“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles... according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” [1]
Why does Peter address his audience as elect exiles? Many of them were new believers living in their home country, speaking their own language, functioning in their native culture. They were like exiles because they were clinging to God in a land that had abandoned God.
Their citizenship was in heaven. They were waiting for their Savior Jesus Christ to appear from heaven. “One of the essential lessons of 1 Peter is that this suffering and social exclusion is the most normal thing in the world. It is common for our brothers and sisters around the world today.” [2]
Christians in exile may be hope-filled yet fearful; be humble and respectful yet speak the Gospel with authority; and, live holy lives, separate from the world, yet be incredibly welcoming and loving in it. We can live and share good news as exiles because we have the hope of glory. Our hope is not based in this life. Our “faith and hope are in God.” [3]
Our eternal “hope motivates evangelism. We tend not to speak of Jesus because we fear what we now call the ‘cancel’ culture, that we will be ignored, disrespected, even derided for our outdated and dangerous faith. But when we have hope that goes beyond this life, we can be bold. People are drawn to a hope that survives what the world and our enemy throw at it.”
Peter frames our lives by Christ’s example. He is the living stone. We are living stones. He is chosen by God and precious, but, rejected by men. Just as Christ was much more than what the people who rejected Him could imagine, so the church is much more than the people around us, or we ourselves, can imagine. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. [5]
[1] 1 Peter 1:1-2
[2] Clark, Elliott, Evangelism as Exiles
[3] 1 Peter 1:21
[4] Clark, Elliott, Evangelism as Exiles
[5] 1 Peter 2:4-10
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