Have you ever been in a situation that you knew you didn’t belong, and everyone else agreed? It can be a very uncomfortable situation. You feel like you stick out like a soar thumb.
Titus 2:14 (KJV)
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
This passage tells us that God is purifying (cleansing) to Himself a peculiar people. The writer of Hebrews said, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14 (NASB)
The word here used (περιουσιος) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, properly, having abundance; and then one's own, what is special, or peculiar. In this setting it means that we belong to the "Savior" in contradistinction from belonging to ourselves or the world -"peculiar."
We don’t belong to the world. We belong to our Lord. We have been bought with a price (The precious blood of our Lord. Whereas the world is eager for darkness we, God’s peculiar possession, are to be eager for good works.
1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Peter uses a different word for peculiar. The Greek (λαοζειζπεριποιησιν) means, "a people for a special possession;" that is, as pertaining to God. They are a people which he has secured as a possession, or as his own; a people, therefore, which belong to him, and to no other. He is talking here about a prized possession.
I have an old shop stool that belonged to my father. It’s not much to look at. The paint is chipped and peeling off in some spots. It is mad of light weight metal that was welded or brazed together. Not long ago one of the stretchers broke loose from the leg. As a result it would wobble and was out of square. Some said, just throw it away, it’s just a piece of junk. But I knew it was more.
I got out my drill. Then I drilled a small hole in both the leg and the stretcher. I then used a pop rivet to put it back together. Why would I go to that trouble for an old “piece of junk?”
I did it because it is a prized possession. A reminder of the hours spent with Daddy working on stuff in his shop.
That is the way it is with us. We are a prized possession of our Heavenly Father. He purchased us with the blood of His own Son.
Therefore, we ought to look at ourselves as the Father does. If we do, we won’t fit in in this present world system. The world will look at us as peculiar people. But that is okay. The father chose us to be that way.