Am I an Exile?

1 Peter 1:1-9

Back in 2016, Trump was touted by Christian Magazines to be the answer to some prophecies in Isaiah. Some made him out to be Cyrus as mentioned in Isaiah 45 and others made him the one who will bring the wind back to our sails from Isaiah 40. Their goal was to make it seem like Trump was going to be a savior of sorts for Christians in the U.S.; make our lives better. I don’t want to discuss its success. I want to warn you from asking that question to begin with. No president has ever nor will ever be able to save us. in fact, God never promised easy, but hardship. We are starting a new series in the book of 1 Peter. His reason for writing this book is to explain that life is hard and suffering is the rule, not the exception. I know that doesn’t sound like much fun. Thankfully, those who trust in Christ have hope and joy in the midst of their trials. The question today is if this book applies to you.

You Are an Exile

The exiles that Peter wrote to were Christians (mostly Jewish) who were scattered throughout regions of modern-day Turkey due to the Dispersion, a major event that led to a hurried evacuation from Jerusalem and Judea because of persecution. Based on Peter’s introduction—elect exiles—we must ask: are we elect and are we exiles? It’s important to make that connection because the applications of this book and thus its value to us are dependent on us connecting to his audience. The first question is a bit simpler: what does it mean to be elect? It means to be a believer. An elect person is one whom God has graced with the desire to seek Him. Someone who is chosen and has received the blessing of Christ’s sacrifice and thus followed Him in faith.

The question of being an exile is trickier. According to Peter’s description, it doesn’t seem like we qualify as exiles. You aren’t on the run from persecution and chances are you are living in your home country (or at least close to it). You most likely aren’t a political or religious refugee, and neither is anyone hiding out. If you’re in witness protection, please don’t tell me. In fact, the vast majority of us here are living rather comfortably in a nation that has welcomed us or that we were born into. This nation prides itself on providing everyone the opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I could try to make the argument that you don’t live biologically in your home – after all, very few of us have any ties to the indigenous Native American populations. But most of us have lived here our whole lives thus far. That’s not what makes us an exile. You are an exile because you are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven; a child of God; a person who, through faith, has chosen a better life and a better home. Your heavenly citizenship started when you were bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. You are His, thus, you are an exile, living in a land that is not your home.

You Aren’t (Fully) Saved Yet

You are a Christian, which makes you an exile – but at least we have awesome jargon! Consider the idea of living “on fire” for God, or remember the last time you prayed a “hedge of protectino” around someone. Kinda weird, right? “I’m saved” is another good example. While it is true, it really doesn’t explain the truth completely. There are three main aspects to salvation: justification (an instant act by God to declare you as righteous when you begin a relationship with Him though faith in Jesus), sanctification (both an immediate setting apart to be used for God’s glory, and the on-going growth God does in you to make you more like Jesus–doesn’t end until death), and glorification (in eternity we are given new bodies that aren’t broken by sin). To say something base like “I’m saved” is to fall far short of how our salvation truly works. Look at v5 – your salvation hasn’t been revealed yet; v7 says the genuineness of your faith is currently being tested; and v9 says you will obtain the outcome of your faith, which is salvation. If you have placed your faith in Christ, then you have been justified. If you have seen the Holy Spirit at work in your life, then you are being sanctified and Eph 1 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is a deposit that guarantees our inheritance, meaning that your salvation is assured. It’s simply still a work in progress. Your ending is secure, but your adventure is in flux.

Next Steps

You are an exile. You do not belong to this world and the moment you stand for Christ, this world will see that you are not one of its own. That leaves you two options – either hide your faith to be accepted by the world (major risk as to whether or not Christ will welcome you home then), or you live as an exile. Consider v4 – the rewards far outweigh the costs. Accept the exile lifestyle and live for Christ!

1. Put away faith in worldly politics and people.
2. Trust that your trials are part of your adventure with God and have value for your sake and for others.
3. Live for heaven, not for retirement: the youngest of us here have maybe 60-70 years left on earth – but we all have well more than 70 million years in heaven! Live for the future that matters.

Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings) hid from his destiny for many years, but once we accepted who he really was, he was able to help win the great war and evil was defeated. Accept your life as an exile and see God defeat evil through you!