Purchased People Are Peculiar—Are You?
I remember when I was a child hearing Christians misuse the King James rendering of Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:9. “You are a peculiar people.” Whenever there was a social misfit or a person “whose eyeballs don’t line up with the holes in his head,” someone would say, “Well the Bible says we are to be peculiar, and he is the “peculiarest” person I have ever known. They failed to understand that in 1611, when the translation was made, the word “peculiar” was used to describe those who have been purchased. However, Christians actually are different.
Coins do not purchase Christians, the blood of Christ does.
Christians are different in how they treat other Christians. Early in the second century, a Roman official described Christians and ended his description by saying, “But oh how they love each other.” We do. Each week when services end, I marvel at just how many stand for such a long time to visit with their brethren. The building is filled with love. So many times this has been expressed to me about the love you have for fellow Christians.
Christians are different in how they care for each other. We send cards to each other. We pray for each other, and this is seen so often in posts on Facebook when so many say to a hurting Christian, “I am praying for you.” We encourage each other. We exhort each other. We lift up when there is adversity in our lives. We care for others because He cares.
Christians are different in the moral values which rule our lives. I recall a Christian whose boss told him to lie as to whether he was in the office. The Christian refused and said, “I will not tell a lie. You need to know that if I will lie for you, I will lie to you.” Our world is filled with liars, but Christians are different. We cannot seem to forget those closing words of Revelation 21:8. Our values are so different!
Christians are different in our views about marriage. We enter marriage with a view of the lifetime commitment to our mates. Even in the struggles which come in marriage, we rarely even think about the “D word”—it is not in our vocabulary. We have not bought into the world’s view of same-sex “marriage” because He who created marriage retains the right to define it!
Christians are different in how we are entertained. We do not spend time like others who “rejoice in iniquity” (1 Cor. 13:6) nor do we find pleasure in seeing the world’s ungodliness (Rom. 1:32). The choices we make about recreation are not the same choices our friends make.
Let’s face it—Christians are different. Because of this it might pay you to see if your salt and light are salt without savor or lights hidden from the world. If your friends do not see you as “peculiar,” you might should make some changes.