In Jesus You Are: Understanding Your Identity in ChristSample

Wednesday: In Jesus I am Chosen

Read: Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 2:9

SOAP: 1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 

Our reading today contains some italicized lines that are important to explore as we look at our identity in Jesus. The author of our text, Peter, made a very specific point to quote several passages of Scripture from the Old Testament: Exodus 19:5–6, Isaiah 43:20–21, and Malachi 3:17. In the verses in Exodus, God told His people they would be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In Isaiah we read God calls us His “chosen people” whom He created for His glory. In Malachi the God-of-Heaven’s-Armies says we belong to Him.

It may have been easily understood by the Jews in the early church that they were God’s chosen people, but Peter’s message was a reminder that all Christians, including Gentiles, were chosen by God. That was new information for the early Christians, but it was important for the unity and identity of the church to understand that, in Jesus, we are all chosen by the One who called us out of darkness and into His light.

The truth shared with the early believers applies to us as well. Although the world may try to tell us we are insignificant, ordinary, or unwanted, we can claim a new identity in Jesus: chosen, royal, purposed, and called. When we remember all God has done for us and who we are in Him, our next step is to proclaim it to the world. Don’t keep the Good News of the gospel to yourself; it’s meant to be shared! The gospel is for everyone, and in Jesus, all are invited to step away from the darkness of their sin and into the marvelous light of forgiveness and eternity in heaven.

Prayer: Lord, when I think about all You have done for me and who You say I am, it’s nearly impossible to keep to myself. Put specific people on my heart this week who need to hear the Good News of the gospel so they, too, can be called chosen, holy, and saved. Amen.