The first epistle of Peter was written to believers who were exiles (immigrants) in other regions. Peter begins his letter saying, 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

The word exiles comes from the word “parepidemos” meaning sojourner, stranger, exiles, temporary resident.

It is a description of one who comes from a foreign country into a city or land to reside there by the side of the natives; hence, stranger; sojourning in a strange place, a foreigner.

The language has a two fold application, the first is that the people that Peter was writing to were literally foreigners (immigrants) in the land in which they were living. Secondly, they were foreigners in this world because this world is not their home.

It is sad that we have Christians cheering on mass deportations and the cruelty to immigrants in the United States, even though in the New Testament we have a letter to immigrants from one of the apostles who walked with Christ in the flesh.