Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a pastor. My father was a great example, and I wanted to be just like him. At twelve, after going forward at a campfire dedication service, he wasted no time preparing me for the ministry. I still remember my first sermon 30 years ago, preached in a suit several sizes too big.

I’ve been in ministry now for three decades, half of which in New England. In that time, it has become increasingly difficult to live out our faith in a culture that is growing more hostile toward Christianity. In my early twenties, I dismissed warnings about declining Christian values as the complaints of curmudgeons upset that the culture had passed them by. Now I find myself sounding the alarm, urging the Church to rethink how we do ministry in a post-Christian world.

ELECT EXILES

The Apostle Peter opens his letter to the churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) by calling his readers “elect exiles” (I Peter 1:1, ESV) and “the Dispersion”—people living outside their homeland. Though they were natives of Asia Minor, Peter called them exiles because, as Christians, they were being persecuted by their own neighbors.

Peter puts a positive spin on their circumstances, treating it as a privilege to be chosen for such an honor. “Elect exiles” sounds like a contradiction. We don’t naturally view suffering as a privilege, but Peter did. He wants us to see that suffering for Christ is part of our calling. Peter uses this reference to the Babylonian exile to explain to the Church why we suffer, what God intends to produce in us through it, and how Jesus is our model and guide, leading us through suffering with hope.

We are far removed from the direct persecution faced by first-century believers, yet we know our culture is steadily drifting from Christian values. We live in a post-Christian context. Peter wrote in a pre-Christian world. He was not concerned with gaining influence, winning elections, or shaping laws, but with teaching us how to live faithfully in a world that is not our own.

YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN

In the Gospel of John, Jesus told Nicodemus that to see the kingdom of God, he must be born again (John 3:1–21). This baffled the Pharisee, who expected a national revival that would restore Israel’s sovereignty and bring peace on earth. He envisioned a kingdom established by natural means, but Jesus spoke of a spiritual kingdom not of this world.

Peter builds on this theme to explain what it means to be reborn: “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3, ESV). The Apostle Paul describes Jesus’ resurrection as being “The firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18, ESV). Therefore, our being reborn is tied to the resurrection of Jesus. 

We are saved through faith in Christ the moment we believe. But salvation is not merely an escape from hell. It is the beginning of a new life in Christ. The same faith that saves us also sustains us as we grow into maturity.

REFINED BY THE FIRE

This explains why we are exiles. We have been reborn into a spiritual family that is not of this world. However, our struggle is more than an awkward tension. We still have to pass through various trials as we take up our cross daily and follow Christ. 

Peter contrasts that which is perishable with that which is imperishable. He echoes Jesus’ instruction in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20, ESV). Peter instructs us to invest in “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I Peter 1:4-5, ESV). This captures Jesus' point, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, ESV). 

Peter highlights another contrast: our trials last only a little while, but our salvation is eternal. Even in the midst of suffering, we have reason to rejoice. Christians should not live as bitter exiles, grumbling about how awful things are or anxiously fearing every threat. Instead, our joy should be evident, and we should be ready to explain the hope we have, even when we are wrongfully persecuted.

Peter likens our trials to a metallurgist refining gold and silver in the fire to burn away impurities (I Peter 1:7). Peter does not downplay the pain and suffering of persecution. Instead, he casts it against the backdrop of our future hope and reminds us that Christ predicted it, he endured it, and he would see us through it till the end. 

GROWING INTO OUR SALVATION

Peter continues the theme of being born again by describing us as newborn infants. Seeing ourselves as children reminds us how much room we have to grow. Often, we read the commands of the New Testament as a harsh reprimand. That is not Peter’s tone. Instead, he wants to inspire us to live up to our potential. 

He writes, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (I Peter 2:2-3, ESV). This prompts the question: Have you tasted the goodness of God? Perhaps it has been a while since we considered our first love. Peter wants us to go back in time and remember what it felt like when we first believed. That same affection needs to carry us through every stage of our spiritual development. 

At the same time that we are called newborn infants, we are also given the title of a royal priesthood. Imagine if you will, a baby dressed in royal robes designed for an adult. That is the picture Peter is painting. As silly as this may seem, it gives us an image of how we are to grow up into our salvation to serve an important role in the kingdom of God.  The child of a Levite or a king was born into privilege, but it also came with responsibility, and training began while they were still young. 

TIME TO ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES

Peter understands that we have a lot of room to grow into Jesus’ hand-me-downs. However, he doesn’t want us to wait until we are fully mature before we get to work. In fact, it is in doing the work that we will develop into our roles as a royal priesthood. Peter says, “Preparing your minds for action” (I Peter 1:13, ESV). This phrase, translated literally, is “Gird up your loins.” Perhaps a better modern-day translation would be, “Roll up your sleeves and get ready to work.” 

We are instructed to model our lives after Jesus as we serve other believers and live as witnesses to the world. Throughout various trials, our souls are being purified and made holy to love others with a pure heart (I Peter 1:22). Even as we are being persecuted, Peter urges us to live as sojourners, elect exiles, to be a testimony to the goodness of God so that others will see our good works and join with us in glorifying God (I Peter 2:11-12). 

Throughout the rest of the letter, Peter will use the example of Jesus and the gospel as a model for how to submit to our authorities (I Peter 2:13-3:7), how to suffer for the sake of the gospel (I Peter 3:8-4:19), and how to serve in love other believers with humility (I Peter 5:1-11). 

Peter describes us as living stones, fashioned together to form a spiritual house of worship (I Peter 2:4-5). He further elaborates, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).

In essence, Peter is asking: Where do you feel most at home—among God’s people, or in the world? Like any family, the church has growing pains, but we are called to grow together. We are united around a common mission, shared struggles, and future glory. We live as ambassadors of that coming kingdom, with conduct that reflects our Lord, so that when others ask why we are hopeful in a hostile world, we can point to the joy of having been born again.