Exiles
To the elect exiles of the Dispersion. – 1 Peter 1:1
Written to Jewish and Gentile believers scattered throughout the Roman empire, the book of 1 Peter gives us a compelling view of the uncrushable hope that motivated the perseverance and praise of the early Church, and it can motivate us today as well.
It starts off by calling believers “elect exiles” (1:1), meaning we’ve been set apart by God since before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:3-6), but we’re not home yet. Humanity lost our true home in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. Since then, we’ve been exiles in the wilderness, longing for home (Rom 8:19-23; 2 Cor 5:1-4; Heb 11:13-16). But this is no surprise to God, and it’s no accident; our exile is “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1:2). His plan from the moment of the Fall (Gen 3:15) was to send the Son to redeem the world “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Eph 1:6). Through Jesus, the Son of God, we are “born again to a living hope” (1:3). Our hope doesn’t die, it’s in Jesus, so it lives as long as he lives. What are we hoping for? An eternal inheritance (1:4). This world is not eternal. It’s temporary, perishable, corruptible, and it fades away (1:24-25). It can’t last. If we place our hope in this world, we’ll always be disappointed. Like an old shirt, everything in this world grows thin, wears out, and breaks down. It fails us. We see this in our bodies, our jobs, our money, our possessions, our leaders. It’s probably most clearly seen in our digital technology: If you have a 10-year-old device that still turns on, that’s amazing, but I bet it doesn’t function like day one. If you have a cell phone that’s over 3 years old, great job keeping it safe, but you’re probably getting ready to buy a new one. Everything in this world will fail you eventually.
But not so with our eternal inheritance. It is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1:4). Your eternal inheritance is waiting in your true home, held securely by God, and nothing can take it away from you. Not even grief! We can have confidence that even trials, loss, and persecution are only serving God’s purposes by purifying us like gold in a furnace (1:6-7). The result will be a heart free from sin and sorrow, free from corruption, free to fully worship Christ forever. From him come joy and salvation that will not fade, “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1:8). All our joy points to our glorious true home. The only place that will satisfy the longing in your heart and will never disappoint is in God’s presence (Psalm 16:11).
How then should we live? As sojourners and exiles (2 Pet 2:11), seeking our true home (Heb 13:14). We shouldn’t expect this world to meet all our deepest desires in a lasting way, it can’t! We shouldn’t expect utopia from a world soaked in sin. Like the recipients of 1 Peter, Christians today should expect to be hated and rejected by the world. Our message will look like foolishness to them (1 Cor 1:18-24)! But if you look at the history of the Church, we have to admit that there’s also a danger in being accepted by the world. Just look at the New Testament. Look at the Epistles and Revelation. What are they warning us against? Christians embracing the ways of the world more than they embrace the ways of Christ. They were in danger of looking like the culture around them, embracing the world’s desires, and chasing after the world’s rewards. Remember 1 Corinthians? They often looked more like citizens of Corinth than citizens of heaven. But in Philippians 3, Paul reminds us that Christians are not citizens of this world, stuck chasing its rewards; we’re pursuing a better, everlasting kingdom:
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. – Philippians 3:20-21
How then should we live? Like guests—weary travelers in lowly bodies—just passing through. Don’t rely on the structures and systems of this world. Avoid getting tangled and tripped up by fleeting pleasures, especially when those pleasures are so easily accessible. We need to embrace the fruitful tension between being thankful for our freedoms and opportunities in this country without relying on them more than we rely on God. We are exiles. We’re not home yet, but we’re on our way. This world is not our home, we shouldn’t expect it to be our home, but we can make it look more like our home by the way we live. As the rest of 1 Peter shows us, whether we are accepted or rejected by this world, we can live like missional citizens of another world. We are called to be holy, and the Holy Spirit enables and empowers us to pursue holiness in every area of our lives, which makes this world better for us and our neighbors. Looking forward to Christ’s return and the joy of that reunion motivates us to pursue the good of those around us with the love of Christ. Let’s run our race with endurance, keeping our eyes fixed on Christ (Heb 12:1-2), and pursue God together, even in the land of our exile.