What, Exactly, Is an Elect Exile? – 1 Peter 1:3-9
June 27, 2021Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Peter Stonecipher
One of the colorful aspects of human language is the creation of phrases which, based on their individual parts, should make absolutely no sense, but end up being richly descriptive. I’m talking about oxymorons like jumbo shrimp, poor health, and random order! In 1 Peter 1:1, the Apostle offers his own creative phrase to describe God’s people, “elect exiles”. Needless to say, these aren’t words we would naturally join together if it were up to us to describe God’s people, but Peter does just that.
In 1 Peter 1:3-9, Peter begins to answer the question, “What, exactly, is an elect exile?” This is a crucial question for us to answer, as it not only serves as a description of God’s people in Asia Minor in Peter’s day, but also as a description of God’s people today – including us! Who are these elect exiles? Who is their God? What do they believe? How should they live?