But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: — 1 Peter 2:9
Over the course of my life, I have met many peculiar people. When I say peculiar, most people immediately think of someone who is strange or odd. perhaps they don’t fit into the mold of what we consider normal. We often say that they are peculiar. Or, in other words, they are different than other people.
If you were to put them in a room of people, they would stand out as different. Sometimes it may be their charisma. Other times, it may be that they have a different motivation or a different view than most people. Still, we may think of them as peculiar people.
We see those words used here in 1 Peter 2:9 as he describes the people. He goes through a list of different descriptions, but then he ends it with “a peculiar people.” If you study back to the original text, the word used for peculiar here is peripoiēsis. It carries the definition of being purchased, preserved, and obtained. That certainly is peculiar.
Peter used so many descriptions here because he was trying to get a point across. The point was that they were different. They were not like everyone else and that same description goes for you! Because you were bought with a price, the blood of Jesus, you are different. You are peculiar!
Because we are peculiar, we stand out. We aren’t going to fit into the popular crowds of this world, we are peculiar. It will be extremely difficult for us to be happy with all the things this world offers because we are peculiar. There’s nothing wrong with being peculiar.
Once we accept Christ, our lives should exist to point others to Him. We do this by showing how we are different. So don’t be upset if you don’t fit into the popular crowd. Don’t be upset if people of this world say you are different. Because you are! You are peculiar!
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