A Peculiar People
Today's Scripture: 1 Peter 2
Today's Bible Verse: 1 Peter 2:9 King James Version (KJV)
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;
What does the phrase, a peculiar people mean? Does it mean Christians are strange or weird? I heard someone ask this question, and I decided to do some research on the matter. This is a simplified explanation of what I found:
If you look up the word peculiar in the dictionary, these are some of the meanings: Strange, odd, queer, uncommon, unusual distinctive in nature or character from others, but an older meaning of the word is belonging exclusively to some person, group, or thing.
The passage, in the bible, using the word peculiar can be found in the King James Version, New American Standard, and New International translations. Peculiar was commonly used, long ago, to describe people belonging to something or someone, such as subjects to a King. In other translations of the Bible, it is stated as a people belonging to God. The older meaning of the word is still in the dictionary, but is rarely, if ever, used in that manner.
We are a people possessed by God, and as such, we are expected to grow and mature in our faith. It is our responsibility to tell others about Jesus, and guide them toward the faith. We no longer belong to anyone or anything but God. Jew or Gentile, Christians are chosen, called and faithful servants of God.
After my research on this phrase, I came to this conclusion, if belonging to God makes me peculiar, with any definition, then I am delighted to be "peculiar."
