1 Peter Study #5

“God’s Own Possession”

1 Peter 2:9-17

Study #5 in 1 Peter Series

INTRODUCTION:

My wife, Ramel, and I were both Preacher’s Kids (PKs). Our dads were both Baptist pastors and we were both raised in the parsonage. That fact influenced many things in our lives. Don’t get me wrong, we would not trade our experience for anything. There were a lot of perks for preacher’s kids. We had some advantages and blessings that other kids didn’t have.

On the other hand, PKs were expected to live up to a higher standard than normal kids. That’s because everyone had the opinion that the pastor’s kids were a direct reflection on the pastor himself, not to mention the local church. The implications of that bias were that there were things we were always expected to do (e.g., never miss any services or meetings at church, know all the verses in Sunday School, attend Christian summer camp, volunteer for every VBS, etc.), and things we were expected never to do (e.g., drink alcohol, smoke, play cards, dance, use marijuana, cuss, skip school, embarrass our parents and the congregation, etc.).

TRANSITION:

We were expected to bring honor to our father, to his ministry, and to our family. Our name was known in the community in connection with his name; therefore, in a sense, we were his representatives.

In our text for today’s study, Peter explains the privileged position we have as the King’s Kids, children of God, adopted into His family and made joint heirs with Christ. He says that with that honor and privilege comes the great responsibility to represent our Father well, to bring Him glory, to elevate His reputation by living such exemplary lives that people will want to know Him and be drawn to Him.

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 9-10: 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; ¹⁰ for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.  

• Looking at these two verses, we notice right away that many of the words are in all caps. These are quotations. This is because Peter is pulling phrases out of several Old Testament passages that describe the unique relationship between the Lord and His people, Israel. Because of their covenant relationship with Yahweh, the people of Israel enjoyed special blessings reserved only for them. However, because of their unbelief and rebellion against God, He punished them and scattered them like dust. He didn’t abandon them or forget them, and indeed He will deal with them later, but for now He has set them aside. Peter is arguing that God has expanded His plan to include the Church. The New Testament describes His action as pruning them, lopping branches off the tree that is Israel so that they will one day regain their health and spiritual vitality. But in the meantime, the Lord has grafted new branches into that old tree trunk. So now Peter is using these passages to describe the Church as well as the people of Israel.  
• “But you [plural] are A CHOSEN RACE” = Isaiah 43:20-21; Deut. 10:15 – We always immediately think first of Israel being God’s chosen people, and that’s still true, but Peter is telling us that God has expanded His family and has adopted a whole bunch of foreign kids and brought them under His love and care. That’s us, the Church, the Body, the Bride of Christ. We too have been chosen sovereignly and specifically. We are a Chosen Race.
• “But you are A ROYAL [i.e., kingly] PRIESTHOOD” = Isaiah 61:6 – Royalty and the priesthood were normally kept separate in Israel. For example, King David was forbidden by God from constructing the Temple. But Jesus, who is our King and Priest, has brought them together for His people. The Apostle John, in Rev. 1:4-6 (NKJV) says this, “Grace to you and peace from…Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from the dead, and the Ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
• “But you are A HOLY NATION” = Exodus 19:6, Deut. 7:6 – Where does that holiness come from? The Hebrew word for “holy” found in Exod. 19:6 and in many other texts is קָדוֹשׁ (kaw-dōsh), meaning “sacred, holy, set apart.” It corresponds perfectly with the Greek word that Peter uses here in verse 9, which is ἅγιος (hágios) and means, “a saint, a most holy thing, or a holy thing set apart for God’s service.”  
• “But you are A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION” = Exodus 19:5; Deut. 4:20, 14:2 – This is important to grasp. Whether you describe us as “kadosh” or “hagios” we are only made holy by God’s election and by the Spirit’s cleansing. But that is not a passive process. Holiness is something that requires us working with the Spirit and allowing Him to repeatedly wash us. God has declared us holy, and we have been cleansed and made holy by the Holy Spirit, but we live in a filthy world, and we often allow sin to get in and pollute us and dirty us up. When that happens, we lose our effectiveness for God. To be set apart for Him and His service we must be clean. God does not use filthy instruments. That is why the cleansing work of the Word of God and the Spirit of God are so important in the day-to-day work of sanctification.
• “…so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” – Couched here in the middle of this long run-on sentence Peter tells us the reason WHY God has done all this. He does this with a Causal Statement introduced by the Greek particle ὅπως (hop'-oce), which means “in order that, or so that”. Without this causal phrase we have no answer to the question, “Why would God choose to do all these wonderful things for us?” But here Peter tells us the reason—i.e., So that we will be eye-witnesses, and firsthand testimonies to the world of the grace, mercy, and lovingkindness of our great God, who despite our sins and shortcomings called us out of spiritual darkness and into His marvelous light and has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through the shed blood of His dear Son. We have been saved so that we might herald, preach, proclaim, share, and shout from the rooftops the excellences of the One who saved us.
• “For you once were NOT A PEOPLE but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” = Hosea 1:10; 2:23 – Hosea describes how God sovereignly chose Israel to be His people. One day they were not, and the next day they were, not because of any good in them or anything they had done, but just because God chose them as the people through whom He would reveal His awesome glory and abundant mercy. Peter says that’s how it is with us too. As His New Covenant people, we have received mercy through no merit of our own but because of His wonderful amazing grace and overflowing love. The story leaves no room for boasting or crowing on our part, but only to stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the One who loved us and gave His life for us, so that we might be reconciled to God.  

Verse 11: Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

• “Beloved” – This term of endearment reminds me of Dr. J. Vernon McGee. If you have listened to his radio ministry you know that this is how he often referred to his listeners, “my beloved.” Peter uses this same expression of love and endearment for his readers. The Greek word is ἀγαπητός (agapetós), meaning “beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love,” and Peter uses it twice (2) in his first letter and four (4) times in his second letter.
• “I urge you as aliens and strangers…” – What does he mean by this? Christians are in this world but not of it. Our citizenship is in Heaven. We are just here as travelers and sojourners. We try our best to fit in and obey the rules here, but we are always cognizant of the fact that our passport says we are just guests here and will be going home soon.
• “…to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” – When we sin and give in to our carnal desires, we dishonor our Heavenly Father, bring shame to our fellow believers, and do damage to our own souls. Peter is just reminding us of the fact that sin in the believer’s life is serious business and not to be ignored. It is of eternal importance, both to us and to the unbelievers around us.   

Verse 12: Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

• “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles…” – While undoubtedly many of Peter’s readers were Jewish by birth and by culture, probably at least that many and maybe more were Gentile believers. Now, together, they were followers of Jesus. They were Christians. That was their new identity. But in this verse Peter is using the word “Gentile” as a synonym for “unbeliever.”   
• “…so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” – This verse is reminiscent of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
• “…so that they may glorify God in the day of visitation.” – What does this mean? I believe that Peter is referring here to the unbeliever’s ultimate meeting with God, either when they go to meet Him or when He comes to meet them. The idea is that unbelievers might be persuaded to believe in Christ as they observe the lives of transformed, committed, godly Christians, and that they would glorify God and rejoice when they meet Him, instead of cowering before Him at the Great White Throne judgment. 

Verses 13-14: Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

• Peter’s words here sound amazingly like Paul’s in Romans 13:1-7. They are in perfect sync with one another. “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. ² Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”
• Again, what’s the point Peter is making? Our submission to civil leaders is a reflection upon Christ. Notice then that we obey the police, the government, and the military “…for the Lord’s sake.” It’s not for our sake or for the leaders’ sake. It’s for the Lord’s sake!

Verse 15: For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

• “For such is the will of God that…” – Right off we can see that this is important. If this is the will of God, then we had better take it seriously.
• Peter tells his readers that it is the will of God “that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” – Who is he talking about? He does not name them or describe them specifically, but we know from Scripture that only fools deny the existence of God, or try to run from Him, or refuse to give Him the glory and honor He deserves. Only fools refuse to believe in Christ and reject Him as their Savior and Lord. Fools are both ignorant and wicked and they rail against things they do not understand, including Jesus’ followers. The only way to shut their mouths and silence their baseless accusations is to prove them wrong with holy lives, wholesome words, spotless characters, and actions that are exemplary and beyond reproach.

Verse 16: Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil but use it as bondslaves of God. 

• “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil” – What does Peter mean by “act as free men”? A slave has no freedom to do anything. Any decision he makes can be modified or overruled by his master. Whereas a freeman has much more latitude to choose for himself, to control his own destiny, to chart his own course, and to exercise his own will. Peter is here acknowledging the fact that we can choose to go against God’s will. We have the freedom to be stupid, hardheaded, disobedient, and recalcitrant. But he is hoping that we won’t go in that direction. He is urging us to use our freedom, not to do evil and bring dishonor to our Father and His Kingdom, but to do what is wise, and righteous, and what is honoring to Him so that He will be glorified.    

Verse 17: Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

• Peter closes this passage by reminding us that as servants and children of the Most High God, our lives are being watched, all the time. How we live, speak, act and react reflect back on the One whose name we bear.  

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, take a few minutes to reflect on the practical implications of this passage, especially of verses 13-17. How then are we to live in light of this challenge and admonition?

·       How should we react to laws that get passed that we find to be wrong-headed and unbiblical?

·       How should we speak about our leaders? President, governor, mayor, city council?

·       What does it really look like to “love the brotherhood”?

·       Do I really “fear God” or have I grown so used to Him that He doesn’t impress me much anymore?

·       Since we don’t have a king, who should I honor in his place? And what does honor look like if I really hate the guy’s guts?