Image: "Rose of Sharon", 2017, Tanger Park, Greensboro, SC
1 Peter 2:4–5 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.
1 Peter 2:9–10 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.
1 Peter 2:21–22 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
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Everyone wants to be "special" in some good way. This is not, in and of itself, a sinful characteristic and does not automatically equate to selfishness. What it reflects is a deep desire to be meaningful, to have value, to know oneself to be, in some manner, essential to some good end. Perhaps we should consider that this desire to be "special" is intimately related to "purpose." A man or woman feels special when their contribution is recognized and appreciated. The "Preacher" once taught that man was created with "eternity in their hearts." This statement immediately follows "He has made everything beautiful in its time." (Eph. 3:11) We mortal, fallen humans have a hole in our soul that we soon realize cannot be filled by our own endeavors. The message of Ecclesiastes is that all our striving for significance, for being beautiful, for being "special", is a striving after the wind, it is vanity, and death is the great "leveler" of us all. We sprout, have some passing time of blooming, wither and die. Within two generations we are forgotten by virtually everyone and only fading relics, like the pyramids, may remind people that "I was here." This is the existential despair that underlies all of man's grasping for significance.
As Peter so powerfully teaches in this chapter, our Triune God has also this same desire. It was His eternal purpose that His people be "special" and "beautiful" and to possess and rejoice in a deep appreciation of their own "purpose" and "contribution". Adam was created with the potential of achieving this. Had he remained faithful, through his ministry and life, he would have fathered a glorious race of human beings, rejoicing in their blessed condition and joyfully reflecting the glory of God before the wondering eyes of all the heavenly hosts.
That didn't happen.
After Adam's fall, mankind was stripped of its potential for "beauty" and "value" as an eternal witness to the glory and majesty of our Creator God. We became defective in mind, body, and will. As such, though we might "bloom" for a while, even that short burst of light was faltering, dull, and imperfect. But God so loved His created race that He did what we could not do. He sovereignly decreed that, out of the mass of fallen humanity, some would be chosen and set aside to attain to Man's ultimate purpose. He would create an entire "special" people and fill them with grace and power. He would purify a people unto love and good works and their lives would be eternally significant. They would find their true calling and "value" by representing Him before the eyes of the mass of fallen humanity and the furious gaze of demonic powers. He would achieve this by sending His Son, to take on the likeness of fallen mankind and, by His perfect atonement, sanctify these special people. He would "choose" them to be "precious living stones", each contributing its own absolutely essential part to a beautiful temple. A temple not made with hands but never-the-less real and actual in which true worship and spiritual offerings are rendered up to Him, and accepted. (vs. 4,5)
This "chosen generation" exists for the "special purpose" of giving praise to the God Who called them out of darkness and into His marvelous light. (vs. 9,10) We must not narrowly restrict this to the times of formal worship. God's people, as living priests, are to show forth praise as the very core of their being. It is in giving praise, by example as well as expression, that our "purpose" is attained and we find that "hole in our soul" being filled. We do good works which are eternally significant and their memory does not ever fade in the heavenly sphere. Our future home with Christ will be lived in the midst of eternal monuments to the works the Holy Spirit did through us. We will be amazed at our own contributions as well as those whom we loved so dearly. Our lives on this earth were significant, even when we were too blind to see how. We were used by the Holy Spirit to bring praise to our God.
We pursue our purposeful lives when we seek to "follow" the footsteps of Christ. (vs. 21-22) It was to this we were called. Having the mind of Christ and seeking to glorify God, our Father, in our lives attains that end. We seek to honor Him by the purity of life and conversation. We consciously undertake to emulate His gentleness and compassion as well as His firm and courageous stand for truth. We are His People... He is our God... and that provides all the significance, value, and sense of purpose we can ever need or desire. What can be added to perfection? God has chosen us for His perfect purpose and that purpose defines us and imparts value to our lives. That's what grace is all about.
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