“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.”
I Peter 2:9
God chose the Jews in the Old Testament to be the light to the whole world. This call goes all the way back to Genesis 12 where He promised Abram (the father of the Jewish nation) that through him the whole world would be blessed. The promise was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ—God who became man, born into Abram’s family tree.
We Gentiles were not “Plan B” but were part of God’s plan all the way back to the beginning of the Jewish nation. The death of Jesus satisfied God’s righteous judgment. At the death of Jesus, the curtain separating people from the Holy of Holies was torn in two, top to bottom, rendering us priests. Through Jesus, our high priest, we all have direct access to God. A truth perhaps familiar to us—but absolutely, shockingly extraordinary to a first-century follower of God.
Through Jesus Christ, Jews and Gentiles are redeemed and become part of God’s holy nation. We are declared holy. Holiness is the result of, not the basis for, our salvation.
He has called us and delivered us out of the darkness of our sin and into His glorious, wonderful light.
Let that truth settle in a bit. Meditate on it. Savor it. Praise God for it. And let that truth prompt you to realize that you belong to Him. And so do I.
Using the currency of His own blood, Jesus bought you (and me). He paid the bloody ransom to release us from the grip of sin. As a result, we belong to the one who set us free. And that freedom comes with a new purpose: to praise Him, to worship Him, and to tell all who will listen of His amazing light and love.
How is He calling you declare His praises today?
This week’s devotional video features Lesson 10 of our Bible study in I Corinthians. Paul provided a history lesson for the believers in Corinth: four choices made by the Israelites that serve as warnings for us today. Watch now as Laura outlines a 10-point battle plan to heed those warnings, fight the fight, and live victoriously.
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