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1 Peter 2:9–10
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people … (v. 9a).
We saw last week that God called Abraham out of paganism in Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land he would later inherit, Canaan. Among many great promises God gave to Abraham, He told the patriarch that he would become the father of a great nation. That nation flowered under harsh enslavement in Egypt, but in time God brought His people out of their bondage. Then, at Mount Sinai, He bound Himself to them in an everlasting covenant. Among the expectations God laid down at that time was this command: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:1–2). God was calling Israel, both as individuals and as a people, to be like Him. This command was rooted in creation, when humanity was made in the image of God, designed to mirror His character. But the intrusion of sin into the world and the expansion of the city of man had marred the mirror. At Sinai, God was calling His people to return to their original purpose, to be a holy nation, the city of God.
The word holy primarily refers to consecration. To be consecrated is to be set apart from a common use to a special use. Something that is consecrated is to be different. In calling the Israelites to be holy, God was commanding them to be different, to manifest not the city of man but the city of God. They were not to be like other nations. Instead, they were to bear witness to God.
This same requirement of holiness remains in force for the people of God today—the church. As Paul teaches in Romans 12:2, we are not to be “conformed to this world.” In other words, we are not to be like the world, manifesting the city of man. Instead, we are to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] minds.” As we study the Word of God and come to understand His covenantal requirements, and as the Holy Spirit works in us, we gradually come more and more to reflect the character of God in our own lives and in our corporate life. The fog that clouds the mirror is gently wiped away so that we increasingly display godly character. More and more, we manifest the city of God, proving that we, the people of God, are that “holy nation” of which Peter spoke. Simply put, as we are transformed by God, we conform not to the values and ways of the city of man but to those of the city of God.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Living in the world as we do, we often face pressure to conform to the world’s ways. It can be hard to be different. But that is what we are called to be, and God promises to uphold those who are not afraid to bear the world’s scorn for His sake. Your calling is a high one—holiness. Seek after it wholeheartedly in full reliance on God’s grace.
For Further Study
- 2 Cor. 7:1
- Eph. 1:4
- Heb. 12:1–2
- 1 Peter 1:13–16