Hope In Exile | The Church in Exile – 1 Peter 5:1-14
The church should follow the elders established by God and in all things, the people of God should remain humble no matter their status, as dearly beloved children of God who have been saved by grace.
The church in Asia Minor is not a church without community. In fact, one of the major points of Peter’s letter to the elect exiles of Asia Minor is that they exist fully in community. As they seek to stand against the raging winds of this world, they will survive only if they build their faith on Jesus Christ and link arms with one another. As Peter wraps up the letter to the churches throughout Asia Minor, those who have been exiled, Peter establishes their right relationship to one another. Being exiles in a land hostile to the message of Christ will be, at times, a lonely place where the Christian is simply to endure the pain. The church, as a family, unified by the body of Christ will need one another to stand firm against the currents of the world.
Furthermore, as the church expands, it would expand to people coming to the faith for the first time, needing to grow in relationship and understanding of how the Gospel impacts and changes the life of the believer. This is where the structure of the church becomes crucial. The church should always be growing and striving to reach the next generation of believers, growing and disciplining those who who come to the faith. Yet, those who lead the church should be those seasoned in the faith or the people will fall back into the same temptations and patterns of the world. The elders should lead the church in selflessness. The church should follow the elders established by God and in all things, the people of God should remain humble no matter their status, as dearly beloved children of God who have been saved by grace.
The Importance of Elders
The task of the elder is to care for the sheep of the flock. They should be the ones primarily responsible for the growth and direction of the local gathering of believers. Hence, the office of elder is not one that someone should flippantly strive towards. As Peter describes what an ideal elder looks like, Peter describes a selfless individual who actively puts others in front of himself to ensure their spiritual well-being. Elders do not strive for their own self promotion or personal gain but, much like Jesus, should be willing to die to their own person so that God would be glorified.
The office of elder is one that should carry with it a significant amount of authority and power. The elder is the one whom God has entrusted with the local expression of faith in the cultural context. For the church in Asia Minor, these would have been the targets of the cultural opposition. Thus, for the church to survive in a world that stands in contradiction to Jesus Christ, the elder should be the example of enduring in the faith despite any opposition. Their faith in Christ builds on the security that comes from knowing their inheritance and security is in Jesus Christ as they disciple, teach, and lead the congregation to grow deeper in faith in Jesus Christ.
At some point, while not all of us may hold the office of elder, we will at times be responsible for the faith of a new Christian. This is not to say their salvation is rooted in our ability to guide them, but rather that we will be the primary disciples that God uses in the life of someone. Knowing how the elders of the church should operate gives us a framework of how we should disciple someone growing in the faith. Faith is intentionally generational in that disciples make disciples who make disciples. We are to bring others along in the faith through a selfless devotion to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ be glorified in all we do. In essence, we, like John the Baptist, become nothing so that Christ may become everything (cf. John 3:30).
- What qualities of being an elder does Peter list for the church in Asia Minor?
Trusting The Shepherd
With the elder not entering into the office with arrogance, understanding the risk associated with being a leader in the congregation and a representation of Jesus Christ to the surrounding context, those in that local congregation should respect and honor the elder. In the previous chapters, Peter spoke of submitting to authority, even if the authority is unjust so that the Gospel might be fully proclaimed. Now, Peter exhorts the believers to submit to the elders of the church. Those younger in the faith need those who have the ongoing experience in following Jesus Christ to help them navigate the tumultuous seas of the faith. Their time spent in relationship, paired with their humility, should be seen as an asset to the one who has just joined the faith.
It should be noted that as Peter talks about the “elder” and the “younger” he is not necessarily referring to age in a chronological sense. The role of leadership does not, by defacto, go to the person who is the older but those who have grown in their faith. A person who is new to the faith, even if chronologically they are older, should be considered young in the faith. This is not small feat as it does from time to time mean that the younger in age is the authority of the older who has just come to know Jesus Christ. Age is not the qualifying factor in leadership but qualified maturity in the faith. A new convert, elevated too quickly will only produce unsteadiness and immaturity in the church as a whole, being unsure of how to stand up against the cultural pressures of sin that are still fresh for the new believer.
Western culture repels any idea of submitting to authority. We are told we are all individuals and submission of any kind is a sign of weakness. The church, however, cannot function as the world and we, as church, must be willing to humble ourselves enough to submit to the leaders of the church who bear the weight and responsibility of shepherding the flock. If the elders from among the congregation are selected as qualified people, we must be willing to submit to the leaders without bring any undue turbulence to the process. The consumeristic idea that “the pastor exists to serve me” cannot be the foundation for our church experience. Consumerism and a lack of humility will lead to grumbling and dissent within the church. Humility to submit binds us together in Christian love for one another. By submitting to the leadership of the elders, we tap into the ongoing experience of those who have gone before, humbling ourselves in the process to follow another even when we do not understand.
- What is the difference between the elder and the younger believer?
Gospel Humility
The church in exile should be marked by a mutual humility. The elder humbles themselves in order to serve the people by leading them deeper into relationship with Jesus Christ and standing against the pressures of the world. The younger humbles themselves by following those who have come before and trusting them as a guide and protector. Both, humble themselves before the Lord knowing that the ways of God are far greater than anything we could produce on our own. Bowing before Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior roots itself in humility that God is greater than us on our own, and in Him alone our hope is found in the secured inheritance of Jesus Christ.
Nothing, then, is capable of dethroning God from the throne as God is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords. He is the greatest and the eternal God who has never and will never fail. Therefore, we can build everything on the foundation of the love of God. Our anxieties of living as exiles will be erased as we stand in the truth of our elect nature. In humility we stand in the protection of Jesus Christ to defeat the enemy who prowls to kill those who stray outside the loving protection of God’s embrace.
We may suffer for a bit in this world, Peter and the entirety of scripture makes this clear. Yet, we know that our suffering is momentary in this world. Though enduring the world during this time is painful, our hope is in our secured future in Jesus Christ, through our humility in submitting to Him. At the end of our life in this world, no matter the pain we have faced, will will rest in our election knowing that God chose us first so that we might abide in Him. It is Christ who restores us, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us to endure the persecution of the world for the glory of God. Nothing, absolutely nothing is capable of removing us from God’s mighty hands. To God be the glory forever in whom our hope is found and secure.
Discussion Questions
- What are the qualities that an elder should exhibit in the church and at home? Why are qualified elders important for the health and life of the church?
- How do the elders of a church lead the congregation to navigate the pressures of the surrounding culture?
- Do we wrestle with submitting to authority? Why or why not? How is this tied with humility?
- Why is humility important for everyone in the church? How does our humility in Jesus Christ help us to interact with one another?
- Where is the foundation of our hope? What does it mean that Jesus restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us?
- What effect does our hope in the righteousness of Jesus Christ have on our ability to endure the temptation of the flesh?
- How can we look to hope in Jesus Christ as elect rather than get bogged down in our surroundings as exiles?
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.
