His Own Special People

 

 

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV) 9 But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once [were] not a people but [are] now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

 

The Scriptures are talking to us, the Church, the followers of Jesus Christ, and they tell us that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. God has set us apart for Himself so that we can proclaim His praises. 1 Peter 2:9 calls us “His own special people,” and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1-2 affirms this when it says:

1 John 3:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

 

How incredible! How marvelous! That we should be called children of God, and that is exactly what we are!

 

When 1 John 3 says “We,” it is referring to all those who believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. According to 1 John 4, anyone who denies that Jesus is fully God is not God’s child. So, we need to be sure to believe in the Jesus we meet in Scripture and guard against those who would redefine who Jesus is. Any person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ has been born again. Such a person is God’s child and is a member of the Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Church is a spiritual house being built to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5 says:

1 Peter 2:4-5 (NKJV) 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 

Belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ is what makes a person God’s Child. Who a person is according to the flesh makes no difference. You do not need money, nor do you need to be born into the right family. Race, nationality, and social standing do not matter. In the Church, there is no difference between Jew or Gentile, male or female, and rich or poor. Galatians 3:28-29, along with other Scriptures, makes this point.

Galatians 3:28-29 (NKJV) 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

In the Church, we belong to Christ, and we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to God’s promises.

 

At this point, we must make a distinction. Galatians 3:29 says we, the Church, are “Abraham’s seed.” It does not say we are “Israel.” Nowhere does the Bible say that the Church is the new Israel, or that Israel and the Church are the same thing.

 

When Galatians was written, the Church was in transition. The Church began in Jerusalem and spread from there. In its early years, it was made up entirely of Jews; there were no Gentiles in the Church (Gentiles means “nations,” which means anyone who is not Jewish/Hebrew). The shift to including Gentiles was not without challenges. In Galatia, some Jewish people came and taught that to be a Christian, a person also had to convert to Judaism. Galatians was written to stop this nonsense (and the book of Galatians makes it clear how false it is). In Galatians 6, the Scriptures say:

Galatians 6:15-16 (NKJV) 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

 

Some argue, “Look! The Bible calls the Church the Israel of God!” But if you look again, this passage actually distinguishes between the Church and the Israel of God. The Israel of God is the remnant mentioned in Romans 9, whom God always reserves for Himself (Jewish people who have accepted their Messiah).

 

The New Testament did not abolish Israel as a nation. Romans chapter 11 is especially helpful here. Romans 11 says:

Romans 11:25-26 (NKJV) 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;”

 

Romans 11:25-26 is part of a larger argument, but clearly, a distinction is being made between Gentiles and Israel. In the Church, however, this distinction is not observed. The Church is the Body of Christ, and Israel is a nation. They are entirely different entities. This distinction is vital because if God fails to keep His promises to Israel, how can we trust Him to keep His promises to the Church? God says:

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NKJV) “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He [is] God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

 

In this verse, God explains to Israel that they are His own special people (the same thing He tells the Church in 1 Peter). God is faithful and keeps His promises. He is fulfilling the promises He made to Israel. Many events happening today reflect Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel, making it clear that God is honoring His covenant with Israel.

 

As a nation, Israel is God’s own special people, and He has plans for them. The Church, meanwhile, transcends political, racial, and national boundaries, and it is also God’s own special people. God used Israel to bring the Word of God and salvation to all nations. Now, He is using the Church to do the same. Both will serve God together in the Millennial Kingdom, but before that, Romans 11 explains that “Thus all Israel will be saved.”

 

The God of Israel and the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the Church and the New Testament. That’s why the entire Bible is vital for knowing God. Without understanding the Old Testament, we can’t fully grasp the New Testament. And if we understand the Old Testament, we understand what God is doing in the world, in the Church, and in our lives.

 

As the Lord allows, I plan to guide us through the first chapters of Exodus. Our goal is to learn how God works. His ways are beyond finding out, but He has revealed what He wants us to know in Scripture. By understanding God’s revealed ways, we can see what He is doing in the world, the Church, and in our personal lives.

 

Our journey through Exodus, like life, will have highs and lows, joys and sorrows, and challenges. You won't want to miss any part of it as we seek to know and love our God more deeply.

 

As we begin this study, I want to remind you that if you have asked Jesus Christ to be your Savior, you are a member of the Church. It’s not about being part of a local church or denomination. If you call upon the name of Jesus for salvation, you are a child of God, part of His Church, and you have eternal life. Go out and live with this confidence.