| James is absolutely right on the OT background for the verse. It is quite a stretch to say that Peter was writing to Jewish Christians. We can simply ask this question: does the verse have any application to us Gentile Christians today? If it does, then the dispensationalist has given the ball game away, since the church can now be described this way. Elect exiles of the dispersion does not imply Jewish Christians. It implies Christians scattered because of persecution. Diaspora was a common term in use at that time to describe the Jewish scattering. However, Peter uses it in a different way. He is using it to describe Christians who are scattered from their homeland (pilgrim theology). |