Dave spoke last Sunday from 1 Peter 2:9-10, famous verses declaring who the Christian is in God’s eyes.
Christians are God’s chosen people. Chosenness is a beautiful thing, not determined by our goodness or ability, but by God’s grace.
We are also pitied. God has shown mercy to us. He saw us in our sinful, fallen state and felt compassion for us. Not only that, but He did something about it! We have been shown mercy, we are “mercied” people. We get our identity not from our actions, but from being acted upon — with pity.
We are also God’s possession (see also 2 Cor 6:16). We belong to Him; we are His people. As a result of this, He also calls us His holy nation – set apart for God, no longer belonging to the world. We are a royal priesthood, no longer needing anyone else to mediate between us and God but called to priestly service. Our identity lends purpose to our lives. Peter says that purpose is so “that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
Who am I? Who are you? You are a God-chosen one, a God-pitied one, a God-possessed one, a God-sanctified one. The very language of our identity in this text necessitates that God be included as the one who acts.
Our identity is not an end in itself, but for the sake of priestly service, which Peter defines as proclaiming the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. What a purpose!
