Isaiah 44:6-8 NASB 1995

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. “I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST, AND THERE IS NO GOD BESIDES ME. WHO IS LIKE ME?…And you are My witnesses. IS THERE ANY GOD BESIDES ME, OR IS THERE ANY OTHER ROCK? I KNOW OF NONE.”

1 Corinthians 8:6 NASB 1995

THERE IS BUT ONE GOD, THE FATHER, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and ONE LORD, JESUS CHRIST, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

John 17:14-19 NKJV

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, JUST AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, JUST AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Deuteronomy 7:6 NKJV

FOR YOU ARE A HOLY PEOPLE TO THE LORD YOUR GOD; the Lord your God has CHOSEN YOU TO BE A PEOPLE FOR HIMSELF, A SPECIAL TREASURE above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

1 Peter 2:9-12 NKJV

But you are a CHOSEN GENERATION, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, a HOLY NATION, His own SPECIAL PEOPLE, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT; who once were not a people but are NOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the gentiles, that WHEN THEY SPEAK AGAINST YOU AS EVILDOERS, THEY MAY, BY YOUR GOOD WORKS WHICH THEY OBSERVE, GLORIFY GOD IN THE DAY OF VISITATION.

1 Peter 1:17-19 NIV

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, LIVE OUT YOUR TIME AS FOREIGNERS HERE IN REVERENT FEAR. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that YOU WERE REDEEMED from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH OR DEFECT.

Titus 2:11-14 KJV

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY, AND PURIFY UNTO HIMSELF A PECULIAR PEOPLE, ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS.

2 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV

THEREFORE “COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE,” SAYS THE LORD. “DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU.”

Exhortation: Live Uncommonly

One God—He Alone is Incomparable, Uncommon and Unequalled

In the Bible, God irrefutably states that for all eternity, He alone is God, and there are no other gods besides Him. Deuteronomy 6:4 NKJV declares, “THE LORD IS OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE!” He stands alone as the one God who is incomparable, uncommon and unequalled. When used in reference to God, the word uncommon does not mean rare or a few and is not limited to being exceptional and outstanding. Instead, IT MEANS ONE AND ONLY—THERE IS NO OTHER. In 1 Timothy 6:15-16, God says that HE ALONE IS THE BLESSED AND ONLY POTENTATE, THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. HE ALONE HAS IMMORTALITY, and He dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.

• God says in Isaiah 44:6-8 NASB 1995, “I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST, and there is no god besides Me. Who is like me?…IS THERE ANY GOD BESIDES ME, OR IS THERE ANY OTHER ROCK? I KNOW OF NONE.”
• God says in 1 Corinthians 8:6 NASB 1995, “THERE IS BUT ONE GOD, THE FATHER, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and ONE LORD, JESUS CHRIST, BY WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, AND WE EXIST THROUGH HIM.”

The Holiness of the Uncommon God

GOD IS UNCOMMON, FOR HE IS HOLY. Holiness is inherent to His nature. Exodus 15:11 NKJV declares, “Who is like You, O Lord among the gods? WHO IS LIKE YOU, GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS, FEARFUL IN PRAISES, DOING WONDERS?” The word “holiness” is qōdeš in Hebrew, meaning the apartness, holiness, sacredness of God, set-apartness, and separateness. He alone is God, and He is distinct from all His creations. Because God is holy, His people too must distinguish the holy from the common and the clean from the unclean.

In Ezekiel 44:23 NIV, God spoke concerning the priests, “They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” The most significant Hebrew word translated as “common” is hol, which means profaneness, commonness, and unholy. While “holiness” means set-apartness, apartness, or separateness, “common” means profane and unholy. The word “common” does not refer to just being ordinary or unexceptional. When we treat God as common, failing to discern Him and His holiness and not distinguishing Him as set apart from others, we profane God and violate His holiness.

The uncommonness of God is that He is glorious in His holiness and fearful in praises. God will judge any infringement on His holiness unless there is repentance. In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, violated the holiness of God by offering up a profane fire, which was contrary to God’s command. They treated God as common and His judgment was swift and severe upon this infringement as fire came down and struck them dead. In verse 3 (NKJV), God spoke immediately after that judgment, “BY THOSE WHO COME NEAR ME I MUST BE REGARDED AS HOLY [not common]; AND BEFORE ALL THE PEOPLE I MUST BE GLORIFIED.”

We Are God’s Uncommon People Through Christ’s Uncommon Sacrifice

We are God’s uncommon people because He has redeemed us by the uncommon sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. We were not bought with gold, silver, or anything created. We were bought with the precious and matchless blood of Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh to die for us. The Son of Man was uncommon, for there was no other in the flesh that was God. Through His uncommon sacrifice, all who believe in Him are made sons and daughters of God. 1 Peter 1:17-19 NIV says,

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, LIVE OUT YOUR TIME AS FOREIGNERS HERE IN REVERENT FEAR. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that YOU WERE REDEEMED from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH OR DEFECT.

We are uncommon because we are God’s chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation, and His special possession to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9 NIV). We are distinguished from the world because of our faith in Jesus Christ. The old, earthly, sinful, and common have completely passed away. Therefore, we must distinguish between holy and common to live uncommonly unto God. Hebrews 10:29 NLT warns us,

Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.

God Commands Us to LIVE UNCOMMONLY–Set Apart and Holy

To live a holy and uncommon (unusual, exceptional, singular) life is one of the primary commands that the Bible gives to believers. We are called to live differently from the world around us so that we REFLECT THE CHARACTER OF GOD IN ALL WE DO. It is not easy, but IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR BELIEVERS WHO WANT TO HONOR GOD WITH THEIR LIVES. By following the commands of the Bible and seeking the help of the Holy Spirit, we can live a life that reflects the character of God and makes a positive impact on the world around us. 2 Corinthians 6:17 NLT instructs us, “‘Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them,’ says the Lord. ‘Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.’”

As Jesus Christ is not of this world, we are not of this world, so strive to live as Christ lived. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT HE WAS TEMPTED AT ALL POINTS, AND YET HE DID NOT SIN (Hebrews 4:15). We cannot call ourselves God’s chosen children and yet compromise on God’s Word, our faith, biblical doctrines and lifestyle because of being influenced or pressured by the powers of darkness controlling this world. We cannot cave in fear under the aggression of the devil who is seeking to destroy our faith in Jesus Christ.

THE CHURCH, THE UNCOMMON PEOPLE OF GOD, IS THE STANDARD BEARER OF GOD’S TRUTH, BEARING WITNESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. We must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, stand firm in living holy, and set ourselves apart unto God. Be like Daniel, who purposed in His heart that he would not defile himself with the delicacies from the king’s table. Have we nibbled and sipped at the table of this world, polluting ourselves with what the world is offering? Have we persuaded ourselves that it is harmless and to abstain is to be legalistic? Have we deceived ourselves into thinking that we are doing this to be relevant to the world and to reach them in love? Are we saying what the world is telling us to say concerning Jesus Christ and biblical truth for fear of being labeled as unkind, unloving, and bigoted? Is the Bible no longer absolute to us but only selectively relevant according to the mind of the world, or when it does not offend the carnal mind? Are we preaching a warped gospel that syncretizes the Bible with the world’s ideologies, standards, and teachings? Have we mixed the holy with the profane and called it Truth? Who is our Divine Authority on the Truth, Way, and Life?

God Commands Us NOT TO BE CONFORMED to the Common—Be Transformed by the Renewing of the Mind

We are called to live uncommonly unto God. We cannot be of Christ in name but live like the world. I Peter 1:15-16 NIV says, “Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” We must strive to live a life that is separated from the sin and corruption of the world and pursue righteousness and godliness in all our actions and thoughts. Concerning the world, we are strangers, aliens, and pilgrims–not citizens–and yet Jesus Christ’s bondslaves of love. We are also His royal priesthood called to show forth His praises, not to blend in with the world. In Romans 12:1-2 NIV Paul instructs us:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

To live uncommonly, we must not conform to this fallen world’s patterns. Romans 12:1-2 emphasizes the importance of being transformed by renewing our minds through the study of God’s word and the power of the Holy Spirit. As God transforms us from the inside out, we will think and act differently from the world. We will have Christ’s uncommon perspective, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God in true and proper worship.

We are spiritual foreigners living among those who have yet to know and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Therefore, we must stand firm and faithful to God and His Word, withstanding all pressures to compromise. Then, the Church will shine brightly in this strange land, demonstrating that Jesus Christ is the true God. As Christ’s bondslaves live uncommonly, so the world may see and know that Jesus Christ is Lord and He seeks to save them because He loves. This uncommon lifestyle is the Church’s testimony of Christ that the world needs to see and hear.

We must not sell our uncommon identity as God’s children for any price. Living uncommonly for Christ may not be easy as we may suffer or be persecuted. Living uncommonly for Him is a priceless privilege, blessing and honor for the called and the chosen of God.

God Commands Us to Demonstrate Uncommon Love

To live uncommonly, we have to demonstrate uncommon love to others. Jesus commands us to love in John 15:9-14 NKJV:

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. YOU ARE MY FRIENDS IF YOU DO WHATEVER I COMMAND YOU.”

Christ’s love is uncommon. He died so that we can live; He was whipped so that we can be healed; and He was buried and rose again so that we can have His resurrection and eternal life. This sacrifice is Christ’s uncommon love for us, and He commands us to ABIDE IN HIS LOVE and to LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS HE LOVES US. When we abide in His love, we can love others with His love, uncommonly.

God Commands Us to Serve One Another with Uncommon Sacrifice

Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice to save us in His uncommon love for us. In like spirit and manner, we are to love and serve others selflessly and sacrificially. It is love beyond the natural love of man. Just as Jesus gave so that others could have, He sacrificed so that others could live, and He suffered so that others could be healed. We are to love the same way—uncommonly and selflessly. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return. 1 Peter 2:21-24 NKJV reveals how Jesus loved uncommonly:

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to God who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

How To Serve With Uncommon Sacrifice

• Serve With An Uncommon Humility

John 13:3–17 NLT

Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then HE BEGAN TO WASH THE DISCIPLES’ FEET, DRYING THEM WITH THE TOWEL HE HAD AROUND HIM…After washing their feet, He put on His robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right because that’s what I am. And since I, YOUR LORD AND TEACHER, HAVE WASHED YOUR FEET, YOU OUGHT TO WASH EACH OTHER’S FEET. I have given you an example to follow. DO AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU…God will bless you for doing them.”

To serve with uncommon sacrifice involves serving with sacrificial love and humility, just as Jesus served His twelve disciples although He is God Eternal. In John 13, Jesus humbled Himself to wash and dry the disciples’ feet. Foot washing was a traditional practice of the Jews where travelers coming to visit would have their feet washed, usually by a slave of the house. In Jesus’ day, roads were dusty and dirty, and because people wore sandals, their feet would be covered with dirt and sweat. Foot washing was considered a demeaning and menial task that was usually designated to slaves. Certain rabbis considered the task so lowly that it was unacceptable for a Jew to do it, even if that Jew was a slave.

To serve with uncommon humility, Jesus abased Himself to the lowest to wash His disciples’ feet. When a slave did not wash Jesus’ feet, neither did His disciples since they knew the custom of hospitality. Jesus was not offended; rather, He abased Himself to serve them with uncommon love and humility, teaching them to follow His example. In verses 14 and 15, he said, “Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. DO AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU.”

• Galatians 5:13 NIV–“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
• Philippians 2:3 NIV–“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

• Speak With An Uncommon Grace

The most powerful words spoken with uncommon grace are the Words of God—words of life, love, redemption, grace, forgiveness, and all we need to live. As followers of Jesus, we must speak as He spoke, with uncommon love and grace, always seeking the well-being of the other person. When we speak, we purpose to bring life, love, hope, encouragement, and healing, regardless of how we have been treated. In 1 Peter 2:23 NKJV, Jesus, when “He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” He did not retaliate but gave uncommon grace.

We must guard our hearts in order to speak with uncommon grace, for what is in our hearts will be emitted from our lips. It is not just the words spoken that matter; it is the intent and attitude of the heart that God examines. We are not to speak out of pride, flesh, and hidden motives but let there be truth in our inward parts (Psalm 51:6). Let our hearts always be filled with compassion, kindness, and humility so that we respond with gracious words even when we are reviled. We speak to bring life, encouragement, and healing.

• Isaiah 50:4 NKJV–“The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”
• Colossians 4:6 MSG–“Be gracious in your speech. THE GOAL IS TO BRING OUT THE BEST IN OTHERS IN A CONVERSATION, not put them down, not cut them out.”
• Ephesians 4:29 NASB 1995–“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

• Help The Hurting With Uncommon Compassion

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT, WHO COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR TROUBLES, SO THAT WE CAN COMFORT THOSE IN ANY TROUBLE with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

Matthew 14:14-16 NKJV

And when Jesus went out HE SAW A GREAT MULTITUDE; AND HE WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION FOR THEM, and healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “THEY DO NOT NEED TO GO AWAY. YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.”

Matthew 25:34-46 NABRE

Come, you who are blessed by My father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, a stranger and you welcomed Me, naked and you clothed Me, ill and you cared for Me, in prison and you visited Me… Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me… what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for Me. And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Uncommon compassion is a tangible expression of God’s love. Sympathy feels with the suffering; compassion suffers and identifies with the suffering and moves to comfort, heal, and minister to alleviate the need or solve the problem. Luke 6:35-36 NLT describes what uncommon compassion is and does:

Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. YOU MUST BE COMPASSIONATE, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS COMPASSIONATE.

Compassion is rooted in God’s sacrificial and unconditional love that compels us to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. In Matthew 14:13-16 NKJV, the disciples were concerned for the hungry crowd and wanted to send them away so that they could buy food for themselves. Jesus, being moved by compassion for the crowd, said to the disciples, “THEY DO NOT NEED TO GO AWAY. YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.”

We must be willing to help the hurting by not sending them away but by giving them something to eat. Just as Jesus Christ showed us loving compassion by dying to save and heal while we were yet hopeless and condemned in our sins, we are to help the hurting, broken, poor, and in need with Christ’s self-sacrificing and uncommon compassion. IT IS COMPASSION THAT WILL SACRIFICE, GO BEYOND, AND PAY THE PRICE TO HELP THE HURTING. We are Christ’s salt and light in this world to do good so that the world will know that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and He cares.