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 the thanksgiving section of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he recognized their faith and love, which were based on their certain hope.
Adam was a type of Christ, each having the same role as the representative of his people, but with opposite outcomes.
Because of a general persecution in Jerusalem, the believers were scattered and took the gospel to Judea and Samaria, where many believed in Christ.
