“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. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Prior to these verses, Jesus describes how He is the stone in which the Christian faith is built upon. Jesus continues with the analogy by saying that those who have taken on His message and commands (Christians) have made this stone the cornerstone. Jesus is God, who became man, died for the sins of mankind, and then beat death by rising from the tomb. These truths are the cornerstone of our Christian faith. But Jesus also said that this stone has become a tripping hazard for those who do not believe. Instead of Christ Jesus being the most important part of a person’s life, those who hear the gospel but refuse to accept its truth stumble over the very stone (Jesus) that was given to save them. But for those who believe, Jesus says we are “a chosen people.” A royal priesthood set aside for God’s work, holy and made special to honor and serve our creator.

We were designed in His image so that we can see His greatness in ourselves and praise His holy name. Without Jesus, we are a wandering population lost in the darkness. Jesus is the light that calls us home from the wandering and faith in Him gains us entrance into His kingdom. God has given us this freely. All we have to do is have faith in His Son lord Jesus, and allow that faith to be self-evident in our lives. Through this faith, Jesus saves us. Not through anything we have done, but through the mercy of God who knew we would need a savior to release us from the deadly grips of sin. Believing these things is what makes us people of God.