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.
In response to Habakkuk’s raw complaint, God announced that he would do something wonderful, astounding, and hard-to-believe.
The opposite results of David’s and Saul’s desperate measures hold lessons about how to live in the world while not being of the world.
While David rejoiced in being rescued from an untimely death, his words pointed to his descendant who would experience an untimely death but be...
