Hope In Exile | Elect Exiles – 1 Peter 1:1-2
We have been chosen by God even though we are currently exiles until we arrive at eternity.
Peter’s life had been met with tumultuous ups and downs. Beginning as a fisherman, His world had been turned upside down as this teacher called him to something deeper than himself. He would follow Jesus Christ and learn at the foot of not just a great teacher but of the God who took on flesh. In the face of cultural pluralism and pressure surrounding him on all sides to make a bold statement, Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16, ESV). Yet not everything would be bold and brave for Peter. As he watched Jesus falsely persecuted, being flogged, beaten, and sentenced to die, Peter denied any association and affiliation He had. Peter, the once brave now hid in fear for His own life, fearing that Jesus had ben defeated. Then experienced the pain of loss as Jesus died on the cross as he hid in fear, knowing that the last interaction Peter had with Jesus had been to deny even knowing Him.
Three days later, though, Christ rose from the dead. Sin had been defeated, not Rome. The people had been freed from the spiritual oppression rather than geopolitical rule as Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus appeared to the disciples multiple times and had a specific conversation with Peter restoring him to the mission of honor of following Jesus Christ and continuing His work through the empowering of the Spirit. Peter would become one of the lead voices in the church, planting churches and speaking with an apostolic authority that few had ben given. The rest of His life would be spent traveling around proclaiming the Gospel, setting up congregations wherever he went and making known that Jesus Christ, God who took on flesh, had overcome the world providing hope for all who follow Him.
The letter of 1 Peter is written to churches scattered throughout Asia Minor around 60-64AD. Paul likely had help writing this and subsequent letters to be delivered and read to the congregations scattered through the Asia Minor. Silvanus, or Silas, likely had helped Him and had been the person to deliver the letters on Peter’s behalf. The people of these churches had likely been displaced from their homes, forced to live outside of where they felt they belonged as the surrounding culture had ostracized them at every turn. In this context, Peter tells the churches they are “elect exiles” chosen people yet displaced. Their physical location of being in Asia Minor represented the bigger notion that, as followers of Jesus Christ, they did not fully belong to the world they live.
It should come as no surprise to followers of Jesus Christ that life will bring with it persecution, pain, and tragedy. Nor should we expect to fit in to a culture that stands against everything that God declares beautiful and good. The people in the churches in Asia Minor experienced a microcosm of what every Christian ought to feel as we live among the world. The Christian should feel exiled from the general consensus of the world, standing out and standing against the things of this world, paying the consequences because of it. Yet, for all our rejection, we cannot forget that we have been chosen by God and His elect people for such a time as today. We are people of God, not people of this world
Exiles To The World
In Peter’s initial greeting, Peter expressly calls the people of the churches in Asia Minor exiles. Likely, these had been people that had been residing in Rome and had either been displaces by Caesar to fabricate a peace in the world or people who fled the persecution of other Caesar’s who blatantly persecuted those of this radical sect of Judaism. Either way, they had been placed into their current home with no way back and no real provision other than a temporary living space as they established their new lives. The idea of an exile is one that, although living in a specific place does not have a permanent home. Everywhere they go becomes more of a temporary way station rather than a place of resting and security. As the churches in Asia Minor fought for their right to exist and find their place in the world, Peter began by reminding them that their place would never actually be in this world. This land was not their home and would never truly feel like home to them. Simple put, they belonged elsewhere.
The situation of the people had been a mere shadow of the true reality in which Christians find themselves. As followers of Christ, we find ourselves in a constant struggle of deeply desiring to fit in to the world and find our place, while also being challenged by the idea that this world will never truly be our home. Our lives in a world that exists in rebellion against God will never and should never feel truly a home. Often times, the Christian has been compared to an ambassador to another country; we may be surrounded on all sides, representing something larger than ourselves and never actually being a part of the country we live in. As exiles to the world, we should expect there would be times of feeling lonely, ostracized, left out, and judged harshly just by the very nature of being different. In this world, as followers of Christ, we are exiles, living in a world we do not belong but looking to a greater home that is to come one day soon.
- What does it mean that the people of the churches of Asia Minor were exiles in the world they lived?
Elected By God
Though there is some definitely scholarly debate, it is likely that the audience of Peter’s letter to the churches had either been Gentiles or a combination of Jews and Gentiles. Peter intentionally refers to this group of people as God’s chosen people. They may be exiles but they are chosen, or elect, long before they are exiles. This language would have been commonly understood to the Jewish audience, understanding their being chosen from the history that God held with the Jewish people. This information would have been likely inferred and understood yet Peter included it anyway. The gentile people, though, would have been felt as if they are outsiders even among the church as they had to be grafted in to the people of God. Peter sought to ensure that the gentile people knew that, despite having been grafted in that God had chosen then long before they joined the church. Christ selected them to be a full fledged member of the body of Christ as a family members. Gentile Christians were not to be viewed as second class citizens of the church but as fully united and one with their Jewish believers. In a world that stood against those who followed Jesus, this unity and family would be highly needed for their survival and well being.
Like the gentiles of Asia Minor, we who follow Jesus Christ have been chosen by God. The focus of our relationship is not one of being exiles, though we are certainly that. The prime word that Peter mentions first is one of being elect, of being God’s chosen people. Followers of Jesus Christ are chosen by God for special relationship to be with Him and glorify His name forever. Our status as followers of Jesus Christ is not in how well we perform, what we do, or being able to earn the love of God. Long before we started following Jesus Christ, He chose us to be in full relationship with Him. Furthermore, there are not varying degrees of Christians with subclasses or super Christians. Instead, we stand together as a chosen people to support and love each other as we face the storm of life with one another.
Whatever we face from this world, God has already chosen us to be in special relationship with Him. Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith and chooses us to abide in Him and continue to be with Him for all eternity. Nothing we do or nothing we face will be able to unseat God’s choosing. The world will stand against those who stand with Christ, but more importantly, those who stand in Christ will stand against the world in the power of the One who conquered all things and places everything under His feet. We have been chosen by God out of a deep and profound love so that, in our being chosen, God would be glorified in all the earth.
- How does the gentiles being chosen unite the church according to the will of God?
Discussion Questions
- What is the difference between blending in with the world while attempting to fit it an looking towards the glory of God to fit in with our Heavenly Father?
- Why do you think Peter listed the title as Elect Exiles and not Exiles though elected?
- When is a person saved? What do they bring to their own salvation?
- How does hope give us the ability to continue to endure whatever the world throws at us?
- Who do we know who needs to experience the grace and love of God? How can we share it with them this week to draw them into relationship with Jesus Christ as King and Lord?
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
