Hope In Exile | Joining The Saints – 1 Peter 2:1-12
We follow the foundational example of Jesus Christ who had been despised by the world but pursued something greater and different that the message of the world, joining the body of believers for all time, rejecting our past life for the glory of a new life in Jesus Christ.
The audience of 1 Peter more than likely had been a largely gentile audience. These would have been a people who were plucked from their home, probably from Rome, and displaced to various places around Asia Minor. Now, they found themselves exiled from their home, in a foreign land. Peter had just spent the first chapter of the letter reminding them of their identity first and foremost in Christ. While they may be exiles, they are indeed elect first as God’s chosen people. With the foundational argument laid down by Peter in the first chapter that our inheritance is secured in Jesus Christ, Peter continues to put down the foundation of the consequences of that same inheritance.
Even though the people of God had been in a type of temporary exile, God still remained the Lord and Savior of their lives. Everything they think, speak, and do becomes a proclamation of the glory of God. We follow the foundational example of Jesus Christ who had been despised by the world but pursued something greater and different that the message of the world, joining the body of believers for all time, rejecting our past life for the glory of a new life in Jesus Christ. No more do we return to the sinful person but we take hold of the eternal inheritance found in Jesus Christ. In Him, we find our life and our ability to stand against the pressures of the world which seek to return us back to our old ways.
Jesus Christ as The Foundation
During His lifetime, the world hated Jesus Christ. He preached a message in direction opposition to the culture and the “accepted standards” of the day. He challenged the religious elite where they had sought control and power rather than served with humility. All these things, Jesus did, knowing they would crucify Him and He would shoulder the weight of the sins of mankind upon Himself. They would reject Him and yet He would become the foundation and the glory of all creation in that moment. As the world stood against Jesus Christ, His sovereign rule over all creation would stand firm against any opposition. The King of Kings cannot be dethroned by cultural differences. God will place all opposition under His feet as He rules and reigns for all eternity.
As we stand in the cultural milieu of our modern day, we stand on the foundation of the work of Jesus Christ that transcends all time. Standing against the flow of the cultural current takes courage. Yet, for many Christians, we feel that we must muster up that courage on our own so that we can live the best for Christ. This misses the entire point of the Gospel and the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Our willingness to stand against the cultural currents comes from the example of Jesus Christ. Yet, our strength and our ability comes from resting in the full presence of Jesus Christ. We do not just follow the example of Jesus Christ, but we find our strength in the already completed victory of Jesus Christ. Although the stone that the builders rejected, Christ paves the way back to Him to stand in victory against the forces that stand against Him.
- Explain the phrase “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
A Chosen Race, A Royal Priesthood, A Possession
As Peter exclaims to his audience in verses 9-10, he uses specific language referring to the people as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10, ESV) This language would be highly reminiscent of the language used with the various covenants with the people of God throughout the Old Covenant. The promises of God would led to the people into relationship as God’s people, representing Him in the world, binding them together for the glory of God in the world. This special relationship between God and man marked the people as separate from the rest of the world, to proclaim the saving power of God in all the world.
Yet, Peter also contrasts that at one point this was not the case for the gentile audience. They were once not a people of God and now had been drawn into this special relationship. Once they stood condemned by their rebellion against God. Now, they stand in right relationship, having been declared righteous by the works of Jesus Christ on the cross. Peter includes the gentiles who came to Christ as full fledged members of the promises of the Old Covenant. There would no longer be any separation between those of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and there are not different classes of followers of Jesus Christ; only those who follow Jesus Christ.
Likewise, those who follow Christ once had been separated from God from the consequences of sin. Yet, God calls us to join with Him as God’s dearly beloved, chosen people. We have been called to join the faithful saints throughout all history to praise the name of God and represent Him to the world forever. Our struggles are not in isolation nor are we a lesser class of believer. Everyone who rests in Christ will join the full body of Christ throughout all time, established and secured by the mighty hands of God. We join the mission of Christ laying hold to the victory of Christ by the power of Christ.
- What are the similarities between the covenants of the Old Testament and the calling of the people to the body of Christ?
Putting to Death The Old
We are now new creations in Jesus Christ, no longer indulging in the sins of the flesh as we once did. In joining the ongoing elect saints, we leave the old person behind. Peter’s exhortation to the believers had been to not go back to the person they once had been. No matter what occurs, whether it be persecution, exile, or insult, the follower of Christ should not cave in to the desires of the flesh for the sake of fitting in. The surrounding culture would have found this peculiar people to be weird, refusing to behave as they did. Yet, as God’s chosen people, the former ways of our life are incompatible for a life in Jesus Christ.
During times of trial and opposition our flesh will seemingly drive us back to the old person we once were before Christ. We will remember the momentary pleasure of fitting in with the world and the seeming lack of troubles that we will face. All of these are lies from the enemy that seek to drag us back into rebellion against God. Sin will never deliver on the promises that it gives and only leaves a person in despair and rejection. Choosing to fit in with the world will not fulfill the eternal promises of an inheritance in Jesus Christ for all eternity. No matter the appeal, the struggles in this world cannot overcome the victory of Jesus Christ, who reigns sovereignly over all creation for all time.
Therefore, we put to death the old person, the selfish desires, the pleasures of the flesh. We no longer pursue the approval of the world knowing that we are fully secured by the works of Jesus Christ. We have been elected by God and called out of our old life and set on a greater foundation. We become heirs and co-heirs with Christ. With respect to the world, we act in honorable ways that show our dedication to something greater than ourselves rather than for selfish gain and ambition. As we pursue Christ, the world sees the witness of our actions to challenge their way of living. That we do not fit in will testify to the goodness of God in the world.
- How does Peter contrast the gentile way and the way of following Jesus Christ?
Discussion Questions
- What is the significance of joining alongside the saints of the Old Testament? Why should the Christian not view themselves in isolation from the previous epochs of human history?
- How does Jesus lay down the foundation for our ability to follow Him throughout the world? How does this empower the follower of Christ to live according to His standards?
- What is the role of a priest? How does the follower of Jesus Christ act as a priest to the world?
- Why are the standards of the world different from the standards of God? What are the motivations between the two?
- What are some of the things we must put to death and put off in order to follow Christ? How do these things compare with the riches and glory of God?
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.
