Let Us Be Peculiar Once More

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: (1 Peter 2:9)

This verse comes to us from the King James Version of God’s Holy Word and speaks to us that which all those who profess the name Christian should be. It is a sad truth that most of the world gives little heed to God’s word – an even more distressing truth is the inclination of Christians to make light of God’s word.

Perhaps more than a cursory understanding would be beneficial to us all.

But ye are a chosen generation “chosen” is a significant adjective used by God to describe what went into the selection of His people. Webster defines it as to “select freely and after consideration”. God did not flippantly decide what His people would be but rather gave it His consideration. To be chosen by God also means we are “selected or marked for favor or special privileges” granted by God Himself.

The chosen of God are those that have been convicted of his existence with a faith that demands obedience to His will. That faith puts us in His Divine favor and marks us for His Divine blessings, both in this life and the eternal life to come.

A royal When we think of royalty we bring to mind kings and queens for that is the proper definition of the word. It means to be “of kingly ancestry” and indeed the “chosen” are adopted sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Priesthood comes from the root word “priest” and is defined as “one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God”. Add the ending “hood” and you have simply “the whole body of priest”.

In the Law of Moses God gave specific instructions and qualifiers on who could come into His presence. Only those of Levidian ancestry were able to hold the office of priest and it was only they that could enter into God’s presence to make intercession for the people. Once Christ nailed the Law of Moses to the cross a new priesthood was established. It is better than the first in that the holders of this office have been cleansed by “royal” blood and adopted into the royal family. Those that hold this office have the privilege of being able to continuously enter the presence of God and boldly approach His throne of grace.

A holy nation Holy is that which has been set apart. Webster defines is a thus: “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness; Divine; devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity; having a divine quality; venerated as or as if sacred

Those that are chosen and are a part of the royal priesthood should be a collection of people (nation) that is devoted to becoming perfect in goodness and righteousness. They should be devoted entirely to God and doing the will of God. This in turn will create in them a divine quality.

A peculiar people To be peculiar means to be “different from the usual or normal”. Those that are the chosen priesthood of this holy nation will be different from the world that they exist in. The phrase “in the world but not of the world” though not in the Bible does give us a clear idea of what the goal should be for this holy nation. Paul writes “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed (become like mfp) to this world, but be transformed (be peculiar mfp) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Therefore we can conclude the following: Christians are a chosen people meaning God did not flippantly decide what they would become but gave it His careful consideration. They are those who have been cleansed with royal blood and adopted into the royal family with the privilege of becoming priest and being a part of the collective priesthood. As such, they will be devoted fully to God and the things of God – for as He is Holy so shall they strive to be. This continual strive to be holy will create within them a divine character that is so noticeable and different from the world in which they exist that they will be considered peculiar to those that are not a part of the priesthood. A result of this will be that they will show forth the praises of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Let us be ever mindful of our responsibility as those who wear the name Christ in every aspect of our life. The clothing that we wear, the speech that comes forth from our lips, the activities that we delight in and the way that we spend our time should all be in harmony with the faith that we espouse.

By Monty F. Parker

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