Chosen!

“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” (1 Peter 2:9).

In this verse, Peter gives four descriptions of what God’s people are to be:

• A chosen generation.
• A royal priesthood.
• A holy nation.
• His own special people.

Interestingly, Peter drew these phrases from Old Testament descriptions of the ancient nation of Israel. By doing so, he was reinforcing a recurring theme in Paul’s writings—that the New Testament Church is now spiritual Israel (Galatians 3:29; 6:16).

What do these descriptions mean?

What can they teach us about the true Church of God? How can they impact how a Christian lives his or her day-to-day life? How do they connect the Church of God to Old Testament Israel?

Let’s look deeper into the meaning of these descriptions in 1 Peter 2:9.

You are a chosen generation

When we think of a “generation,” we usually think about people who lived at the same time. This, however, isn’t what Peter was referring to in this verse. He wasn’t limiting God’s chosen people to a single generation who lived during the first century (when he wrote these words).

So, what did Peter mean by a “chosen generation”?

The Greek word here is genos. In this context, the word means kindred, offspring or family. So, this phrase could be translated, “you are a chosen family.” Peter wasn’t emphasizing God’s people as coming from the same time period, but from the same family—of the same kindred!

How does one enter that family? The answer is found in this part of the verse—they are chosen. This is the second step in the three-part conversion process summarized in Revelation 17:14 (“called, chosen, and faithful”).

Being called is the first step of the process. That’s when God the Father reaches out and draws a person to Himself (John 6:44, 65; Hebrews 3:1). Being chosen means that a person responds to that calling by believing and acting on it. Being faithful means that he or she remains committed to that calling throughout his or her life.

Through being called and chosen, true Christians are officially begotten into God’s family. God the Father becomes their spiritual Father, and Jesus Christ becomes their Elder Brother. Christians therefore relate to one another as brothers and sisters.

In fact, the Church is also known as “the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). This is another way of emphasizing the family relationship between God and His people.

God used similar language to describe His relationship with Israel in the Old Testament. “God has chosen you to be a people for Himself” (Deuteronomy 7:6). In the case of Israel, God called and chose them as a physical family that then grew into a nation. In the case of the Church, He calls people from around the earth—from various ethnicities and nationalities—and brings them into a spiritual family.