1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2 is based on what is necessary for the life of a Christian to experience Spiritual Growth. In this chapter, Peter also speaks of the duties and privileges of the Disciples of Christ Jesus, living in a world that is not our home. He also addresses how we should live our lives in relationships with other people in the world, such as civic leaders and our employers.
Peter uses a verse from Deuteronomy 7:6-8 where God tells the Children of Israel that they are a chosen people, and to pass along to Christians that we are also a chosen people. Unfortunately, the Jews misunderstood this to mean they were the only people chosen for salvation. God chose Israel to be the "light for the nations" so that they would spread His gospel to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6; 60:21-22). So likewise, God has called all Christians to spread the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 5:14,16; Ephesians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
God called Aaron and his descendants to the priesthood in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the priesthood becomes the inheritance of every child of God. Each Christian has access to the Throne of God through Christ Jesus (1 John 2:1). This privilege comes with a great responsibility, which includes sacrifice and intercessory prayer. Our sacrifice is a total commitment of our bodies, minds, and spirits to Christ Jesus (Romans 12:1-2), along with our sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:5). As Priest of the Most-High God, we should always practice, with great joy, intercessory prayer (Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 1:3).
The statutes of the Church that Peter used here in this chapter was originally meant for the Jews. However, when they rejected Christ Jesus as the Promised Messiah (1 Peter 2:7), God created a new body of people, the Church, to carry out His purpose, salvation to every corner of the world. There will be times you will hear some false teaching that when the Bible mentions Israel, it refers to the Church; shun this apostasy.
The Church is not Israel or a replacement for Israel; Romans 11 will help us to understand the falsehood in that teaching. What God called Israel to do in their day, the Church, in this day and time, carries out a similar function. As per the teachings of the Apostle Paul, God is going to use Israel again sometime in the future to bless the world (Romans 11:13-16; Romans 11:23-24).
The last sentence in this verse brings it all together. "Jesus is the Light of the World" (John 8:12), and we, as disciples of Christ Jesus, have the great responsibility and even greater joy and privilege of being a reflector of His light that shines before a lost, dark and dying world.
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