Pastor Buddy’s Blog

What’s wrong with being peculiar…

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Journal,

The time has come to mix a bit of fun with a wee bit of a Bible lesson. 

I received a splendid card from a dear ‘old ‘friend. Seems he got to worrying about me and felt a need to pass a warning alert to all his friends who were reaching their upward years. Thought I would share this warning alert with my readers who probably need it more than I do. But I do thank Doug for sending it to me.

Here it is:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

::: BREAKING NEWS :::

 

in 2010 the government will start deporting all the wierd old people. 

 

I starting crying when I thought of you. 

 

Run Old Friend, Run!!!

- God’s Peculiar People -

I will never forget two of the first sermons that I preached as a young minister. (1964) One was on ‘Charity’. My text was from 1 Corinthians 13. What I did not know at the time was that the word ‘charity’ as used in the King James Bible really meant love. Well I did manage to preach on charity without ever mentioning the word love. 

Sort of embarrassing when an older preacher asked me after the service if I knew that the word charity in the King James Bible meant love. I’ve often had to thank the Lord for His grace.   

But I also remember another sermon that I preached, entitled, ‘God’s Peculiar People.’ My text was 1 Peter 2:9, which reads in the King James Bible, 

“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 marvellous light.”

Of course in my youthfulness I thought the word ‘peculiar’ had regard to how people looked to others. In this case the sermon seemed to do quite well. Everyone was pretty much on the same page. It was only later that I gained a deeper appreciation for what the Greek word translated as peculiar was really about. It wasn’t about our outward appearance, that is, how we dressed. It had to do with ownership. 

Anyway, that was nigh forty-four years ago. What I did find out through my years of study is that one word in the Bible can open up a storehouse of Godly wonders for the believer. And the Biblical word translated as ‘peculiar’ in the King James Version is dealing with much more than how Christians look to the world. 

There is no question that Christians are a peculiar people in the world. A better translation from the original Greek would actually be the word ‘possession’. This is how it is rendered in most modern translations. (The New American Standard Bible is my preferred study Bible.)

With that in mind, let’s look at the Greek original. The word translated as ‘peculiar’ in the King James, is ‘peripolesis‘. Peripolesis is derived from two Greek words. One word means ‘to be‘. The other word means ‘around‘. And so peripolesis carries the ideas of ownership, possession, encirclment, and protection. What would make a Christian peculiar to the world is how the Christian is a possession of God and of no one else. We are actually citizens and possessions of heaven.

Paul says it this way: 

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” - Php3:20,21

Peripolesis carries an idea of encirclement. One scholar sets forth this Greek wprd as a dot within a circle. The dot is the Christian. The circle is God. Thus Peter is saying that every Christian is a possession God. And because of our God encirclement, the only way anything can happen to a Christian, it has to be allowed by God.

The people of Christ are in the sphere of God. 

All of heaven recognizes that Christians are fully the possessions of God. We are the very children of God. The angels of heaven are sent to be invisible ministers to us during our earthly journey. As children of God, we are very precious in heaven’s sight

Yes indeed. We are a most peculiar people in our relationship to the world. 

Notice how 1 Peter 2:9 is translated in the NASB: 

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

But Peter is not the only writer who draws attention to the word ‘peripolesis.’ Listen to Paul in Ephesians 1:13,14:

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message or truth, the gospel of our salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

As we gain insight into this word, it helps us to appreciate other terms or expressions that are used in the new covenant with regard to the security of Christians.

Here are a sampling of Scriptures that relate to the theme of Christians being God’s own possession:

“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” - Col 3:3,4

“By this [knowledge], love is perfected [reaches its goal] in us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He [Jesus] is, so also are we in this world.” - 1Jn 4:17

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” - John 10:27-29 

There are many more such Scriptures.

But now we need to take this to another venture.

Not only are Christians, God’s people, that is, His particular treasure and possession in the earth, but Jesus Christ Himself becomes the Christians’ preciousness of life. Eternal life is not simply duration of life. It has to do with a divine quality of life that is only given to those who take to themselves Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This adds to the idea of God’s people being peculiar in the earth.

Eternal life is not some abstract notion of life or some form of spiritual energy. Eternal life is a Person. When Jesus truly becomes Lord in a person’s life, that person comes into something precious beyond words. We carry the very testimony of eternal life. John said,

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” - 1Jn5:11-13

And this is why Peter speaks of what we have as being precious. He writes,

“For this is contained in Scripture: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ This precious value, then, is for you who believe…” - 1Pe2:6,7

So, are we peculiar people? Yes indeed. We are the most peculiar in all the world. And its not because we dress a certain way, or look a certain way, or any other such notion. We are peculiar because we are a God-surrounded people, and we carry in us the precious life of Jesus Christ. 

Perhaps John said it as well as it can be said: 

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” - 1Jn3:1 

There is so much more to be said about the Christian’s relationship to God and heaven. Think about it.  Feel free to make your contribution to this idea of being peculiar.

Blessings,

Buddy