elect exiles, part 01
1 Peter 1:1: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles…
There, in 2 words, is the essence of 1 Peter and – quite possibly – a succinct expression of biblical Christianity, the philosophy of ministry for Core Community Church, and any healthy movement of the Gospel. I know it sounds inflated and souped-up, but in those 2 words are meaning that transcend to most parts of life. Elect exiles. Not only elect. And not only exiles. Elect exiles.
Theology + identity. Truth + translation. Thought + formation. Who we are + where we are. Why we live + how we live. And the list could go on. Elect exiles.
First of all, elect. Just the fact that Peter brings up election this early in his letter means something. He doesn’t shy away from calling them elect, the chosen, the set apart, the fore-ordained. In fact, he gets to it as quickly as possible. There might be two reasons why Peter would so quickly call his readers elect:
- They were probably Jewish, and therefore know what it is like to be chosen and set apart. The Jewish people had been especially chosen by God, elect according to his purposes, since Abraham way back in Genesis. The word elect wouldn’t alarm them. They wouldn’t run from it. When their pastors preached through the letter, they wouldn’t skip over the word for fear of being “too theological.”
- These Jewish people needed ongoing refinement of what it means to be elect. Throughout redemptive history, the Jewish people had misunderstood election, often thinking it was merely about special privileges. But, as Peter will soon make clear, election also leads to suffering. Election demands (and produces!) obedience. And obedience to Jesus surely leads to suffering, persecution, hardship, and pain. Being chosen by God did not (and does not) set anyone apart from suffering; being among the elect did not (and does not) mean escaping from suffering as an exile.
When Peter talks about the elect, he is simply joining the crowd. In the New Testament, Jesus talked about the elect (Matthew 24:22, 24, 31; Luke 18:1-8). Paul talked about the elect (Romans 8:33; 9:11; 11:7; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1). And, depending on how one interprets John’s letters, he may have talked about the elect, too (2 John 1:1, 13). Finally, through John’s vision, we can know that elect is an eternal title given to God’s people, Jesus’ co-warriors forever (Revelation 17:14, which uses the same Greek word as Peter in 1 Peter 1:1, but translates it chosen).
Furthermore, the concept of election is laced throughout the Old Testament, too. The Hebrews were God’s chosen people, his treasured possession, out of all the peoples on the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2). David viewed the people he led as God’s elect (1 Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 33:12; 135:4). Solomon also understo0d that God has chosen the Jewish people in a special way (1 Kings 3:8). Through Isaiah, God reminded his people that they were elect (Isaiah 41:8-9; 43:10; 44:1; 45:4). Literally dozens of times, God specially chooses a person, a team of persons, a city, or a place for his own purposes.
Thankfully, the electing nature of God can not be escaped, denied, or refuted. In his kindness and in his mercy God has chosen some of us. He has elected some of us. He has set us apart from the rest. This is election. Peter explains more of election in 1 Peter 1:2. He says that election is according to God the Father’s foreknowledge; election is carried out through sanctification by God the Spirit; and election exists to bring about obedience to God the Son. And all of this is accomplished fully and only by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. All members of the Trinity are involved in election. All of them believe in election, take part in election, and bring about election. And – as with anything in the world – election finds its power in the shed blood of Jesus.
If Peter only referred to his readers as elect, that would not be enough help for their situation. The fact of election is great. It reminds us of God’s mercy, God’s sovereign control, God’s carried-through purposes, and God’s long-term, eternal plan. But what does election do to us? Does it just put us in another category? Does it just mark us? What is the point of election, and what does election make us?
Enter our identity as the elect: exiles.
