"To those who are elect exiles of the Diaspora..." 1 Peter 1:1
"To those who are elect exiles of the Diaspora..." 1 Peter 1:1The Elect: the objects of God's undeserved mercy - rebellious sinners who are privileged, through no merit of their own, to have received God's sovereign, gracious, eternal choice to be adopted in His family in Christ (Eph 1:4-9)
Exiles: emphasizing the transitory nature of the sojourner's time in this age. As exiles, those in Christ live and function in this fallen world away from their true home in the age to come where Christ reigns in glory, where the dwelling place of God is with men, where heaven comes to earth and where He makes all things new.
The Diaspora: a Greek word which referred to Jews living outside Israel. (ex. in Babylon) In 1 Peter the apostle uses the same term to refer to Christians who live scattered throughout the world and are awaiting their Lord to return and visibly reign over the earth, as the waters cover the sea.
Meditating on these words brings increased clarity to what follows in Peter's epistle. With that in mind, now read how the Holy Spirit continues to instruct us in the passage about who we are, how we are to think, and what we are to do during our temporary time of exile in this fallen world: