Called to be God’s People

KEY VERSE: “Ye me a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should spew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” —I Peter 2:9

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: I Peter 2:1-10

THE OPPORTUNITY TO become God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation was offered first to the nation of Israel. (See Exodus 19:5,6.) However, Israel did not know that this call was associated with the coming of their Messiah. God intended that the nation of Israel be a picture of the true people of God, whom he eventually called to become a people for his name.—Acts 15:14

Nevertheless, exclusive favor was given to Israel (Amos 3:2) and they enjoyed this special privilege for many centuries. In A.D. 36 this relationship came to an end when the Apostle Peter was sent by God to the home of Cornelius, a Gentile, to extend an invitation to the high calling to him and his family. He and all his household were immersed and received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:9-48) Seven years earlier Jesus had come to Israel to offer them the same wondrous calling, but the majority of the nation did not receive him.—John 1:11

The epistle of I Peter was written to those in Israel who had lived in Judea and believed in Jesus, but who had fled because of persecution and were scattered throughout northern lands. (I Pet. 1:1) Peter alludes to the coming of Messiah and his rejection by Israel in I Peter 2:6-8, using a cornerstone as an illustration of our Lord, describing how this stone became a stumbling stone to Israel.—Isa. 28:16; 8:14

The nation of Israel had the opportunity of being developed as living stones in a spiritual house or temple for the living God. (I Pet. 2:5) The chief cornerstone of that structure was to be Jesus. (Ps. 118:22) But when Israel as a nation rejected Jesus, only those who believed that he was indeed the Messiah were built up into that spiritual house.

Peter speaks of those who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Master, as “the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (I Pet. 1:2), and as “newborn babes desiring the sincere milk of the Word.” (I Pet. 2:2) This class also was described as having laid aside “all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking” (vs. 1), because God had called them to be conformed to the image of his own beloved Son.—Rom. 8:28,29

At one time these who were called by God had not been in this favorable position, but were in darkness. However, having been called out of darkness into God’s wonderful light, they then declared the praises of God at every opportunity.

This great privilege has not been extended to everyone. Contrary to the belief of many sincere Christian people, the time spanning our Lord’s First Advent to the present is not for the conversion of the world. Instead, the work of the Gospel Age is to call out God’s chosen people. Jesus said that many are called but few are chosen. (Matt. 22:14) The many that are called are not as many as one might suppose. Vast numbers of the world’s population have never heard the name of Jesus, the only name under heaven whereby men can be saved. (Acts 4:12) Many who have heard the name of Jesus do not understand why he came into the world.

The purpose of selecting the few who are chosen is so they might suffer with Christ. If these who are selected are faithful even unto death, they will become part of the royal priesthood which will bestow blessings upon all the world of mankind.

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