1 Peter 2:9-10—Your high calling
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a 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; which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10, KJV
This portion of Peter’s letter is one of the most stirring descriptions of the Church found in Scripture. Whenever I read it, I love to savor each phrase, one chunk at a time.
But ye are a chosen generation…
As a teacher, I taught my students that writing conventions frowned upon beginning a sentence with “BUT”. However, here, in this wonderful description of the Church founded on the Rock, “BUT” is aptly placed as a neon sign. It declares, “Some will follow their own conceits all the way to their doom, BUT you, believer in Jesus, will enjoy an entirely different outcome in life.”
You are a chosen generation. Peter wrote to the first generation to trust in Christ. They were chosen out of their generation, and together, they formed their own generation. You and I are likewise members of that chosen generation—the only generation that spans decades, centuries, and even a millennium or two! Together, all of us in Christ present a formidable obstacle to the forces of darkness that have sought to run the show here on earth since the days of Adam and Eve; but even individually, each one of us—chosen by God and made new in Christ—threaten the agenda of the evil one.
… a royal priesthood…
You are part of a royal priesthood. You are a priest because as a Christian you are called to stand before men on behalf of God and to stand before God on behalf of men. You are royal because of your new parentage—you’ve been adopted as a son or daughter by the King of kings and Lord of lords. Hold your head high. Your Father is the King.
Think of that next time you pray. You approach God—not as some distant, uninterested Being—but as your Father—your loving Daddy. If that’s hard to imagine because of an absent, abusive or coldly distant father, picture this:
Among the hundreds of photos from John F. Kennedy’s presidency is a series that captured my heart. Present in the Oval Office were his pre-school children Caroline and John John, happily playing, doing somersaults, and hiding under his desk. As their father worked, conducting the business of the nation, he fondly glanced their way, bending to ruffle their hair and beaming with love and delight at their antics. You go before God not only to conduct Kingdom business, but also to just spend time in His presence as He goes about His task of being God. Your heavenly Father, even more than JFK with his kids, beams with love at you, His royal priest and His precious child. Bask in it!
… a holy nation…
Together, you, I, and all the believers to ever live, comprise a holy nation. We live under the governmental laws of the Kingdom of God and we pledge our love and allegiance to our Sovereign, the Lord God Almighty. The boundaries of our land is the border between Light and darkness. We dwell in the Light; we reach out into the darkness as ambassadors of the Light to rescue those who are snared by its shackles. We no longer live under the laws of that dark land for our Father rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).
… a peculiar people…
I love that the KJV translates this phrase like this—we are peculiar. We are non-conformists; we are those who resist being manipulated by the whims of culture or the fear of man. In the sea of identity politics, you and I can boldly proclaim, “I identify as peculiar.” Hot diggity dog!
The reason we are peculiar people is revealed in the Greek word peripoiēsis from which “peculiar” was translated. It means, more exactly, “a preserving” and “a possession” (see Blue Letter Bible. com). You and I have been pulled out of darkness to be preserved for God’s own possession. And yes, that does make us peculiar—and I love it!
…that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light…
What has transpired for you and me is no small thing. We were born into darkness, destined to live there, and die, only to face an eternity of everlasting, ever-deepening darkness. But God had a plan, conceived before the foundation of the earth, to launch a rescue mission on behalf of the doomed human race. Through Jesus, God delivered you from that enslaving darkness and transferred you to the Kingdom of His marvelous light.
For that, I am awed. Because of the rescue mission successfully conducted on my behalf, I will indeed show forth the praises of my Deliverer. Praise You, Jesus! Thank You!
… which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God…
In times past, men and women were scattered throughout the world, indelibly separated from one another by nationality, tribe, race, religion, and most of all, fear. Although this paradigm still exists, for those of us in Christ, such barriers have been abolished. The Bible states, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28). Ephesians 2:14 reads, “For He Himself is our peace…and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…”
If you’re like me, you experience the following phenomenon as normal: You have far more in common with Christians of different races and backgrounds than you do with those who look just like you but don’t know Christ. Your people are truly the people of God.
…which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
The mercy of God has always been zeroed in on you. However, it was not until you responded to His kindness which leads to repentance that you obtained that mercy as a living reality in your life. Before you received Christ, you groped in darkness for some hint of mercy from the universe; now you have obtained mercy from the One who created the universe.
This is your calling and this is your privilege. Feast on it and let it inform every move you make.
Dorothy
© 2015, Dorothy Frick