Sojorners and Exiles - Pt 1

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV).

Peter now directs his attention more behaviorally. He has described who we are, now he is setting the stage for material that will give his readers “how we are to act.” He starts with the declaration that we “sojourners and exiles” (v. 11). Mary has just returned from a trip to Europe and parts of Asia. She and her sister flew into London and then traveled to Venice, ultimately making their way by cruise ship to some other Mediterranean countries. Of course, it was essential that she have her passport in order. She is not a citizen of any of those nations. She was a “sojourner.” Peter uses this reference in our reading today. We are pilgrims. We are called exiles. We are refugees. We are sojourners. The Apostle Paul says the same thing whe he writes, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3). So the question is framed rightly. We are citizens of heaven. We are sojourners and pilgrims on the earth. And that is owing to the fact that this world is fallen, not the fact that it is created. We are going to spend eternity in a created world. But Satan won’t be the god of that world anymore. That is what makes us feel so alien here is that the god of this world is Satan. He holds such extensive sway. The world is permeated with sin. It makes us feel like we are not at home. We are just aching that we be done with sin and be in the presence of holiness. So when I say we are aliens and exiles and sojourners and pilgrims, I don’t mean that the earth is a placed we despise. I mean that the structures we find ourselves in are so permeated with sin. We want something new. In a profound sense, this world is not our home. The Apostle Paul reminds us that when we are away from our bodies we will be “at home with the Lord” (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:8). We are also encourages to not be “conformed to this age” (cf. Romans 12:2). Our lives “are hid with Christ in God” (cf. Colossians 3:3). And, we have been “transferred out of the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son” (cf. Colossians 1:13); and, we have “passed out of death and into life” (cf. 1 John 3:14). We are sojourners and exiles here. Tomorrow we will see how that affects our behavior in this world. Today, embrace the truth that we are not anchored to this world of trouble and trial; we are merely passing through!