Elect Exiles – 1 Peter 1:1-5

What this episode covers

Verse one of Peter's first epistle to converts across the Roman empire identifies his credentials, the nature of his audience, and the area in which they lived. As to his qualifications and office, he simply introduces himself as “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ”. He does not go to great lengths asserting his leadership position in the church, rather he emphasizes the shared experience of all true believers from eye witnesses of Jesus' glory to new converts in distant gentile lands as (II Pet 1:1) “to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Peter identifies his readers as 'elect exiles' – a weighty term strong enough to bear the sovereign grace of salvation and the unique calling of the Christian requiring resolve and endurance. We are elect as we are chosen by a personal and mighty God who has ordained for Himself a people who would be ransomed unto the praise of His glory, chosen in the mystery of His merciful counsel from eternity past. We are exiles in that our new identity in Christ has so radically set us apart from the ordinary state of fallen man that we find our experience is one of a sojourner, a citizen of a holy and independent nation (I Peter 2:9a, 11). Finally verse one reveals what geographical and national regions these exiles are estranged in. History places these territories all to the north of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The gospel was dispersing quickly through the Roman regions unto the known world and with it came apostolic letters of strengthening encouragement for the early church, these treasured letters were proclaimed and preserved through the ages even unto our hands today...

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