But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9(NASB)
What an astonishing revelation is contained within this simple yet profound verse of Scripture: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." As members of the Body of Christ, it reveals one of the precious privileges that are ours in Christ; we are a chosen race and a royal priesthood. We have been made a holy nation and a special people who have become God's own precious possession.
As Christians, we have a special place in God's unfolding plan of redemption. We are born into the family of God and have become a new creation through spiritual birth, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are an elect race and have been transferred out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's beloved Son. We have been made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, by faith.
We have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit as a down payment and guarantee that our inheritance in heaven is secure and sound. We are individual members of Christ's Body and collectively are being used by Him to testify of the truth of the gospel of grace, as ministers of His new and better Covenant.
God has selected you and me out of all the people groups of the world for a very special reason, and we have been anointed with the oil of gladness to serve as His representatives on earth. We have been selected, called, chosen, consecrated, and set apart for a very particular purpose: "That we may proclaim the excellences of Him, Who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light."
As we journey through this life of pain and sorrow, we are to proclaim to the world, in thought, word, action, attitude, and motive, the excellent glories of our Heavenly Father Who redeemed us from the darkness of sin and death into the glories of His life and light, in Christ.
Unlike Israel, we are not a chosen race of earthly people, but a spiritual body of believers that has been called out of every nation and language and people and tribe, to be His holy, heavenly people with a celestial citizenship. And we were set apart by grace through faith in Christ our Saviour, before the foundation of the world.
We were also chosen to be a royal priesthood for our God so that we may sing out the praises of His name to those who are lost in their trespasses and sins. We have been called to share forth the good news of the glorious gospel of grace to a lost and dying world, for God in His omniscience, knew who would accept His gracious offer of salvation, by faith.
As a royal priesthood, we are kings and priests unto God. We have been declared righteous in His sight and because of our union with Christ, all that we say and do should be in keeping with the heavenly privilege bestowed upon us. Our character and conduct should reflect the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, for by His grace and through faith in Him, we have been given access into the throne-room of God. We can stand in the very presence of the Almighty because we are eternally identified with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who is God the Son.
Our worship, praise, and thanksgiving, will resound throughout the eternal ages to come because God had graciously called us out of the darkness of sin and death, and a life without Christ, into the glorious light of His holy presence and eternal light and love. Darkness is the domain of those who reject God's offer of salvation. Those who refuse to trust in Christ have condemned themselves into the sphere of eternal separation from their Creator. But we who have trusted in His holy name have been forgiven of sin, made holy and blameless in His sight, and been given all we need for life and godliness, according to His riches in mercy and everlasting love.
How we praise His holy Name, for we who were once dead in our sins and shrouded in the thick blackness of sin, have been called out of darkness into His wonderful light. And now we can proclaim, to all with whom we come in contact, the excellences of our Heavenly Father and the grace of Kinsman Redeemer Who loved us so much that He was prepared to go to the Cross for our sake, so that our sins could be forgiven and we could exhibit the glories of His grace, not only in this world but also in the ages to come.
Heavenly Father, thank You that through faith in Christ, I am part of Your chosen generation. Enable me, in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of the Lord Jesus, to be a good and faithful witness to You in my earthly walk. May You be glorified and exulted in my life. May I sing forth Your eternal praises in all I say and do, from this day forward and forevermore. In Jesus' name, AMEN.
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