It’s a wonderful thing to feel that one belongs. One of the reasons social media like Facebook and Twitter are so popular is largely because those who tweet or post feel they are among people who share some affinity with themselves. They feel they are among a people who like them and accept them.
They feel they are among a people to whom they belong.
This is the blessing also inherent in the nuclear family. Family members feel they can be vulnerable with one another precisely because they are family; they belong. This is a family that accepts us–however strange we may be!
As we continue our verse-by-verse studies in 1 Peter, we come to two verses in Chapter 2 that underscore the beauty and blessing of belonging to the special family of God:
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
What Peter is doing here is taking a passage from the Old Testament (Exodus 19:5-6) and applying it to the church. He is taking a passage about the people of Israel and saying that the church is now the new Israel.
When the Israelites were gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai to receive from God the former covenant, or what we call the old covenant, God had said through Moses, “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people…and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…”
Sounds similar to verses 9 and 10 in our text, right? So Peter is saying that the church today is the ultimate expression of the family of God.
Now, let’s put a magnifying glass over verse 9 and study the blessing of belonging:
“But you are…”
That is, in contrast to those about whom Peter had just been writing–the non-Christians in verse 8–those who were “disobedient to the word” and, in their refusal of Christ, had “stumbled over the cornerstone,” bringing judgment upon themselves.
In contrast to those in verse 8, Peter writes, “But you are,” and then he gives four descriptive phrases that speak to the Christian’s position; the believer’s rank or status.
We’ll study these four phrases under this main heading:
REJOICE in Your POSITION (9a)
A chosen generation
The Greek word for chosen in this verse is ἐκλεκτóν, from which we get “election,” the doctrine of election, the biblical doctrine of our having been chosen by God, chosen to salvation.
It’s a fact: God chooses us.
That’s the word Peter uses and that’s what the word means: God chooses us.
Of course, we choose Him when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, but we choose Him only because He has first chosen us and draws us savingly to His side. This truth is expressed beautifully by the old hymn-writer:
’Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For Lord, that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee,
Hadst Thou not chosen me…
My heart owns none before Thee,
For Thy rich grace I thirst;
This knowing, if I love Thee,
Thou must have loved me first.
–(Josiah Conder, 1836)
So no one in the church can boast of their being included. The text does not say, “A choice generation,” as though we were the very best, the cream of the crop, or the choice pick. Rather, it says “a chosen generation.”
God chooses us; we who were dead in trespasses and sin; we who had nothing to offer God. We who were not choice!
We were sinners chosen.
We belong because God chose us to Himself. He chose us to belong to Him.
The word “generation” in verse 9 may be translated “kin” or “people,” or even “race.”
Christians are like a new race. They are a race who belong to God and to one another regardless of their ethnicity.
At the same time, however, we must add this qualifier: God created various ethnicities for His glory. Every race or ethnicity is beautiful in His sight. It’s really not helpful to say that “God is colorblind,” because He created color. He loves the various colors and complexities of race and ethnicity because He Himself created each and every one.
The stress here is on the fact that the church comprises a people of all kinds of backgrounds, ethnicities and colors. It is, in a singular sense, a “new race” made up of people of various backgrounds, colors, and ethnicities.
Christians are a chosen generation, a chosen race of God’s people; one family of believers belonging to God and belonging to one another. As God’s chosen generation we are for one another, helping one another and strengthening one another in the family.
Remember from a previous post on verse 5, where Peter teaches that Christians are a building? The church is not a building of bricks or stones. The church is people. The church is made up of living stones, living people who come together and work together.
A stone by itself is not a building. It needs other stones. A Christian by himself or herself is not the church. A Christian is a living stone joined together with other living stones making up the church.
Several years ago The Los Angeles Times summarized a research study on the mystery of floating fire ants in the Brazilian rainforests.
When placed in water, an individual fire ant will flounder, struggle, and eventually sink. But when the fire ants band together, they form life rafts that help them survive the flash floods. As a unified raft, they can even travel for months before reaching dry land.
The article reported how scientific research unlocked the secret of this natural mystery of floating ants. The scientists collected a bunch of fire ants and dropped them into containers of water. The ants quickly spread out and formed themselves into rafts. Each individual ant used its claws and the adhesive pads on their legs to grip onto each other. One researcher said, “At first it just looks like a tangle of bodies and limbs everywhere, but the longer you look at the picture, the more you’re able to distinguish between different body parts and see the connection.” Then the insects use air pockets that form around their bodies to keep themselves afloat.
The article concluded: “The research sheds light on how deeply social insects act together: almost as if they’re part of a superorganism …. [As one scientist said], ‘The individuals acting together create this awareness of the environment that no individual ant has.’”
–[Amina Khan, “Mystery Of Floating Fire Ants Solved,” The Los Angeles Times (4-29-11)].
That’s a picture of the power of the church! As a chosen generation, we need one another. We accept one another. We depend upon one another. We work with one another. We survive because of one another.
If you say, “Well, I don’t need the church,” or, “I don’t believe in organized religion,” you may find yourself alone one day and sinking. But with your family–the family of God–with fellow believers, you cling to one another and ride out the storm together.
Rejoice in Your Position. You are a chosen generation. Peter also says that Christians are:
A royal priesthood,
This is similar to a phrase we looked at in verse 5 where Peter refers to Christians as “a holy priesthood.” We talked about this previously; how the priests of the Old Testament have been replaced with Christians who are their own priests. We don’t need a priest today to be our “go-between,” between us and God. We are our own priests.
So think about what else a priest does in the Old Testament. The priest prays. He prays for others. He intercedes for others. As a royal priesthood, we are to pray for one another. We ought to be like Samuel in the Old Testament who said in 1 Samuel 12:23, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” The church prays for one another.
In his book Bad Religion, Ross Douthat argues that as families have weakened and true friendships have waned, (many) have tried to fill the vacuum by relying on professional caregivers. While these professionals certainly care about their clients, there’s a deeper problem at stake for the church:
As [the philosopher] Ronald Dworkin pointed out … the United States has witnessed a hundredfold increase in the number of professional caregivers since 1950. Our society boasts 77,000 clinical psychologists, 192,000 clinical social workers, 105,000 mental health counselors, 50,000 marriage and family therapists, 17,000 nurse psychotherapists, 30,000 life coaches—and hundreds of thousands of nonclinical social workers and substance abuse counselors as well.
What’s interesting is that Dworkin writes, “Most of these professionals spend their days helping people cope with everyday life problems, not true mental illness.” He adds, that this means that, “under our very noses a revolution has occurred in the personal dimension of life, such that millions of Americans must now pay professionals to listen to their everyday life problems.” He concludes, “The result is a nation where gurus and therapists have filled the roles once occupied by spouses and friends,”–and we would add, the church.
Ross Douthat, Bad Religion (Free Press, 2012), pp. 240-241
Take time this week to truly listen to others. Consider the power of blessing in the question, “How can I pray for you?” As royal priests, we should pray for one another.
A holy nation
Christians are a holy nation. Tim Keller asserts: “To be holy is to be wholly God’s.”
Every area of our lives is to be dedicated to Him. Our thoughts, our actions, our words, our eyes, our tongues, our hearts, are “wholly” His.
Think about that this week as you consider yourself “a holy nation.” Think of “holiness” as being “Wholly God’s.”
His own special people
The King James translates this phrase as “a peculiar people.” That’s not a great translation of the phrase for today. In 1611, it made sense, but today the word “peculiar” means something else! Some have even quoted the King James Version to support the weird behavior of some Christians. For example, a Christian is kind of goofy and some replies, “Well, you know we’re a peculiar people!”
Yeah, but not strange and goofy!
The phrase “His own special people,” is more literally “A people for possession,” or as another translation has it, a people “belonging to God (NIV).”
Christians are God’s treasured possession.
You are treasured by God not because you are “choice,” but because He has chosen you “in Christ.”
What makes you special to God is your position in Christ. You are “hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).” Your sins are paid for in Christ. You are clothed in Christ’s righteousness. God looks upon you and sees you not in your sins, but sees your sins paid for in Christ Jesus and His righteousness covering you like a big overcoat. For this reason, you are “His own special people,” a people for possession, a people belonging to God.
Think about it: if you have a treasured possession in your home and fire breaks out, what do you do? You run to that thing and grab it because it’s your treasured possession.
Because of Christ Jesus, you are God’s own special people. He treasures you. He holds you close to His side. He’s got you.
Hey, Christian! When you are feeling down, don’t read some pop-psychology book to boost your self-esteem. Just go to the Bible and open to 1 Peter, chapter 2 and read verse 9:
You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special possession.
Rejoice in your position! But for what purpose? Why are we here? Last part of verse 9:
that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
We’ll talk more about that next time! For now:
What About You?
- Do you locate your identity in Christ, or do you struggle with seeking the approval of others?
- How does the LA Times article about fire ants apply to you?
- Do you think of yourself as God’s special treasure or possession?
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