To start the year, we are studying Peter’s first letter by beginning with I Peter 1:1-2. In each section, we will see how he describes the people of God. In his greeting, Peter calls Christians “elect exiles,” which is a curious expression that mixes something positive (elect, chosen, selected) with something negative (exiles, driven out, rejected). As it turns out, God’s election makes his people exiles in this world, and Peter reminds us that it is our call to live our lives as those who are in the world but not of the world.
Faith is the means by which we are saved, obey God, and forgive our brothers and sisters.
As Paul demonstrated in his trial before Governor Felix, Christians must testify about Christ with our words and with our lives.
The Son of God shared in our flesh and blood, took our humanity, became like us in every essential way, and can help us...
