Peculiar

 Tit_2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Peculiar: 1.strange or odd; unusual. 2.particular; special.

God wants a special people. One set aside to Him, not just in name but wholly set aside to Him, for Him.

In fact when you read through the Bible God has set quite a bit aside for Himself, to Himself.

Just a few:

He set Israel, the Jewish people, aside for a people unto Himself. He set the Levites apart for Himself. He has a specific perfume just for Himself, A very specific Sacrifice, A very specific design for His House. He wants the best sacrifice, He wants the best perfume, the first fruits of the crops. If you read through Exodus He has very certain standards for just about everything. He has a specific Law that He handed down.

God wants things that are His and His only.

God wants people that are set aside to Him and that are His and His alone. You say "but we are in the age of Grace." 

Yes we are. But the age of Grace has not meant, by any stretch that God has changed His standards. It merely means we are no longer held accountable by the Law, we are still held accountable to God.

God wants a peculiar people zealous of good works.

That pretty much refutes the argument that I can live however I want. God wants a people He paid for on the cross to live for Him, by His standards, striving every day to be more and more like Him.

Yes He allowed for sin and will forgive, but that is not to be the way of life.

What happens when you order a beer at a restaurant and then bow your head and pray for your food with that beer or wine or alcohol right there in front? Ok you have God's grace, but you have the world's eyes on you.

They see no reason to come to God for salvation, they live like you so what do they need to be saved to/from?

Exo 30:37  And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. 

Exo 30:38  Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people. 

God laid out a specific composition for the perfume He wanted to be for Him and if anyone made it for any other reason they were to be cut off from Israel.

If He is that jealous over a perfume how much more so is He jealous of His people?

In the Bible God punished His people over and over again for chasing after false Gods. That should be a definite warning sign to us, God is a jealous God. I sure wish He would have come right out and said that some where. oh wait.

Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 

Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 

God is jealous. He wants a people wholly dedicated to Him. Christ died for you and you then took His name Christian. What are you doing with that name? What are you doing with that reputation?

Are you ok carrying that name without actually doing anything to protect it, cherish it?

Your mom and dad worried when you acted up because you reflected on them, guess what? Now you are reflecting on God with every thing you do or say.

God wants a consecrated, dedicated, purified, peculiar people. He died to make it so.

Are you being peculiar for Him?