“…You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9 NLT
Jesus in Matthew 5:13 called you the salt of the earth. This means you preserve the earth from decay. He said you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Shine as such. Among the people of the earth, you should be radically different.
In the same way, Israel was called to be God’s chosen people on the earth and to be witnesses for him (Deuteronomy 7:6), the church is now God’s chosen people. We aren’t chosen because we are better than others. This choice is a work by God’s grace.
As children of God, we are holy. From our anchor scripture, we see Peter call believers a holy nation (1 Peter 1:16). Thus, this should be seen in our speech, actions, and lifestyle. Just like Israel was not permitted to behave like the heathen nations surrounding them, we cannot emulate a worldly lifestyle.
Our identity in Christ should be 360 degrees and not defined by trends or circumstances. So, whether in school, at work, at home, among friends, families, and colleagues or on social media, our identity in Christ should always be identifiable. It should be evident for the world to see.
The surrounding culture exhorts a lifestyle that is contrary to the will of God (Ephesians 5:3-5) . It calls what is good bad, and what is bad, good. Be discerning. Expose the works of darkness and be separate from the world. (Ephesians 5:8-11)