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.
At the beginning of Ruth 3, Naomi took matters into her own hands to secure a husband for Ruth. Her plan was risky, but...
All of a sudden, in John 11:55-12:26, Jesus not only permitted but encouraged people publicly to recognize him as king. What had changed? What...
Although the word church appears only three times in all of the gospels, in Matthew 16:13-23 and Matthew 18:15-20. However, the church figured large...