God’s Peculiar People

Titus 2:14 (KJ) (GW)

Christians are the peculiar people of God. We use the word sometimes when we speak of something/someone odd or strange. But that is not its use here. The word translated literally means "make around, " that is, to make something and then to surround it with a circle, thus indicating ownership.

Example: Isaiah 43:21 (MSG). Speaks of the unique, private, personal ownership of the saints by God. Each saint is God's unique possession just as if that saint were the only human being in existence.

This is how it looks - a dot within a circle.   

As the circle is around the dot, so God is around each one of His saints. The circle monopolizes the dot, has the dot all to itself. So God has His own all to Himself. We are His own private, unique possession. He has reserved us for Himself. We are His Treasured or Purchased People.

This is a place of high privilege.   1 Peter 2:7 (NKJ). He becomes our preciousness in the eyes of the Father as He becomes our righteousness before the law.

The Son dwells in the bosom of the Father, closest to the Father's affections. Marvelous grace, that we sinners saved by grace are brought into that favored place closest to the Father's affections. The Father loves us as much as He loves His only begotten Son. What consolation when going through a testing time.

This is also a place of protection. Place a dot outside of the circle, and draw an arrow from that dot to the dot inside the circle. Label that dot a temptation. As the arrow cannot reach the dot except it goes through the circle, so no temptation can reach us except it go through the permissive will of God first.

As we walk in the center of God's will, He will not permit the Devil to confront us with a temptation too great for us, but will provide us with the necessary faith and spiritual strength to overcome it.  

Victory over sin is a guaranteed fact when we are in the center of God's will.

Put another dot outside the circle. Run an arrow to the dot inside. Label the outside dot "a trial or testing time." As the arrow cannot reach the dot inside unless it goes through the circle, so no time of testing, no sorrow, can reach the child of God who dwells in the center of His will, unless it comes through the permissive will of God, and when it reaches us, God sees to it that all needed grace is given to bear that trial.

He is the God of all grace who comforts us in all our afflictions.

And this is what Paul means in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NRSV) (GW)

"temptation" has two meanings, first, "a time of testing or trial," second, "a solicitation to do evil." The act of enticing a person to do wrong.

Your TESTING can turn into your TESTIMONY.

We are the peculiar people of God, all His own, closest to His affections, under His protecting care, the recipients of all needed comfort and grace.

God in His wisdom plans the test, and limits the temptation. God in His love sends the test, and permits the temptation. The grace of God is sufficient to surmount every difficulty, comfort any sorrow, and overcome any temptation.

1 Peter 2:9 (NCV)