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A Royal Priesthood Set Apart for God (1 Peter 2:9) | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to Reformed thinking. Today we are undertaking a deep
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  dive into Christian identity, going straight to a passage in
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  First Peter chapter 2, verse 9. It's one of those verses so
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  packed with titles and privileges that, well, you
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  really need a guide to impact it all.
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  It's a remarkable summary of who the believer is.
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  It's all their their dignity, their privileges, and of course,
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  their duties that come with it. The verse is But ye are a chosen
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  generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar
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  people, that you should show forth the praises of him who
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  have called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
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  And our guide for this is Jonathan Edwards.
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  We're looking at excerpts from one of his sermons on this very
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  verse. Our goal here is to get a solid
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  grasp of the standing God has given to believers and how that
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  sets them apart from the rest of the world.
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  And to really feel the force of verse 9, you have to see what
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  comes right before it. Edwards points out that verses 7
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  and 8 set up this this huge contrast all centered on Jesus
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  Christ. Right.
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  The foundation for those who believe Christ is the living
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  stone. He's chosen by God.
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  Precious and believers themselves are also living
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  stones being built up into a spiritual house.
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  Like the stones of Solomon's temple, all perfectly fitted
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  together, every believer has a necessary place, and Christ is
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  the cornerstone holding it all up.
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  But that's for the faithful, for those who don't build their
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  lives on him. That same stone, it acts very
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  differently. It does for them.
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  Christ is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
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  He's the one they reject, the one they cast aside, and instead
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  of giving them stability, he becomes the very cause of their
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  fall. And Edwards really zeroes in on
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  the language Peter uses here. He says they stumble because
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  they're disobedient and then adds this line that they were
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  appointed to this. Yes, and Edwards doesn't back
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  away from what that implies. He sees this appointment as
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  God's decree that the reprobate should stumble over the gospel.
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  So for them, Christ tragically becomes the occasion for their
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  deeper condemnation, not their salvation.
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  And it's that stark difference in how God deals with people
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  that makes the transition to verse 9 so powerful.
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  It's the but ye. Exactly, but ye are a chosen
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  generation, and Edwards notes that this language is all drawn
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  from the Old Testament it. Is it echoes how God described
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  Israel in places like Deuteronomy and Exodus?
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  A holy nation, a peculiar people.
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  But Edwards points out a critical edition, a step up in
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  the New Covenant title. He does.
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  He highlights that Christians are called a royal priesthood.
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  Israel was promised they could be a Kingdom of priests as they
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  obeyed, but here believers simply are. 1A.
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  Priesthood of Kings. A union of the two highest
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  offices, It's an honor that goes far beyond what was offered
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  under the law. So with that incredible
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  elevation said, let's get into Part 1, The chosen generation.
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  Edwards first proposition is straight to the point.
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  True Christians are chosen by God from the rest of the world.
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  And this is where we run right into divine sovereignty.
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  The whole discussion starts by acknowledging the fall, the
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  universal corruption of mankind. But Despite that, God had a
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  purpose to to set apart a definite number of people for
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  Himself. So while God has a right over
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  all people as creator, the wicked are functionally, in a
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  sense, Satan's portion. They're rejected.
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  But the godly are God's portion, His friends, his children, his
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  jewels. Edwards quotes Psalm 135.
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  For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his
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  peculiar treasure. They're set apart for the
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  highest possible use to glorify God and to be a display of His
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  grace. And this idea of being chosen is
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  so central that Edwards breaks it down into six specific
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  observations. And you have to consider them
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  carefully because they push against a lot of our, you know,
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  our natural human assumptions about how salvation works.
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  Let's start with this first one. No prior distinction.
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  What does that phrase chosen generation tell us about where
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  these people come from? It means they are chosen out of
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  something, out of a general, undifferentiated mass of
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  humanity. They're found right there in the
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  common multitude, completely indistinguishable from anyone
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  else in terms of their own merit.
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  So they were in the exact same state of sinfulness and misery.
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  The same condemnation. There was nothing in them that
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  made them a better choice. That's a crucial part of
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  understanding grace, isn't it? It is.
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  Edwards leans on Paul's letters for this.
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  He reminds you that those who were chosen were before that
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  counted among sinners of every kind.
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  Idolaters, drunkards, you name it.
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  The only thing that made them different was the choice itself.
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  Right. The choice creates the
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  distinction. The distinction doesn't come
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  first. Which flows right into a second
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  observation. And this one is huge.
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  Election is not motivated by foreseen merit.
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  This is a massive point. The choice is purely from God's
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  good pleasure. It has nothing to do with
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  anything inside the person being chosen.
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  So God doesn't look ahead and see that someone will become
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  excellent and then choose them, no?
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  It's the other way around. He makes them excellent because
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  he has chosen them. That really turns any human
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  centered view a salvation on its head.
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  It does because if the choice depends on the person's action
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  or even their potential, then they get some of the credit.
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  And Edward is very methodical here.
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  He rules out every possible human quality.
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  Right, it's not based on God foreseeing future holiness.
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  He quotes Ephesians that God chose us so that we would be
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  holy. It's not based on God foreseeing
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  our love for him either, no. Our love for God is a result of
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  His love for us first. So this rejects any idea that
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  good works play a part in the choosing.
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  We do good works because we are chosen.
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  And here's where it gets really specific and can be challenging
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  for people. Edwards says it even rejects the
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  foresight of faith itself as the reason for election.
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  So faith isn't the thing that causes God to choose someone.
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  In this framework, no faith is a gift from God, and it's a
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  consequence of His choice. Edwards points to the order you
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  see in the New Testament. Acts 13.48 says as many as were
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  ordained to eternal life believed.
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  The ordination comes before the belief.
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  The sequence matters. Think of Romans 8.30.
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  Predestined, then called, then justified, then glorified.
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  The choice predestination has to be first.
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  Because if God chose someone because he foresaw, they would
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  believe the basis of election would be a human action.
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  And that would undermine God's absolute sovereignty in the
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  matter. Edwards also rules out any
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  natural qualifications. It's not about being wise or
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  having a nice personality or being talented.
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  In fact, the Bible often says the opposite, doesn't it?
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  God chooses the foolish things, the weak things.
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  He. Does to make sure that no one
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  can boast in his presence. All the honor goes to the one
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  doing the choosing, not the one who was chosen.
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  Even our own effort to get to God as a result of his choice,
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  yes. The famous line from Romans 9
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  sums it up. It is not of him that willeth,
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  nor of him that runneth, but of God that show with mercy.
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  The desire you have for salvation is a response to His
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  mercy and not the trigger for it.
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  OK, that brings us to observation 3, the eternal
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  timing of this choice. Edwards places it firmly in
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  eternity past, before the foundation of the world was
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  laid. This anchors the believer's
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  identity not in their own life story, but in the unchangeable
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  counsel of God. And observation 4 gets into the
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  nature of this choice. He calls it electing love.
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  This is love that comes before there's anything lovely in the
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  person. God didn't find us lovely and
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  then decide to love us. His love is what creates the
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  loveliness in us. So that love is the original
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  source of everything, the plan of salvation, sending Christ.
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  Everything calling, justification, conversion, all
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  of it flows out of this eternal electing love.
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  Observation 5 makes this deeply personal.
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  He calls it a singular choice. Right.
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  This isn't some abstract choice of a faceless group.
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  God chose every single person who would ever believe as if
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  they were the only one. Their names are written in the
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  Lamb's Book of Life. And the 6th observation ties it
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  all together with Christ given to Christ.
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  Because they were chosen from eternity, they were also given
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  to Christ from eternity, and Christ accepted the charge to
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  redeem them. They became His responsibility
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  before time even began. It's why Jesus so often talks
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  about those whom the Father has given me.
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  That's right, just like the Old Testament High priest carried
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  the names of the tribes on his breastplate, Christ carried the
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  names of the elect. So after laying out this entire
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  doctrine of election, what's the take away for the listener?
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  How does this apply to life? Edwards gives a few key
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  reflections. First, this is a massive display
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  of God's glory. It shows his absolute
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  sovereignty. And because it's not based on
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  human merit, it showcases the brilliance of His grace.
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  Second, it should be a huge driver for a believer's love and
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  gratitude. It should.
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  When you think about the miserable state God found you
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  in, and that he took such particular thought of a poor
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  worm from all eternity, it's just astonishing.
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  To be chosen not just as a servant, but as a child, a
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  treasure, the spouse of Christ. That should produce overwhelming
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  thankfulness. And 3rd, the practical call.
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  The call is to Labor to make your election sure.
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  If you're chosen, there should be evidence you confirm the
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  choice by seeking the fruits of a godly life.
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  Virtue, knowledge, godliness, charity, those are the signs
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  that the eternal choice has taken root in your heart.
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  Now that leads to the second part of this title, Proposition
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  2. True Christians are of a
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  peculiar descent or pedigree, A distinct race.
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  Yeah, the word generation here means lineage, not just a group
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  of people living at the same time.
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  Christians are the generation of the righteous.
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  They're a heavenly race derived from God.
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  And this creates another contrast.
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  Other people are earthly in their origin and focus.
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  The church is the posterity of God.
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  Edwards traces the spiritual lineage back through what he
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  calls the remote or church descent.
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  He says the line starts with Adam as a good man, continues
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  through Abraham with his true descendants being those of
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  faith. And ultimately, supremely, it
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  descends from Christ himself. Yes.
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  They are his seed, his posterity, and this race is
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  continued through the Church, which acts as a spiritual
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  mother. But the defining characteristic
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  is the immediate descent. That's the new birth.
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  When someone becomes a St. they are literally begotten of God,
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  born of the Spirit. They get a whole new life.
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  And this truth has very practical implications for daily
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  life. His first reflection is on
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  Kindred. If all Christians share this one
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  divine Father, they have to act like family.
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  They should love each other, bear with each other's faults,
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  and avoid hatred. To try and hurt another believer
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  is to act against your own sacred family.
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  His second reflection is about honoring the descent.
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  You are part of a lineage more noble than any earthly royal
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  family, so your behavior has to reflect the dignity of the
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  eternal King. And he's very clear about what
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  unworthy behavior looks like. He is groveling and earthly
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  mindedness, chasing material things, giving in to carnal
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  appetites, or being obsessed with your reputation in this
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  world. He has this great phrase he
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  calls worrying about earthly status, being concerned with
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  whether you're a thought great upon this dunghill.
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  Ouch. So worthy behavior is the
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  opposite. Seeking spiritual wisdom,
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  wanting to be more like God, having an appetite for heavenly
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  things. Exactly.
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  And holding earthly trifles in contempt.
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  His third reflection here explains something a lot of
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  Christians feel. He calls it a different temper.
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  This heavenly origin is the reason true Christians have a
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  nature that's fundamentally different from the world's.
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  They love things others reject. They find joy in things others
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  find foolish. The world thinks it's strange
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  that a Christian can find happiness in self denial, or in
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  prayer, or just in quiet contemplation.
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  It's because they've been born again from a different source.
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  They have a disposition that the world, born only of the flesh,
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  just can't understand. That internal delight in
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  spiritual things is actually a key piece of evidence that you
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  belong to this heavenly family. It really is.
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  And this all sets up the second great identity marker in the
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  verse Part 2, the Royal Priesthood.
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  This title brings together the two most honored offices, king
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  and Priest, into one identity for every believer.
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  And you have to remember how separate those were historically
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  under the law. Kings came from Judah, Priest
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  from Levi. He couldn't be both.
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  The only real exception being Melchizedek, who was a type of
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  Christ. Right.
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  Christ is the priest on his throne, and because we are
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  united to Him, we're made kings and priests too, though Edwards
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  notes that our full reign is still in the future.
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  We're like a king who's still a minor.
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  Let's focus on the kingly office first.
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  Christians are heirs of the Kingdom, Edwards says.
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  Kingship is admired for three things its honor, its
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  possessions, and its authority. And in every category the
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  Christians Kingdom is far superior.
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  Take honors, for instance. What earthly title compares to
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  being a Son of God? Earthly kings have fancy robes,
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  but the Saints will be dressed in the white robes of holiness
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  and will shine like the sun. No palace on earth can compare
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  to the mansions Christ is preparing.
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  And the highest honor of all is just being near to the Creator,
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  being brought into intimate fellowship with God Himself.
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  Then possessions. Earthly kings have gold and
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  silver, but it's all temporary. The Saints get treasures from
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  Christ, gold tried in the fire, the graces of the Spirit,
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  lasting joy. They are heirs of God, which
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  means they possess all things. The whole universe is managed
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  for their good. 3rd Authority. The Saints will reign, and not
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  as not as deputies. They reign as joint heirs with
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  Christ, sitting on his throne with him.
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  Essentially, their will becomes so aligned with Christ's will
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  that their will shall be done. This reigning also has a
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  judicial part to it. It does.
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  They're promised the authority to judge the world, to sit on
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  Thrones with Christ and judge angels and men.
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  I mean, just think of the dignity involved in sitting in
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  judgment over fallen angels. It puts the Christian standing
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  in a whole new light. And this is meant to be a huge
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  encouragement. It is if people will fight and
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  strive their whole lives for a corruptible earthly crown.
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  What effort should you put toward this incorruptible
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  eternal 1? It makes all the present
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  troubles and insults seem insignificant.
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  Because the believer will soon be raised so high that no malice
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  from men or devils can even reach them.
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  OK, now for the second office. Christians as priests of God.
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  And the priesthood was in some ways seen as even more sacred
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  than kingship because of the direct access to God it allowed.
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  All believers now share in this honor and it shows up in 2 main
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  ways. The first is near access to God.
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  The difference between the old and new covenants here is just
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  it's drastic. Under the law, the Holy of
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  Holies was guarded by the threat of death.
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  The people were kept at a distance.
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  Think of the fire and Thunder at Mount Sinai.
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  But in the New covenant, God appears in mildness, inviting us
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  into friendship. We have bold and free access.
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  What's really stunning is that our access now is greater than
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  what the High Priest himself had.
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  He was the only one allowed into the Holy of Holies, and only
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  once a year behind that great veil.
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  But when Christ died, that veil was torn.
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  That the way into the very presence of God is now
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  permanently open for every believer.
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  We're told to come boldly to the throne of grace at all times.
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  And the access we have now is just a shadow of what's coming
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  in heaven. We won't just visit once a year.
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  We will dwell with God, see his face.
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  The second part of the priesthood is the offering of
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  spiritual sacrifices, right? A priest's main job was to offer
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  sacrifices. Our job is to offer spiritual
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  ones which are acceptable to God only through Christ.
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  Edwards lists five of them. Let's start with sacrifice a the
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  heart. This is the first and most basic
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  offering. It's the total dedication of
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  yourself, your whole being, to God.
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  And Edward says the heart has to be prepared in two ways, just
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  like the old sacrifices. First it has to be broken for
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  sin, yes. The animal sacrifice had to be
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  slain. Our hearts have to be slain by
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  godly sorrow and repentance. A broken and contrite heart is
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  the first offering God accepts. And second, it has to be offered
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  flaming with love. The sacrifice had to be burnt.
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  That fire was a type of the Holy Spirit of divine love.
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  When real conversion happens, it's like fire comes down from
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  heaven and consumes the heart and love for God.
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  And that will be perfected in heaven, where the Saints will be
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  like a perpetual flame of love. The next one is sacrifice.
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  B Praise. This is our Thanksgiving
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  offering. Edwards argues that the sincere,
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  heartfelt praise of one Christian is more pleasing to
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  God than all the thousands of bulls and Rams offered under the
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  law. It's the fruit of our lives.
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  In heaven, this is what the priesthood does.
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  Ceaselessly they sing the praises of the Redeemer.
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  Then there's sacrifice. See Obedience.
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  Our obedience doesn't earn our salvation, but it is deeply
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  pleasing to God. Scripture says he prefers it to
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  animal sacrifice. This means offering your body as
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  a living sacrifice. Consecrating every part of you,
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  your eyes, your tongue, your hands, as an instrument for
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  righteousness. Sacrifice Dee is charity and
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  Christian love. Doing good and sharing with
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  others is called a well pleasing sacrifice.
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  Edwards points to two main areas for this.
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  First, being generous toward ministers of the gospel.
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  Right. In the Old Testament, the
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  priests lived on the offerings, so supporting ministers is seen
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  by Christ as an offering made directly to Him.
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  And second, giving to the poor. Christ specifically says that
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  what you do for the poor, you do for Him.
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  And finally, sacrifice E the prayer of faith.
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  Our prayers are like the incense offered by the priest.
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  They become a fragrant aroma to God.
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  But only because they are carried to the merits of Jesus
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  Christ. Our prayers are the incense now
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  made fragrant by our great High Priest.
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  This constant communication shows the access we have.
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  So as we come to the end, Edwards brings us back from
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  these amazing titles to our immediate duties.
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  His first reflection is a powerful motive to seek this
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  faith. You're being called to this
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  office, the spiritual priesthood, which is a greater
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  honor than anything on earth, to be offered this eternal dignity
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  and to refuse it. Edwards calls that profane
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  contempt. He compares it to Esau, who sold
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  his birthright for a bowl of soup.
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  To trade the spiritual priesthood for the fleeting
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  trifles of the world, some money, some temporary pleasure,
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  is just a profane exchange. And for direction on how to get
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  this priesthood. We have to seek the holy
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  anointing of the Spirit, just as the priests were consecrated
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  with oil. You need the sanctifying work of
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  the Holy Spirit to prepare you for this holy station.
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  His second reflection is a very serious warning against
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  defilement. If you carry the name Christian,
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  you have to be extremely careful not to profane that sacred
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  character. To defile the temple of God
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  which you are, invites fear, judgement.
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  He specifically warns against lusts and impurities, pointing
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  to the judgement that fell on the sons of Eli Hoffney and
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  Phineas. Every sin a believer commits is
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  a dreadful presumption against the holy character they're
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  supposed to have. And finally, the essential
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  action of the office. You have to actually do the work
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  of a priest. Offer your heart daily.
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  Offer praise continually. Be ready to do good.
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  Be constant in prayer, but the one non negotiable step is to
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  make sure all these sacrifices are offered on the right altar.
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  And that altar is Jesus Christ. Without Him, all our offerings
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  are abominable to God, but when they are presented through Him,
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  perfumed with the incense of His merits, then our reward is this
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  eternal honor. Edwards concludes with an
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  observation that true Christians have a distinctive temper.
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  They find a unique satisfaction in spiritual duties that the
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  world just can't understand. So here's a final thought to
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  consider. If you are one of the chosen,
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  what specific delight or hidden satisfaction in your life may be
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  the peace you find in obedience or a contentment that only comes
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  through contemplation. What stands is the clearest
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  proof to you that you are indeed born of this distinct heavenly
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  stock, confirming that you possess this royal and sacred
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  identity. That inner witness of joy?
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  In God's ways, that's the most compelling evidence of all.
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  A compelling analysis of the highest calling.
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  We thank you for joining us for this deep dive into the identity
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  of the shows and generation. We will speak with you next
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  time.