A Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation

“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 ESV)

This is written to Christians, to those who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. We are those who have denied self and who are to be taking up our cross daily and following Jesus with our lives, i.e. who are to be daily dying to sin and to self, and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands.

We are now his chosen people. For his chosen people of the Old Covenant are only his chosen people now by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives. For when Jesus died on that cross, he destroyed that barrier that stood between Jew and Gentile and he made us both one people by faith in Jesus Christ. And all who did not believe in Jesus were cut out from among God’s people and are no longer God’s chosen people.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 9:4-8; Romans 11:1-36; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; 1 John 2:22; John 8:18-19,38-47; Jude 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26]

So, we who believe in Jesus Christ are now God’s chosen race (both Jew and Gentile by physical birth). And we are his royal priesthood. For we no longer need human priests to mediate between us and God, and we no longer need human priests to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. For in Jesus’ death on that cross he became that final Lamb sacrifice for the sins of the world, once and for all, so that no more sacrifice for sin is needed.

Now by faith in Jesus Christ we are his royal priesthood who God has called to present our lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our acceptable worship of God. And by the grace of God we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, for we have been transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from living in sin to now walking in his holiness and righteousness (Romans 12:1-2). 

We now have direct access to God by God’s grace. And we now belong to him and he is our Father, our Lord, and our King. So we are now children of the King. And we are part of his kingdom as his kingdom priests. And we are to present our bodies to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our acceptable worship of him. And our lives are now consecrated to God to serve him with our lives in doing what he has called us to do.

And as his holy nation, purchased by his blood sacrifice on that cross for the deliverance of us out of our sins, we are to be different from the world because we are to be being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. So we are not to live worldly lives, doing the kinds of things that the people of the world do, but our lives are to be separate unto God and to his service to serve him in the ways in which he planned from the beginning.

And all of us are to be proclaiming the message of the gospel of our salvation to the people of the world, even to the many who profess faith in Jesus Christ, for not all are of genuine faith in Christ Jesus. And we are to be teaching them that Jesus died on that cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might be crucified with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him as slaves to righteousness.

And we are to be teaching them that Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, then we have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24] 

The Lord’s Anointed  

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving. 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to 

Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear, 

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior, 

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness, 

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations. 

https://vimeo.com/114836524