1 Peter 2:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Once you were not a people, but now you are God 's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

NIV: 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.

NASB: for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF God; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

CSB: Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

NLT: 'Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.'

KJV: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

NKJV: who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

In verse 10, Peter references Hosea 2:23. This Old Testament prophet was a living symbol of God's willingness to forgive sin, and to redeem mankind. Even though Hosea's wife was constantly unfaithful, he forgave her and rescued her from a life of slavery. Like Israel, all Christians together—the church—have been changed. We have a before and an after. Before, we were not a people. We belonged to ourselves and served only our own desires. But in Christ, we have become God's people. We have belonging. We have purpose. We have a shared destiny with Him in eternity.

Before, we had not received mercy. We would have received the full penalty for our sinful choices. But through faith in Christ, we have received mercy. Our status has been permanently changed. Notice that both statements are in the present tense. We are not seeking and hoping to become God's people and receive mercy. In Christ, we are God's people. We have received mercy. The transaction is complete.

1 Peter 2:1–12 describes the spiritual house God is building. Jesus is the perfect foundation stone God has chosen for the house. Those who trust in Him are also living stones used to build the house. In addition, we individually serve as both the priests and the spiritual sacrifices, our lives offered to the builder. Thus we must live good lives, as strangers in the world preparing to go home to be with our Father, engaged in battle against our desire to sin.

Peter gets specific about what it means to live as God’s set-apart people. Christ is the foundation stone of the spiritual house God is building. We must engage in battle with our selfishness and desire to sin. This includes submitting to human authorities, no matter how evil or harsh. It means enduring suffering, as Christ did for our sake when He died on the cross. Our role is not to fight a physical war for justice here; we will be going home soon.

First Peter 1 described the glorious reality of our present and future as God’s children, by His grace and through our faith in Jesus. He called us a holy people redeemed by God for new purposes. That means believers must live differently than those in the world around us. In this chapter, Peter narrows down exactly what it means to lead a holy life, including doing battle with our own desire to sin. This also means suffering under human authorities, even unjust ones.

Some 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Christians are facing greater persecution for their faith. How should they respond? How should we respond to suffering today? The apostle Peter writes this letter both to comfort believers and to encourage them to stay strong. He urges them to put all their hope in their perfect future with Christ, and to obey and trust Him in the present, even in their suffering. Christ suffered greatly; now the Christ-followers have the opportunity to follow Him even in this, showing His grace and power in their hopefulness, obedience, and faith.

Accessed 12/21/2024 6:30:04 AM