4a and gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins 4b to rescue us from this evil world. (Contemporary English Version)
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