Citizens of the Light

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

I have often thought about the Church as a Kingdom rarely have I heard it described as a nation. A kingdom has been defined as a “state or people ruled over by a king or queen or …a realm or area of activity in which a particular thing is thought to dominate.” Jesus is called the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is indeed our monarch our sovereign and our ruler. That being true few modern citizens of the world are ruled by a king with a sovereign. It may be difficult for the modern man or women to relate to the concept. Peter’s term in this passage is nation. It may be easier for modern people to relate to.

A nation has been defined as a “people in a land under single government: a community of people or peoples living in a defined territory and organized under a single government or people of same ethnicity: a community of people who share a common ethnic origin, culture, historical tradition, and, frequently, language, whether or not they live together in one territory or have their own government.” The distinction between Kingdom and nation may just be the focus of attention, the Monarchy in one case the people in the other. Peter is talking to the people in this case.

Applying our definition to the passage; what is the single land that we belong to? Isn’t it “all the world” or is it heaven itself, might it be a place called light? Philippians 3:20 reads “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,” 2 Corinthians 5:20a says that “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors” An ambassador is defined as “a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by one country as its long-term representative to another.” In our case the long term representation means a life time.

When we are born again we are born again into a Kingdom and nation and therefore represent or are ambassadors of heaven until the time we are called to our homeland. Peter recognizes this truth and based on it says.
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul” 1 Peter 2:11.

The sinful desire is foreign to the kingdom we represent. Participating in this foreign commodity separates our connection with the kingdom that sent us. It deludes the message that we were trusted to deliver which is written in 2 Corinthians 5:20b “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Many believers are being taught that we cannot gain victory of the sinful desires and that is why we need the grace of God. That is not the teaching of the Bible. Peter words encourage just the opposite, He says,

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:12

‘The pagans’ are non believers, people from the Kingdom of sinful desires, the people we use to be. They are the people in verse ten who have not received mercy. It is mercy that determines our ‘chosen people’ status. It is light that allows us to see the ‘sinful desires’ as weapons fashioned against our very souls. As royal priest we are to intercede for those in the dark, that they two may become citizens of the light. Then the natural response is praise him who has called us out of darkness, Jesus the Righteous King.