“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
His own special people
The fourth title for our position before God is that we are his “special people.” The words “own special” means to preserve. God’s people are special because God preserves them for Himself. “Special” is literally protected. We are protected people. We are a people of God’s possession. God’s act of possessing his own guarantees our security.
“Own special” comes from two words = around and to make. It means to surround something with a circle indicating ownership. Christians are the unique, private, personal ownership of God. We are his unique possession. We are his special possession.
Titus 2:14, “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
1 Cor 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
PRINCIPLE:
Christians are people for God’s own possession.
APPLICATION:
A boy who collects things such as stones and knives views these things as special treasures laid away. The value of those “special treasures” lies in the fact that he owes them. These very everyday things attain new value.
The Christian may be ordinary, but he attains special value because of the one who bought him. We belong to God. Our magnanimity lies in the fact that we belong to God. We are people prized by God.
God has put a circle around us, and he did all of the work. The circle is God’s grace.
