A Chosen People

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Adjust Your Crown

Have you ever wondered what Peter meant when he wrote we are a “royal priesthood” in 1 Peter 2:9? In order to understand what I think Peter was referring to I’d like to provide some context.

You Talkin’ To Me?

Unlike many of the New Testament letters, Peter was not addressing a specific church or region. Rather, he was writing to the new church as a whole. I say new church, meaning the church was no longer based on your heritage as a Jew, Greek, Roman, or other. Becoming a follower of Jesus meant giving up your identification with your ancestry and being born again a new creation into a new family. There is so much more BUT this isn’t a commentary. It is a blog of my brilliant thoughts and ponderings. Suffice it to say that it’s important to understand that Peter was writing to ALL believers – Jew, Gentile, male, female, every socio-economic status, young and old.

What Makes You Do What You Do?

Why did Peter write 1 Peter? In a word, identity and persecution. Ok, that’s actually two words. The catalyst for this letter was the persecution of the church. As we read Peter’s words, there is a clear emphasis on the suffering we face as believers. (Even when we are doing everything right.) I’m not talking about when the vacuum breaks down and the washer only gets hot water kind of suffering. (I’ve had a rough week.) That’s just life. I’m talking about being dragged out of your homes, imprisoned, tortured. You know the kind of suffering we still see in the Middle East and other areas of the world.

If suffering was the catalyst for Peter’s letter, our response to suffering is the purpose for his writing. It was his desire to equip the church in its infancy to know how to respond to the injustice they were experiencing. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough paper in the world to address every probability and Peter doesn’t try. Instead he clarifies what it means to be a “Christian” – he reminds them of their identity. A wise person once said “How we respond to a problem reveals what we believe about ourselves.” Actually I just now said that. I am a wise person.

Who Do You Think You Are?

FINALLY! I’m back to my point. What does “royal priesthood” mean to us? The entire verse reads as follows:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

It is so tempting to write a whole book on this one verse! Lucky for you, my vacuum isn’t working and my washer is only getting hot water so I can’t lollygag here. I will limit my pontificating to this one phrase.

When I say “priesthood,” I’m not talking celibacy here. Many of you just breathed a sigh of relief, right? (A few of you just muttered “dang.”) The main role of the priesthood back in the day was to be a bridge between God and the rest of the people. Priests were the only people allowed to enter the “glory of God” in the Holy of Holies. Even pagans had their go betweens – oracles, priests and priestesses, temple virgins. Wait – what? Back to the point. To be a priest meant that you could approach God and enter into his presence. If you had gone through the meticulous cleansing ritual, you actually survived the experience. Long story. You would act as an intercessor for the needs of the people, bringing them to the God who had the power to alleviate their troubles. The bottom line for us is we have intimate access to the presence of God. We, you and I as priests, have the privilege to approach the throne of God with boldness. Something that was once limited to a benefit of is now available to us through choice. Not only do we have access, we are in a unique position to intercede on behalf of those who don’t have access!

Crown Me!

What do you think of when you think of royalty? If the royals of the U.K. come to mind, think again. The word “royal” in the Greek is basileios which is based on the root word basileus which is Greek for king. So let’s go ahead and reinterpret the phrase as a “kingly priesthood.” (I can do that because I’m the person writing here.) Even better (in my opinion) would be the phrase “a priesthood of kings.” Are you getting my drift? When Peter wrote these words, he was trying to instill a sense of identity that would include purpose, position, power and authority. Even now, when I consider the impact of his words, I am both humbled and thrilled.

What’s In a Word?

I’ve met many people who have insisted on calling themselves queens. Most of them have been women. (The men were in a completely different context.) I utterly reject that. Not because I’m gender confused. Remember, Peter was writing to everyone – not just the men. I don’t care who you are – when you say king and queen, the queen always has less power and authority than the king. Peter was NOT addressing gender but power and authority. Call me a libber if you want but I believe I have as much power and authority as any other gender in the spirit realm. I’ve never had a demon say, “I don’t have to take orders from a girl.” I’m not hating on my brothers in Christ, I’m just saying let’s not be gender confused. We are ALL the bride of Christ and we are ALL a priesthood of kings.

He’s the King of Kings

In ancient times, kings would appoint rulers to oversee their widespread lands. These rulers were known as kings in their areas of responsibility. They were given the resources and authority they needed to rule in such a way that their kingdoms reflected the kingdom they came from. Hence, the head honcho was THE KING of kings. Thus it is with Jesus. He is THE KING of kings. We are his appointed kings who are charged with making our area of influence look like his kingdom. Your kingdom come. Not really something you expect from a princess. Just sayin’.

Can I share something a little weird? When I’m feeling less than significant (everyone wants to be significant), I will declare to myself, “My father is a King and He has crowned me a king in His kingdom. He has given me everything I need to carry his kingdom to the world.” This one declaration reminds me of my heavenly position as a daughter, my purpose and my provider. Feel free to use it.

What Do You Think?

Has this been thought provoking or mind-numbing? There is much more I could say but I’d like to hear your thoughts about how you understand and express your identity as a believer.

Prayer Matters

I’m praying we would fully embrace our identity as priests and kings and that we would remember the primary role of both was to serve people. I’m praying he will reveal the areas in our thoughts that fall short of the new identity and inheritance he has given us. I’m praying we will have eyes to see the needs that we should carry before him and the issues we should take authority over.

Thanks for reading my blog. What about you? What are you praying for? Share by commenting or you can contact me privately with any prayer concerns at pastorn1975@gmail.com .

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