Who did the apostle Peter write his letters to? Doesn’t sound like an interesting subject, does it? I know, when you write a blog post you’re supposed to hook your audience with a curious fact or an odd question. The recipients of 1 and 2 Peter? Not too catchy!
But I’ve learned that when I take the time to reflect on the Scriptures, the Lord has the freedom to show me His heart. I grow in understanding what He thinks and what He’s doing. I also realize how the Spirit can work in me and those around me like He did in the men and women of the Bible.
So maybe identifying the initial recipients of Peter’s letters has more value than it would appear. Let’s see.
In 1 Peter, there are three passages that help us determine the original audience.
- “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,” – 1 Peter 1:1
- “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” – 1 Peter 2:11
- “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do–living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.” – 1 Peter 4:3-4
In 1:1 and 2:11, Peter calls his readers “exiles” in the NIV Bible (the version I typically use in these blog posts). Exile is something the Jews were familiar with. In 722 BC, Assyria invaded the land of the 10 tribes of Israel and deported the Israelites all over their empire. Most of them never returned to their homeland.
And in 587 BC, the kingdom of Babylon, after destroying the city of Jerusalem and the temple, led much of the population of Judah and Benjamin into exile. When Persia conquered Babylon, the Persian monarch allowed Jews to return to Judea to rebuild both the gates of Jerusalem and the temple. But most of the Jews didn’t return home; they continued to live in Gentile countries.
The Jewish people knew about exile by their history. But I believe Peter wrote his letters to Gentile Christians. (2:11 and 4:3-4 support this idea.) Why would he refer to them as exiles?
Because when they became Christians, they no longer fit into their society. Even though these believers didn’t move out of their cities or abandon their jobs and families, they were now different. Same address, same job, but different heart. Jesus made them new; they weren’t who they used to be! It wasn’t long before those in their social circles saw the changes in their lives and reacted.
Often negatively.
When we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, He makes us new people through His gospel.
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” – 1 Peter 1:23
The price many paid for following Jesus was exile, being pushed to the outskirts of the community. No longer fitting into what was their home–that’s not easy. But it was the experience of the Christians Peter was trying to encourage.
As those loyal to Jesus, we don’t have to be hostile toward the world. It may hate us or ridicule us. It might dismiss us as insignificant. But regardless of how society treats us, Christ calls us to reveal His pure life to everyone around us.
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” – 1 Peter 2:12
We’re exiles; we don’t quite fit into the world we grew up in. But we have something better; we’re citizens of God’s kingdom. And there’s room for more! As we live for Christ, we testify about the Lord’s desire to welcome all into His presence through repentance and faith. People may reject us, but God is inviting them.
Yet we’re more than exiles.
We’re also escape artists.
I picked up on this idea from a verse in Peter’s second letter.
“Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” – 2 Peter 1:4
The word translated “corruption” is phthora (must be a silent “ph”!) and it refers to perishing or destruction. It’s hard to disagree with Peter; the world is corrupt. It’s decaying before our eyes. Social bonds are fraying and the discord among people continues to intensify. The world is destroying itself.
The apostle says that lust caused this ruin. This word makes us think of sexual desire, but the Greek word epithumia means more than that. It refers to strong desires or wants and it’s not always negative. For example, in Luke 22:15, Jesus tells His apostles, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Both “eagerly” and “desired” are forms of this Greek term. This might sound stilted in English, but a literal translation would read, “I have desired with desire.” Jesus wasn’t tempted to sin; He yearned to share the Last Supper with His disciples before His Passion.
But more often than not, the New Testament writers use epithumia in a negative sense. It’s desire that’s out of bounds.
This goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” – Genesis 3:6
And it affects us to this day.
“For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” – 1 John 2:16-17
Strong, self-centered desires characterize our world. And apart from the grace of God, they characterize our lives, too.
But Peter declares that we’ve escaped this corruption. We did so, not because we’re clever or special. God Himself, through His Son, delivered us to safety and freedom.
And He wants us to extend His rescue to others.
So without putting words in Peter’s mouth, we Christians are exiles and escape artists. Because we identify with Jesus, we don’t fit into the world the way we used to. And that’s good news, at least for us, because the society around us is falling apart. But God was merciful to us and He empowers us to share His mercy with those caught in the ways of the world.
Through Jesus Christ, there’s new life. By His grace, we share in God’s own nature of holiness, goodness, power, and love. The value of His gift of salvation exceeds our ability to describe. But it’s something we can grow in and express.
Regardless of what we face in this world, let’s stay true to Jesus. He is worthy!
