I Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;
There is an amazingly intriguing and exciting history surrounding the nation of Israel. From the way this land was brought into existence, through the patriarchs, through enslavement in Egypt and the deliverance through the Exodus, through the desert wanderings and the giving of the Law through Moses, the entering of the promised land, through judges, the kings, the prophets. This land known as the holy land, contains a holy people specifically chosen by God Almighty and set apart from the rest of creation before the foundations of this earth were laid. A holy nation, destined from before there was time to birth the Messiah that would one day offer salvation for both Israel and the rest of the world. These people whom were a chosen people, with royal priests, in a holy nation, were indeed a peculiar people to say the least. We can read the history in our bible, in the book of Deuteronomy in which God the Creator spoke to these peculiar people these very words. “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.”
Read further into the Word of God and you can easily find more evidence that this land, Israel, was specifically chosen and called by God. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”
God chose these people for His own inheritance. Out of all God’s creation, he called one man out from his family and started a race of people so that through these peculiar people, the message of salvation through Jesus the Christ would one day be spread throughout the ends of the world. Knowing all of this however, does not explain why Peter the Apostle, would write a letter to the born-again Christians (both Jewish and Gentile alike) telling them that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people. The Jewish people yes, but Christians?
The first thing we need to do upon beginning our investigation into such matters is to establish this one fact. That the Word of God is truth. What it says, is what it means. I believe these things. I believe that we do not need to add to God’s Word, nor take away from God’s Word. I believe that although ALL of God’s Word is God-breathed, not all of it is directly targeted to us as believers today. I have come to this conclusion through my study of the Word and through prayer. Through the action of comparing Scripture with Scripture, we are able to discern what is for us and what was for the 72 disciples that Christ sent out (which we can read in the Gospel of Luke chapter 10) the 12 apostles, and Paul.* The verse that I am writing about, I Peter 2:9, is certainly meant for the church today and we can determine this through Scripture comparison.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, the Apostle describes how God, in His grace and mercy, brought the church into the family of His chosen people. “And if some of the branches (the Jewish people) be broken off, and thou (the New Testament church), being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;” Besides obtaining the promises of God, we now have become God’s people. We now are allowed to partake in the root and the fatness of the chosen people. We have been adopted into God’s family. Through this adoption, this grafting, we have specifically been chosen by God Himself. Elected and made a holy nation in the Body of Christ. Set apart from the rest of the world and the world system to be used for God’s purpose and the furthering of His Gospel message. We have become a “peculiar” people. This word peculiar in the Greek language (peripoiēsis pe-rē-poi’-ā-sēs) used in this passage means that we are a “purchased possession” belonging to God and to God alone. Scripture tells us that we are no longer our own and that we have been purchased with the precious blood of Christ. For this reason, we also are a royal priesthood. Believers in Jesus are in a royal family. We are in the family of the King of kings! We are his holy priests. In the Old Testament, we can read the history of what it meant for the priests to praise and worship God. There was constant sacrifices made. Some were made to make atonement for the sin of the people. Some were made to honor God and offer Him praises. Today, we know that Jesus was the final sacrifice made on behalf of all who cry out to Him and believe on His name. This does not mean that the sacrifices are to end. As royal priests, we can sacrifice our time, our possessions, our relationships, and most importantly, our very lives. We offer our praises to the King of kings through song, through praise, through service, through following “the Way.” Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
We show our love to the Lord through keeping his commandments. Do not confuse this with a works based salvation. I do not in any way support this type of doctrine. I do support our obedience to Christ Jesus once we have accepted His free gift of salvation. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, our love for Jesus, and our fear of God Almighty, we as believers should strive on a daily basis to please Him, to stay in constant communion with Him through ceaseless prayer and supplication, and to honor Him by spreading the Good News of salvation. We should live out our lives in a way that shows unbelievers that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people giving constant praise and glory to the One Who has called us out of darkness and into His Marvelous Light.
Praise the Lord for His Mightiness!
*My personal belief on this subject is that God does and can heal. When doing so, He heals immediately. John 5:8,9 Matthew 15:30 Luke 7:21 Mark 3:2-5. I do not agree with anybody that claims to be a “healer”. If this be true, then please, go to the hospitals, heal the sick and dying, and put the medical community out of business. Is God the Healer? Yes. Is man the healer? No. I also believe that through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that demons are cast out of unbelievers. I believe that believers can be oppressed and obsessed by and with demons, but that through Jesus Christ they can be delivered from this harassment immediately. I do not believe that believers can be possessed by demons as we are sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit.
