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 marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

The apostle had just quoted from Isaiah 28:16 to encourage his Christians readers who were undergoing persecution that they had everlasting honor waiting for them (2:7a), unlike the endless shame waiting for those who rejected the Christ of whose eternal fate Peter spoke by quoting from Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:14 (2:7b-8a).  Now in verses 9-10 which are quoted above, he continues to build up his brothers and sisters in Christ by reminding them of their real identity.  His words carry equal weight with us today.  What he said of them, he says of us (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

“A chosen race.”  Under the Old Testament, God’s chosen people had been Israel.  Yet by the time of Peter’s writing, the nation as a whole – apart from a small remnant (Rom. 9:27; 11:5) – had rejected Jesus as the Messiah.  Under the New Testament, all Christians, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnicity (Gal. 3:28; cf. Mk. 16:15-16; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 10:34-35), hold the same favored status once held by the Jews: God’s chosen people (cf. Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 3:26-29; 6:16; James 1:1).

“A royal priesthood.”  Under Moses’ law, only those from the tribe of Levi were designated as the priests and ministers who offered the sacrifices and served in the tabernacle and temple (Num. 18:1-2ff; cf. Heb. 7:5).  Yet under Christ’s law, all Christians are priests who offer spiritual sacrifices and worship unto the Lord (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 13:15; Rom. 12:1).

“A holy nation.”  Christians make up the church, and the church is a nation of sorts…the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 16:18-19; Col. 1:13; 1 Thess. 2:12; Heb. 12:28).  This kingdom is spiritual in nature (John 18:36), and its citizens are the saved ones who are sanctified – set apart, made holy – through their obedience of the Spirit-inspired Word of God (John 17:17; 2 Thess. 2:13).

“A people for his own possession.”  When we became Christians, we stopped living for ourselves.  We do not belong to ourselves.  We “were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23; 2 Pet. 2:1), that price being our Savior’s blood (Acts 20:28).  God owns us now.  Our entire lives – every aspect of our lives – belong to Him (cf. Rom. 12:1).

Why did God give us all of these wonderful blessings, Christians?  Peter tells us.  “…that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (v. 9b).  According to Mounce Greek Dictionary, “proclaim” (exangello) means “to tell forth, divulge, publish; to declare abroad, celebrate.”  What do you do when you tell forth something?  When you divulge it or publish it?  What does it mean to declare something abroad?  When you celebrate something, do you tend to quietly keep it to yourself…or do you want to tell people about what has made you so happy?  Christians, this verse gives us the reason we are Christians, and that reason is to tell others about how excellent our God is and how he “called (us) out of darkness into his marvelous light.”  We are Christians because God wants us to let people know that “once (we) were not a people, but now (we) are God’s people; once (we) had not received mercy, but now (we) have received mercy” (v. 10).

Basically, we are Christians to tell others about how and why we are Christians.  Going to heaven and being saved from hell by the grace and love of God and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross?  Yes, one could say those are also reasons we are Christians, although in the context of what Peter is saying here I would say they are more the wonderful benefits of being Christians than anything else.  But our purpose for being “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession”?  Never forget, Christians.  Our purpose for being Christians is to evangelize.

— Jon