But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9
This verse has always been one of my favorite verses in the bible since I was a teenager but I never knew why. The more I meditate on it, the more I realize how some of the words can seem paradoxical, particularly the two words ‘royal’ and ‘priesthood.’ For most nations, these were two unique roles designated for two distinct groups of people. Typically, those who were royalty were born into a family that granted them this privilege through no work of their own. Those who were priests were trained and groomed to carry on this unique role of a priest. One group was born into it and one was trained to become it. Yet, in 1 Peter 2:9, the followers of Christ are described as both… “a royal priesthood.” As a teenager reading these words, there must have been something about this identifier that grabbed me, especially since I struggled a lot with depression and anxiety growing up. Perhaps you may be tempted to define yourself to a mistake you made, something terrible that happened to you, or a name someone else gave you. But God reminds us we are His royal priesthood. We are royalty and we are righteous because we are His people.
