In 1 Peter 2:9 (KJ21) the word of God tells us this: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
There is a story about a king that had a son, but wanted more children. He wanted to share what he had with others, so he went to the local orphanage and asked that they bring all of the children together. Out of hundreds of children, he picked one child, who was an infant. The king brought the child home, and he and his son cared for the baby. Shortly after the adoption, the king’s enemy heard about it and came and stole the baby. The thief took the baby and raised it in poverty and slavery. The thief told the baby that it was the king’s fault that the kidnapped child was in the predicament that it was in. This went on for years. Finally, when the child had grown up, the biological son of the king found out where the kidnapped child (now grown) was being held as a slave in poverty. The king’s son went and rescued what the thief had stolen and brought the child home to their adopted father, the king. The son explained to the adopted child what really had happened. That the thief was a liar. That the king really loved them and that their father, the king, had made plans to share all that he had with them. The restored child was understandably overwhelmed by the immediate change in their circumstances. The restored child went on to love and honor the king until the day he died.
This story is the story of us all that have believed in the saving power through grace of Jesus Christ’s redemptive work upon the cross. Peter’s description of us as written above is as overwhelming as it is true.
We, as children of God The Father, through faith in God The Son, have been adopted into The Divine Royal Family. This means that God chose you, He picked you, He wanted you – in spite of everything He knew about us, He chose us. Not only did He choose us, but He made us part of His Divine Royal family. That means that we are divine royalty. Galatians 4:7 (KJ21) tells us that we are “an heir of God through Christ.” That means that we are privileged and powerful and that we walk in the favor of The Lord.
Peter goes on to say that we operate as priests, that we represent God. He says that we are holy, we are special, because everything that God owns is holy and special. This means that we belong to God, that we are set apart for His purpose. God has designed us with something special in mind.
The Apostle Peter also describes us as children of God as being peculiar. The world looks at the disciples of Jesus Christ as being unusual, strange, and very odd. This is because unlike most people we take our instructions from a holy risen King, instead of the world that we live in. If as rescued, restored children of God we are not viewed as peculiar from time to time by the culture that we live in, there is most certainly something wrong.
Then finally, Peter gives us the purpose for our deliverance. The reason God chose us, and adopted us into the divine royal family, and made us representatives of Himself, and made us special, and reveals our peculiarity, is that we would praise Him for bringing us out of our bondage, slavery, and poverty. The reason that God did what He did is because He loves us, but also that we might tell others about His mighty works in our lives so that they too might come to love Him.
You may say as an authentic believer that you don’t feel very divine or royal today. The good news is that it doesn’t matter how you feel. It only matters what God has done. We encourage you to walk in your divine right, your divine wealth, and your divine intimacy with your heavenly Father. Live holy, because your God is holy!