But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Who is Peter calling a chosen race?
His opening address tells us “To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia”. This gives us a sense of Peter talking to some other race of people and not to us today. If we read all the translations we might get a better sense of what an “elect exile” really means.
These people were scattered in much the same way that the sower scatters the seeds of the gospel. Elect because they carry with them the seeds of hope given to them to share wherever they go on their sojourn.
In that sense, it is all of us who have been called out of darkness and into the light.
So many times in these epistles to past generations it feels like the words are not meant for us, but they are meant for us. We are no different than they were because we all belong to Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
There is no male nor female is a drastic vision of oneness because it takes away a very personal part of our identity as partners in life. It is difficult to conceive a life without gender identity. No, not to worry, I am not going there.
But race is another issue that has come down from generation to generation as a reason to separate ourselves from others. Whole communities have been set up in large cities with ethnic pride. Chinatown, Little Italy are the most recognizable but there are others.
If we are all truly one with Christ, the same, then recognize that the enemy will use every issue as a source of division to keep us from being united. Hate and mistrust is easier to spread than love. If I were to add one more separatist term to Galatians 3:28 I would like to make it “neither rich nor poor”.
The enemy of Christ will use anything to pull us apart.