(A verse-by-verse study from a NCT perspective.)
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to elect aliens of dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (my translation throughout).
Peter, one of the original followers of Jesus Christ, wrote this letter to Christians who were living in communities immersed in unbelief. The Roman empire of the first century was very much like the American empire of the twenty-first, only with less technology. It condoned the murder of unwanted babies; it encouraged sexual promiscuity, both hetero and homo; it regarded the government as its god and savior. One might even argue that the Roman culture was worse in that it attached a religious significance to much of its nefarious behavior (ex. temple prostitution and emperor worship). What Peter wrote to believers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and the rest, 2,000 years ago, is just as important for believers living in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington D.C, and "Your City, USA," today.
Aliens of dispersion. This label derives its influence from the Jewish experiences of exile among the heathen nations into which the children of Israel were thrust after the collapse of their kingdom(s). When the Assyrians and Babylonians sacked the Israeli capitols, they dispersed the majority of the Jewish people throughout their territories as an attempt to destroy their unity and identity (cp. 2 Kings 17:6). This became a cause of sorrow and temptation for them (see Lam. 1:1f.; Ezek. 6:8f.; predicted in Deut. 28:64f). In a similar way, followers of Christ who live among the children of the devil must fight against disunity and disloyalty to their King.
So, Peter considers them aliens, pilgrims, or (to use a word my grandfather would have used) sojourners. They were pilgrims, not because they had no permanent mailbox, but because they were citizens of another country—a transcendent land beyond the Roman Empire, or any earthly empire (Phil. 3:20), whose designer and builder is God (Heb. 11:10). But until such time as they are granted transport to the Celestial City, they must wander in the regions of the Land of Destruction, remaining faithful to their Lord and committed to one another.
To Ponder:
Do I live as though exiled to a foreign land or have I become too comfortable in my country and culture? Do I feel like an exile longing for home (i.e. the new heaven and new earth)?