A Peculiar People

The Apostle Peter writes, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”-1 Peter 2:9.

Today we shall look at the phrase, “a peculiar people.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “peculiar” as characteristic of only one person, group, or thing. It also means, distinctive or different from the usual.

The modern church is slowly beginning to lose this. Instead of maintaining God’s holiness and values, the church is becoming to be another social place. Believers are losing their distinctiveness as God’s chosen and not continue in His marvelous light but are regressing into the darkness of the world.
When we look at the word “peculiar” in the light of God’s word, it also means “a people for a possession.” Believers are possessions of God.

“For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20.

Instead of glorifying God in our body, believers glorify their body as their own and as they please. And instead of the spirit glorifying God, the spirit is used to glorify self. To compensate for this, we wear jewelry with religious symbolisms and do works of a philanthropic nature. Believers have turned the church into another social institution and not a soul-saving institution ordained by God.

The Apostle Paul founded the Galatian church. He had been gone for about three years and upon returning, he found them in danger of departing from the simple faith of the Gospel. False teachers had come and caused them to lose faith and confidence in God. The false teachers had claimed that Paul was not a true apostle.

He writes the letter to the Galatian church. The Book of Galatians is a fighting epistle. Paul’s words are the outbursts of a fearless and faithful man. He closes the letter with, “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Galatians 6:17.

He had been physically punished for his stand on the word of God. In this day of ease and self-indulgence, we easily pass through life without anyone noticing that we are Christians.