Peter probably wrote his first epistle in the early 60s AD, several years before his martyrdom and within a decade of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Peter must have known at that point that the temple soon would be destroyed, since Jesus had told him about 30 years before that this would happen within a generation (Mk 13:3, 30).
Peter wrote to congregations in northern Asia Minor that would have included both Jewish and Gentile believers. He encouraged them to live faithful lives in an environment that was often hostile to their counter-cultural beliefs and practices.
In 1 Peter 2:4-10, he told these believers that they were "living stones" in a spiritual temple, a temple in which the resurrected Messiah is the chief cornerstone. Furthermore, they constituted a holy priesthood whose purpose was to "offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
A spiritual sacrifice presumably is once carried out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Other passages in the New Testament epistles say more about these sacrifices. Paul says in Romans 12:1-2 that our bodies should be "living sacrifice," transformed by the Holy Spirit to obey the will of God. Hebrews 13:15-16 adds that acceptable sacrifices include praising God, doing good, and sharing what we have.
Peter added in verse 9, "But 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."
Here Peter brought together two passages, Isaiah 43:20-21 and Exodus 19:6, which describe Israel's priestly mission to be a light to the nations. He told these believers that their spiritual priesthood would be carrying on with that mission, representing God with their words and their lives. They would not be replacing Israel but assisting Israel in that mission.
First Fruits of Zion has a good way of describing the New Testament people of God with its proleptic radial ecclesiology.
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