1Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed: 2shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily; not for dishonest gain, but willingly; 3not as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. 4When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away.
5Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility and subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings. 10But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. 13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you. So does Mark, my son. 14Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace be to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Eternal (Gk. αἰώνιος, aionios). (6:23; Matt 19:16; Rev 10:6) Strong's 166
This word is used often throughout the NT. It is an idiomatic way of referring to a long time, time without end or time without beginning or end. The word αἰώνιος (aionios) comes from the word for age, αἰών (aion), which can also refer to time without limit, and from which the English word “eon” comes. Eternity, which is God’s domain, is the absence of time. Humans live forever, which means time without end. Technically, God alone exists in eternity, humans can be said to have life everlasting. This distinction is commonly ignored in everyday speech and Bible translations! Time is the measure of how long it takes for physical things to move in relation one to another (planets or electrons). As long as there are humans, resurrected bodies, the new heaven and earth, there will be time. (Rev 10:6 refers to “no more delay.”) In Jesus, believers live forever, meaning they have everlasting life.