Proclamation:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, God’s special possession, that you declare the praises of Him who
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
Explanation:
These words were written by the apostle Peter, under the
influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers who scattered after the
crucifixion of Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-2)
Peter began this second chapter by telling them to rid themselves of all
malice and evil traits and to crave The Word of God like newborn babies crave
milk. (1 Peter 2:1-3) Then he told them
that they were a special people, like living stones built into a spiritual
house similar to Christ who is the spiritual cornerstone. (1 Peter 2:4-7) He told them that they were also special
because they were chosen by God to be His special possession. They were part of a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, called by God. Then he urged
them to abstain from sinful desires and to live good lives among the pagans of
the world. (1 Peter 2:11-12) He told
them to obey the law of the land, as long as it did not conflict with the law
of God. (1 Peter 2:13-17) He ended by
reminding them of the things that Christ went through and suffered before he
bore all of their sins on the cross. (1 Peter 2:21-25)
Application:
It is sometimes hard to see ourselves as a special people
when we are suffering and going through the midst of a storm, but we are the
elect people of God, chosen from before the beginning of time. We have a special calling on our lives, we
are His people. Here we are reminded to
crave The Word of God and to abstain from sinful worldly desires. We are to live Christ-like lives as we walk
among the lost in this sin-sick world.
We are the light of the world, (Matthew 5:14) a beacon light to lead to
lost to Christ. All of us may not be
called to be preachers, but we all can live in such a way that others can see
Christ within us. We are a purchased people;
Christ paid it all for us.
