1 Peter 2:9—To Whom is Peter Referring To?

[newton3005]

1 Peter 2:9 says the following: “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Who does this Verse refer to? In the OT, ‘the Chosen’ is largely referred to whom God chose to be His People, as He took them out of Israel and led them to the Promised Land. But since it’s also used in the NT, in Verses like the above, it suggests a presumption that the Chosen extends beyond just the people God led to the Promised Land; otherwise, what would be the point of bringing up those Chosen in the NT, as the NT already establishes that the people of the OT have their ways, and those who live by the NT have theirs? It would be almost as cumbersome as repeating in the NT all the 500 some-odd Laws of the OT also without a purpose.

Other Passages in the NT indeed infer that the Chosen mentioned in the NT includes those in addition to the OT people. It can be presumed that in the NT, the Chosen refers to those who love God and have accepted Him into their lives, regardless of their own origin. Those whose origin is Gentile, and who love and accepted God. could presume themselves to be chosen and called by God, along with those in the OT that God chose.

A reading of the OT suggests that the idea of God choosing anyone didn’t start with the Hebrews. In Genesis 17:5, Abram is told by Him, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS.” Surely, such multitude at the time extends far beyond the motley crew of Jews that would grow from Abraham’s branch. This passage is even mentioned in one of the Catechisms, at Catechism of the Catholic Church , under the heading, “God Chooses Abraham.” So it may be conceivable that when Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 28:19 to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” he had Genesis 17:5 in mind.

Which brings us, from Left Field, perhaps, to Ezekiel 36:25–27. Here, God vows to make an example of the people of Israel, cleansing them of their sins and making them upright believers of Him. As he says in Ezekiel 36:22-24, it is not for the sake of the people of Israel that He does this, but it is for the sake of inhabitants of other nations that the people of Israel have come from, that those nations may know that He is the Lord. So, it is evident that God’s interests are not just centered on the people of Israel, His interests are centered on virtually all nations—the very nations, perhaps, that God says to Abraham that Abraham would be made a father of.

So in almost a roundabout way, for this purpose, the people in all those nations have been chosen by God for His Love, if they would love Him. It’s the same conditions He’s given to the people of Israel, and there is no distinction except for the people of Israel, of Abraham, knowing firsthand what those conditions are, which Jesus has made to be more palatable by summing them up in two great commandments.

 

[fm107]

1 Peter 2:9 refer to Christians - believers upon the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 1:2). Not OT believers - they did not have a royal priesthood. That is something believers in Christ have. We are after the pattern of Melchizedek who was a King Priest. Not after the pattern of Aaron. The Lord Jesus is our Great High Priest after the pattern of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7).

The promises God made to Abraham regarding the nation of Israel have not been broken by God. What has happened is that Israel has been temporarily set aside by God (whilst he builds His Church) and will take up Israel again towards the end of the Great Tribulation (Romans 11), and the blessings promised to Abraham will then be made good by God and they will enjoy those blessings throughout the Millennium Kingdom of Christ.

 

[Aaron112]

1 Peter 2​

2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.​

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges [those dishonorable desires] that wage war against the soul.

Keep your behavior excellent among the [unsaved] Gentiles

1 Peter 2:9

 

[roman2819]

1 Peter 2:9 says the following: “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Who does this Verse refer to? In the OT, ‘the Chosen’ is largely referred to whom God chose to be His People, as He took them out of Israel and led them to the Promised Land. But since it’s also used in the NT, in Verses like the above, it suggests a presumption that the Chosen extends beyond just the people God led to the Promised Land; otherwise, what would be the point of bringing up those Chosen in the NT, as the NT already establishes that the people of the OT have their ways, and those who live by the NT have theirs? It would be almost as cumbersome as repeating in the NT all the 500 some-odd Laws of the OT also without a purpose.

Other Passages in the NT indeed infer that the Chosen mentioned in the NT includes those in addition to the OT people. It can be presumed that in the NT, the Chosen refers to those who love God and have accepted Him into their lives, regardless of their own origin. Those whose origin is Gentile, and who love and accepted God. could presume themselves to be chosen and called by God, along with those in the OT that God chose.

A reading of the OT suggests that the idea of God choosing anyone didn’t start with the Hebrews. In Genesis 17:5, Abram is told by Him, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS.” Surely, such multitude at the time extends far beyond the motley crew of Jews that would grow from Abraham’s branch. This passage is even mentioned in one of the Catechisms, at Catechism of the Catholic Church , under the heading, “God Chooses Abraham.” So it may be conceivable that when Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 28:19 to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” he had Genesis 17:5 in mind.

Which brings us, from Left Field, perhaps, to Ezekiel 36:25–27. Here, God vows to make an example of the people of Israel, cleansing them of their sins and making them upright believers of Him. As he says in Ezekiel 36:22-24, it is not for the sake of the people of Israel that He does this, but it is for the sake of inhabitants of other nations that the people of Israel have come from, that those nations may know that He is the Lord. So, it is evident that God’s interests are not just centered on the people of Israel, His interests are centered on virtually all nations—the very nations, perhaps, that God says to Abraham that Abraham would be made a father of.

So in almost a roundabout way, for this purpose, the people in all those nations have been chosen by God for His Love, if they would love Him. It’s the same conditions He’s given to the people of Israel, and there is no distinction except for the people of Israel, of Abraham, knowing firsthand what those conditions are, which Jesus has made to be more palatable by summing them up in two great commandments.

Peter was referring to the Gentiles.

What did Peter (and Paul)r mean when they said, "God's elect" or "you are a chosen people"? Their purpose was to place the Gentiles on equal standing as the Jews, who were the first to be chosen by God. To say that the Gentiles were “a chosen people” means that they are also redeemed if they confessed their sins to Jesus. Before Christ's atonement, only the Jews had access to God, but that changed after Peter's vision of eating unclean food, and the apostles brought the gospel to the Gentiles, who are also a 'chosen people' like the Jews. I hasten to add that anyone's redemption is condition upon personal repentance and confession of sin through Jesus.

“God’s Elect” or being chosen by God is also an expression of humility. Back then, Christians or Jews wouldn't say they chose to accept His offer of redemption because it would seem to place them at a higher level than Him, which would be irreverent. Even though they had to make the decision to turn to God, they humbly said that He chose them. It was a subservient manner of writing to show deference to God: It was such a privilege to be part of His Kingdom, which they did not deserve – that is the spirit of the words.

Back then, the name of the Lord was highly revered, and they spoke of God in honorific words. Today, we don't speak or write this way anymore, hence words such as "chosen by God" puzzle us because we interpret literally. The way we speak of God now is less formal or even casual, which is different from biblical time. As we read the Scriptures, be aware that it was written more than two millenniums ago; and as time changes, some elements of language change too. And in religious writings, especially, some words and expressions are not intended to be seen in a factual manner.

Did God literally harden the hearts of those in Israel so that they would reject Jesus, upon which salvation was offered to the Gentiles? After the resurrection and Pentecost, many Jews turned to the Lord and confessed their sins. However, they were the minority, and most of Israel refused to believe. Regarding this, Paul wrote that “God gave them a spirit of stupor”.

"...What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.” ~ Romans 11: 5-8 ~

Paul said “...Israel has experienced a hardening in part” ~ Romans 11:25-26 ~

Words such as “others were hardened” are not intended to be interpreted literally. Instead, we have to appreciate the way of writing: The scribes and apostles asserted God’s sovereignty and attributed everything to Him because they happened on His watch. Even if the Lord did not cause something to happen, they would say that it was His will. In the Scriptures, there was no distinction between His conscious act and what He permitted to happen. By contrast, today, we see “God’s will” as a conscious plan; and “permissive will” means that He allows an event to occur without His intervention. However, we have to recognize that the biblical perspective is different.

The above is adapted from the book, "Understanding Prayer, Faith and God's Will: Compass for Christian Faith"