Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The Audit of 1 Peter 2:9
The mandate before us today is a rigorous audit of the English scripture, specifically focusing on 1 Peter 2:9, to determine if the standard translation maintains the original covenantal posture or introduces a subtle distortion that qualifies as an “Another Gospel.” Our process will be a deep dive into the source texts, Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus for the Greek New Testament—using the forensic tools of Literal Interlinear analysis, the Greek lexicon BDAG. This systematic superimposition will expose any shifts in relational logic, agency, or dimensional fidelity, transforming the initial outline into an extensive, uninterrupted, and persuasive address.
The Great Commission of the Royal Priesthood:
Our central text is 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” This single verse contains the core identity and functional mandate of the believer, defining the covenantal posture established by the messiah, Christ, and transmitted through his emissary, Kēphas (Kay-fahs) — Peter. To understand the verse’s power, we must first establish its foundation in the source texts, which provides the Literal Interlinear Translation (Covenantal Voice). The Greek begins with ὑμεῖς δὲ (hymeis de), “but you,” emphasizing a crucial contrastive logic that distinguishes the messiah’s people from the previous structure. They are a γένος ἐκλεκτόν (genos eklekton), a lineage actively having-been-selected, not merely a race, but a kin-group identity established by a deliberate, sovereign act of YHWH (Yahweh). They are a βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα (basileion hierateuma), a royal priestly-function, which is not an honorary title but a functional office of service, tied directly to the concept of kingdom rule. This is followed by ἔθνος ἅγιον (ethnos hagion), a nation set-apart by covenant, and λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν (laos eis peripoiēsin), a people appointed for a preservation. This last phrase, περιποίησιν (peripoiēsin), is the first major point of scrutiny, as its original, dimensional meaning is far more potent than its typical rendering.
The phrase λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν (laos eis peripoiēsin), translated in the NASB as “a people for God’s own possession,” undergoes a subtle but profound posture shift when filtered through the Institutional Translation (BDAG Lens). The Literal Interlinear Translation of περιποίησιν (peripoiēsin) is “a preservation” or “for a surrounding,” speaking of YHWH’s (Yahweh’s) active, continuous procurement and protective agency. This is a dynamic, living reality; the people exist because YHWH (Yahweh) is constantly procuring and maintaining them, like a ship that only stays afloat because the captain actively and continuously runs the pumps and charts the course. The people are not simply an asset passively sitting in a heavenly vault; they are a functioning, preserved mechanism dependent on the continuous, intervening power of the Father. However, the institutional gloss, derived from lexicons like BDAG, often flattens περιποίησιν (peripoiēsin) into the general concept of “possession” or “acquisition.” When the final, Compromised Translation (English NASB) presents “a people for God’s own possession,” the dynamic relational logic is replaced by a static status of ownership. This shift in posture is significant: it moves the believer’s focus from an active reliance on YHWH’s (Yahweh’s) preserving function—which necessitates obedience and continuous surrender—to a passive assurance of their status as owned—which can lead to complacency and a diminished sense of relational accountability. The agency is altered from active preservation to passive property.
This relational shift is immediately compounded by an alteration in the people’s core mandate, the teleological purpose of their calling. The verse continues, ὅπως τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐξαγγείλητε (hopōs tas aretas exangeilēte), “so that you may announce-out the acts-of-renown.” The term ἀρετὰς (aretas), translated as “excellencies” in the NASB, carries a much more forceful and specific meaning in the Literal Interlinear Translation. It refers to mighty deeds, virtues, or acts of renown—the specific, powerful, and historically demonstrable acts of YHWH (Yahweh) that brought the people out of their previous condition. The original voice demands a forensic, historical testimony of YHWH’s (Yahweh’s) specific intervention, primarily the deliverance achieved through the messiah, Christ. The institutional interpretation, however, often simplifies ἀρετὰς (aretas) into a general, ethical sense of “virtue” or “goodness.” When the NASB presents the proclamation of “excellencies,” the mandate is subtly changed from a powerful, evidenced-based testimony of what YHWH (Yahweh) has done to a generalized declaration of who God (Theos) is in character. This is the difference between a lawyer presenting irrefutable evidence of a rescue—the wounds, the blood, the empty tomb, the covenantal restoration—and a well-meaning relative simply talking about the rescued individual’s good character.
The Dimensional Consequence of these combined shifts is profound, hitting at the very core of the messiah, Christ’s cure and the believer’s functional role. The literal covenantal voice establishes a reality where the believer is an actively preserved priest tasked with proclaiming a specific, powerful testimony of YHWH’s (Yahweh’s) acts. The subtle shift to “possession” and “excellencies” compromises the functional priesthood by outsourcing its primary responsibility. If the people are merely owned, their role is passive, and if the proclamation is simply of general character, the urgency and forensic function of the gospel are lost. The believer is disarmed, the powerful testimony of the messiah, Christ’s specific offering is generalized, and the gospel becomes an emotional ritual or ethical suggestion instead of a covenantal restoration rooted in historical power. This entire mechanism, wherein the believer’s active dependence is exchanged for a passive status and the forensic testimony is reduced to ethical virtue, meets the criteria for “Another Gospel.” It is a shift that alters the covenantal agency, relational logic, and the dimensional fidelity of the restoration, reversing the people’s posture from a functional, actively preserved priesthood to a static, owned populace with a diluted message.
Therefore, the final Audit Stack reveals a clear and concerning pattern of reversal. The Literal Interlinear demands a lineage having-been-selected for a preservation, so that they may announce-out the acts-of-renown of YHWH (Yahweh). The Institutional English, in its attempt to smooth out complexity, presents a chosen race for God’s own possession, so that they may proclaim the excellencies. The Posture Audit shows the shift from a Preservation (dynamic) to a Possession (static), and the Agency Audit shows the shift from Acts of Renown (forensic power) to Excellencies (general virtue). This is a substitution of the rational priesthood—one based on the logic of covenant, law, and historical evidence—for an abstracted spiritual worship—one that emphasizes sentiment over specific testimony. As a dramatic analogy, imagine a complex, custom-built machine, designed with active, moving parts that must be constantly maintained to function. The Literal Interlinear is the blueprint for this functional machine. The Institutional Translation, by substituting “possession” for “preservation,” treats the machine like a static, decorative sculpture and replaces the instruction to “demonstrate the machine’s power” with “praise the sculpture’s beauty.” The result is a system of belief that honors the Father’s character but fails to actively engage the power and function of the covenantal machine He provided. The scripture itself warns against this subtle reversal: as the emissary Kēphas (Kay-fahs) — Peter wrote in the very next verse, 1 Peter 2:10, “for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy,” emphasizing the active transition and receiving of a thing that defines their very existence. The posture shift inherent in the translation dulls the edge of this active reception and response.
The forensic conclusion must decisively address this posture shift as the qualifying evidence for an indictment of “Another Gospel.” The message of the messiah, Christ, is not merely that YHWH (Yahweh) is excellent or that the people are owned; it is that YHWH (Yahweh), through the ultimate offering of the messiah, Christ, performed a specific, singular act of power that calls a people out of a specific, dimensional state of darkness into a marvelous light, and that this people is actively preserved to proclaim that exact demonstration of power. When the translation compromises the functional, dynamic nature of the preservation and the forensic, powerful nature of the proclamation, it is, by definition, presenting a message with altered relational terms—a counterfeit mechanism of response that does not require the same level of active, priestly engagement, reliance, and historical testimony as the original covenantal voice. T he reversal of covenantal agency, where the dynamic, preservative hand of YHWH (Yahweh) is softened into a static legal status, and the powerful, evidence-based mandate is diffused into a general moral declaration, meets the necessary threshold for indictment. We must return to the Literal Interlinear: we are a lineage actively preserved to announce-out the acts of renown. This is the uncompromised gospel.
