2:14 purify unto Himself. Christians tend to think of Christ’s death mostly in terms of what it means to them, but it also means much to Christ Himself. He wanted to “purify unto Himself a peculiar people.” He died for sinners, so that “they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him” (II Corinthians 5:15). He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (I Peter 2:24).

2:14 peculiar people. That is, the death of Christ was not just to save us, but also to create a group of people peculiarly and particularly dedicated to Himself. This is the only occurrence in the New Testament of the Greek word translated “peculiar.”