1Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired for a possession, so that you may tell out the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; Acts 26:16 But rise up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a minister and a witness both of the things in which you have seen Me and of the things in which I will appear to you;
[Part 1 of 2] Race, priesthood, nation, and people are all collective nouns, referring to the believers corporately. As a race, the believers have been chosen; as a priesthood, a body of priests, we are royal, kingly; as a nation, we are holy; as a people, we are God’s possession, a possession particularly acquired and owned by God as His treasure. The chosen race denotes our lineage from God; the royal priesthood, our service to God; the holy nation, our community for God; and the people for a possession, our preciousness to God.
This is all in the corporate sense. Hence, we need to be built together. We are such a race, priesthood, nation, and people so that we may tell out the virtues of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. The Greek word rendered “tell out” also means proclaim abroad. First we must be born anew and grow in life, and then be built up and serve corporately. Now we need to proclaim abroad, to tell out.
To serve corporately is to satisfy God by offering up Christ as spiritual sacrifices; to proclaim abroad is to benefit others by showing forth the virtues of the One who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. The virtues in verse 9 are excellencies, excellent and glorious virtues (2 Pet. 1:3). These refer to what God is and has, and the marvelous light of God consummates in His glory. To and by His virtue and glory God has called us.
Prayer Confession Oh my Father thank you for this word. Thank you for redeeming and calling me out of darkness into your marvellous light. I grow up in this life, built up together and serve corporately with the church to proclaim the praises and virtues of God so as to benefit others with this life in Jesus’ name, Amen.