Monday, September 27, 2010

Never forget (DT 31:9-13)

"So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them, saying, 'At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.'" (Deuteronomy 31:9-13)
With each successive generation it becomes increasing more difficult for a people to remember and relate to the events that lead up to the creation of their nation. The times of trials and difficulties, the individual and corporate acts of valor, their choosing to ratify themselves as a nation though the covenants and contracts they made with themselves and God; all these begin to fade from the active memory and become mere stories in a history book. When this happens, a nation is at risk of loosing touch with their past and with who they were created to be and become. The promise and potential that existed at their nations creation is in jeopardy when the people forget their past.

This is, at least in part, why God directed the nation of Israel to regularly set aside times when the people would be reminded of their laws and the covenants they made with God. It was for their protection lest they should forget who they were. The same is true today. My country is now more than two hundred years old and much of our history and purposes for existence has been lost to many of our citizens. For many, we no longer understand why we became a nation and we have forgotten the foundational principals that were the basis of our founding documents and constitution.

For a nation to endure, it must make sure that it reminds and educates each successive generation on the how and why of its creation. It must strive to pass on those principles and covenants that make it unique to each successive generation. It must pass itself on to the generations that follow.

David Robison

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Lord goes before us (DT 31:1-6)

"So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, 'I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the Lord has said to me, "You shall not cross this Jordan." It is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the Lord has spoken. The Lord will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. The Lord will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.'" (Deuteronomy 31:1-6)
Much to Moses' disappointment, he would not be accompanying the children of Israel into the promised land. For forty years Moses had lead Israel though the wilderness, but now it was left to Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan and into the land of Canaan. For forty years the people had depended on Moses for their law, the dispensation of justice, leadership, and the inter-mediation between them and God, but now, on whom would the trust? While Joshua was to be their leader in Moses' place, Moses reminds them that it should not be in him or Joshua or any other leader than they should trust; their trust should be in the Lord. He reminds them that it was not Joshua or himself that was going before them, nor were they the ones to guarantee their victory in war, rather it was the Lord their God.

Moses spoke to them in a way as to encourage them not to trust in man but in God; to trust in God as their leader, protector, deliver, and provider. "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." (Psalms 118:8-9) "Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation." (Psalm 146:3) We should ask us this question, in whom do we trust? Is our trust in our leaders and our champions or is our trust in the Lord. As in the case of Moses, if God removed our leaders would we still be able to go on? Would we be able to trust in God to lead us forward? Or would we be lost without a man (or woman) to lead and guide us? Trust in the Lord, He will go before us and lead us into victory.

David Robison

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Choose life (DT 30:15-20)

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants." (Deuteronomy 30:19)
In saying this, Moses acknowledges that those who stood on the east side of the Jordan river had a choice to make; a choice of their own free will; a choice that would lead to either life or death. Their choosing was not by merely mentally preferring one outcome over the other, rather the outcome of their choosing would be ratified by the lifestyle they chose to embrace. Their chosen lifestyle would determine whether they would receive life or death, blessing or cursing. Life and death were not their choice but rather the outcomes of their choice, their choice was to obey or disobey God. "In that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it." (Deuteronomy 30:16)

The outcome of their life was inextricably linked to their relationship with God. In their case, this was expressed in their obedience to, or rebellion from, the law. To the degree to which the adhered to the law, so did they experience the blessings of life, but to the degree to which they rebelled from God, so they experienced cursing and death. "But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it." (Deuteronomy 30:17-18)

In the same way, the quality of our life depends on our relationship with God, not through the law, but through Jesus. "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) If we draw near to God though Jesus then we find life, but if we draw back we find trouble, difficulty, and death. We find life "by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days." (Deuteronomy 30:20) Let us stop looking for life in every other place rather than in the one place where it can be found. Let us draw near to God, to love and obey Him, that we might receive His life. Let us choose a life with God.

David Robison

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Saturday, September 18, 2010

The accessable Gosple (DT 30:11-14)

"For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it." (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
This scripture is best understood when placed in context with the end of the previous chapter where Moses wrote, "But the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever." (Deuteronomy 29:29) When Moses speaks of the law as "not too difficult" he is using a word that is most often translated as "wondrous" or "marvelous". This word describes something that is beyond our comprehension, beyond our ability to know and understand in full. For example, Agur the son of Jakeh wrote, "There are three things which are too wonderful for me." (Proverbs 30:18) and Job confessed, "Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." (Job 42:3) In both cases the implication is not so much that the information was "too difficult" but rather "too hidden" for them. It was marvelous and wonderful and beyond their understanding and discovery.

In contrast, Moses was saying that the law was accessible; easy to know and understand. There were no hidden meanings, not tricks or gotchas to watch out for, it simply had to be read and obeyed. It is interesting that in the recorded history of Israel you don't see (as a rule) preachers or teachers. They had prophets who called the people back to the law and they had priest who performed the sacrifices for the people according to the law, but you don't see the people congregating regularly to hear some teacher, or man of God, teach them the law. Education in the law was a personal responsibility. Joshuah commanded the people, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." (Joshuah 1:8) It was also the parents' responsibility to pass the law onto their children as Moses commanded them, "Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, 'Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.'" (Deuteronomy 4:10) They didn't need teachers because the law was clear, easy to understand, and accessible.

Paul later takes this verse and applies it directly to us as believers under the new covenant.
"For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: 'Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down), or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).' But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Romans 10:5-10)
In reflecting back on the words of Moses, Paul is making the same contrast between things that are hidden and things that are revealed. While in previous generations the message of the Gospel had been hidden, Jesus both descended from heaven and was raised form the dead that He might reveal the hidden things to us. "The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:26-27)

The Gospel is simple, there are no hidden meanings, no hidden or obscured truths, it is simple and straight forward so that anyone who desires to know and obey it may hear and understand. We don't need to travel the world looking for the man of God to teach it to us. We don't need priests of other appointed clergy to teach it to us, it is plain enough for everyone to understand and obey. This is why John could confidently assert, "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." (1 John 2:27)

This is not to say that there is no place for teachers in the Body of Christ, but we are not dependent on them to understand, apply, and obey the simple truths of the Gospel. We don't need someone's "special revelation" to know and understand God. Paul echoed this when he wrote, "For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end." (2 Corinthians 1:13) The Gospel Paul delivered to the churches was simple and clear, nothing hidden or obscured, and it was accessible even to the simple.

Lets stop trying to make the Gospel difficult or complicated. Lets stop believing that we must seek out the "man of God" to teach us. Lets stop placing greater emphasis on "deep revelation" rather than on the simple truth of the Gospel. Let us return to simplicity.

David Robison

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Thursday, September 16, 2010

A circumcised heart (DT 30:6)

"Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live." (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Forgiveness existed long before the new covenant was established through Jesus' blood. A large portion of the law, and its prescribed pattern of worship, was meant explicitly to provide for forgiveness.
"He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he shall not sever it. He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him." (Leviticus 5:8-10)
So if forgiveness was available under the old covenant, why did Jesus have to come and die for our sins, and why was there a need for a new covenant? The key is to understand the nature of sin. Sin is not primarily transactional; it not based primarily on what we do; rather sin is a condition of the heart. John said, "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4) He did not say that sin was the transgression of the law but rather that sin was lawlessness; it was not an act but was a condition of the heart. While we may from time to time commit sinful acts, we are always sinners. Even when we sleep we are sinners because hour heart is sinful, even if for the moment we are not doing something specifically sinful.

Paul, writing to believers, reminded them, "When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions." (Colossians 2:13) Notice we are dead spiritually because of our transgressions and the uncircumcision of our heart. It is not enough just to have our transgressions forgiven but we need to have our heart renewed. We need to be circumcised in our hearts as Moses prophesied so long ago. That is why Paul reminds us, "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Hebrews 10:4) The blood of bulls and goats can provide forgiveness but it can never heal a sinful heart. Without the circumcision of our heart, we may be forgiven, but we will forever remain slaves of sin.

That is why we need Jesus. Not only for the forgiveness of our sins but also for the redemption of our heart; for the putting to death of our sinful nature; for the obtaining of a new heart that is able to obey God. We need more than forgiveness, we need freedom. This is why the Father sent Jesus to die for us. "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4) Jesus came to free us from our sin; from a sinful heart; to reconcile us back to God and to enable us to serve God with our whole heart; a clean and renewed heart. This is why we need Jesus and this is why He came.
"But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." (Hebrews 9:26-28)
David Robison

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Obeying Revelation (DT 29:29)

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)
Mark Twain is reported to have said, "Its not what I don't understand about the bible that bothers me, its what I do understand." There is a lot about God we do not know; much of His nature, character, and thoughts are hidden from our understanding. While it is good to desire to probe and search out the deeper things of God, our present reality and responsibility have to do with those things we already know; with what God has already revealed about Himself and His kingdom. We are not responsible for what we do not know about God, but we are responsible for how we respond to what we do know. Paul put it this way, "Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained." (Philippians 3:15-16) Paul is saying that we need not concern ourselves with what we do not understand about God and His kingdom; even if we are wrong about some belief God is able to correct us and lead us to a better understanding. Instead, we need to apply ourselves to that measure of revelation we have received; not just to believe it but also to obey it.

Presently, there is a great interest in "revelation", both inside and outside of the church. What is key to this scripture is the purpose of that revelation, "that we may observe all the words of this law." Revelation is not given to be believed but obeyed. Revelation is not given for information but rather to move us to action. Revelation without obedience leads us into deception.
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:22-25 NKJV)
James says that when we are a hearer but not a doer then we enter into a form of self deception and we end up forgetting what it was that God was trying to reveal to us. To really grasp and understand God's revelation we must obey it and put it into practice. It is as Jesus said, "Go and learn what this means..." (Matthew 9:13)

David Robison

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Sunday, September 12, 2010

Oblivious of God (DT 29:1-9)

"And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, 'You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.'" (Deuteronomy 29:2-4)
Moses recounts some of the blessings and victories the Israelites received over their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Specifically he recalls:
  • They were delivered and lead out of Egypt as a result of God's mighty wonders and signs.
  • For forty years they had no need of clothes for their clothes did not wear out.
  • They eat food from heaven without sowing and reaping.
  • They won battles against nation mightier and more experienced in war than they.
  • They had already begun to receive an inheritance of lands, houses, and possessions.
Israel's forty years in the wilderness were forty years of the goodness and grace of God, yet for all the things He did for them, they somehow failed to perceive it; they failed to see God in all they received; they had become oblivious of God. Even today, we can find ourselves going through life oblivious of God and His hand of grace working in our lives. We move from day to day, believing in God, but failing to see Him when He interacts with us and our lives on a daily basis.

There are many reasons why we loose sight of God even in the face of His abundant grace and blessing. One reason is rebellion. "Son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house." (Ezekiel 12:2) Even after God delivered them from Egypt, the Israelites carried with them their false gods from Egypt. "Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves." (Amos 5:25-26) In the wilderness, the Israelites did have God but they also had their idols and false gods. This rebellion dulled their eyes from the reality of God in their daily lives. While we may not have wooden idols we carry around with us, when we allow other things and activities to take the place in our hearts that belongs to God, we begin to loose sight of His working in our lives and our eyes grow dim.

Another reason we fail to perceive God is simple pride. "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants." (Matthew 11:25) As we mature and become stayed in our knowledge, understanding, and beliefs, we can become deaf to the surprises of God. We can become so satisfied with what we already know that we turn a deaf ear to the new things God wants to show and teach us. We become prideful in our knowledge and understanding and leave behind a childlike wonder of the world in all its beauty, wonder, and amazement. Paul encountered some Jews who, when Paul shared the Gospel with them, simply refused to believe because it did not fit with their nice packaged religion. "Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, 'The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, "Go to this people and say, 'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive.'"'" (Acts 28:24-26)

Finally, God can fade from our view when we allow ourselves to become dull; when we loose our edge; when we settle for a life of mediocrity and the status quo. When the disciples asked Jesus why he always spoke to the crowds in parables He said:
"To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; you will keep on seeing but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.' But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear." (Matthew 13:11-16)
As for those outside, they had become dull and their eyes had grown dim. This dullness and blindness does not happen over night but is the long term result of neglect; neglect of our relationship with Jesus.

When we find ourselves having grown oblivious to the goodness of God in our lives, the only solution is to press into God. Jesus encouraged some of the early churches to, "buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." (Revelation 3:18) We must buy from Him eye salve that we might once again see; see His abiding presence and work in our day-to-day lives. In Isaiah God put it this way, "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost." (Isaiah 55:1) The key here is the word "come". We must return to the Lord, come daily into his presence, spend time "buying" what we need from Him. If we will learn to be with Him, in His presence, then we will once again become everywhere aware of His presence, blessings, and provisions in our lives.

David Robison

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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

A Nation by Covenant (DT 29:1)

"These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb." (Deuteronomy 29:1)
The nation of Israel came into existence as the result of a covenant made between God and the Israelites. The very foundations of Israel's existence were built upon covenant. This was not just a covenant between that generation and God, but between every successive generation and God. The covenant they made with God that day was passed down from generation to generation. Each generation not needing to renew or decide again on the founding covenant of their nation, rather they received the nation and their participation in the covenant as an inheritance from this original generation. The covenant once made was in force for all generations after.

What is important to understand is that a nation, once conceived by covenant, is gifted from one generation to another as an inheritance. For my country, that covenant is expressed primarily in our Declaration of Independence and in our constitution. Having received our nation and covenants by inheritance, it is up to us to preserve them and to pass them on to the next generation.

Whether we like it or not, we have been made participants in the covenants made by our forefathers. While from time to time certain adjustments or changes may be necessary to the structure of a nation, we must always seek to make them in light of the founding covenants and principals set down by those who founded our nation. We do not have, nor should we suppose to have, the luxury of re-negotiating the founding covenants with each successive generation; our role is to preserve what we receive not to try and remake it into our own image.

One of the things that concerns me greatly about the times we live in in my country is that there seems to be a concerted effort to make wholesale changes in our government, our economy, and our culture. Laws and policies are being put advanced that are, in many cases, in direct opposition to our constitution. There appears to be little regard to the constitution and founding principles by those who are pursuing this course of change. It makes me wonder what we will have left to pass on to the next generation.

Change may be inevitable, but we must never change in a way, or to a degree, to violate or abandon the covenants that created us as a nation. To do so is revolution.

David Robison

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Monday, September 06, 2010

The Price of Apostacy (DT 28:15-68)

"But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you..." (Deuteronomy 28:15)
God outlines to the nation of Israel the consequences of her apostasy. God enumerates with great specificity and detail the variety and severity of the punishments and curses that would be hers should she fail to keep her covenant with God. So great would be her punishment that she would be reduced to committing the vilest of sins. Consider the following curse on Israel's apostasy.
"Then you shall eat the offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you. The man who is refined and very delicate among you shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else left, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in all your towns." (Deuteronomy 28:53-55)
What is important to understand is that, each and everyone of these curses prophesied by God eventually came upon the nation of Israel. Even the most sever punishment leading to the most disgusting of actions on Israel's part came to pass. Israel forgot God, forsook her covenant with Him, turned away from the law, and brought upon herself all that was written in this scripture.

Reading this, it makes me thankful that we live under a different covenant and in a different dispensation; one of grace not of judgment. It is written of Jesus:
"For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.' Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, 'The righteous man shall live by faith' However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, 'He who practices them shall live by them' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree' — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:10-14)
Thanks be to God that Jesus freely became a curse for us that we might know the forgiveness, blessing, and love of God!

David Robison

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Holy people (DT 28:9-10)

"The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you." (Deuteronomy 28:9-10)
Under God's previous covenant, instituted through Moses, His promise to the Israelites that they would be "holy people" was dependent upon their keeping the commandments and the covenants they made with God. Contrast this with our calling as holy people under God's present covenant, instituted through Jesus. In this new covenant all believers are call "saints".
"Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours" (1 Corintheans 1:1-2)

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 1:1)

"Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:1)

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father." (Colossians 1:1-2)
In each case, the believers in total are referred to as "the saints". This particular Greek word is the same word used as an adjective to describe God's Spirit that He was to send to all believers.
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:26)
The term "Holy Spirit" could equally be translated "Saintly Spirit"; the word for "Holy" and for "Saint" are the same Greek word. The point is this: while under the old covenant holiness was dependent upon keeping the law, under the new covenant we are automatically made holy through our faith in Jesus Christ, independent of the law. Under the new covenant we don't become holy rather we are born holy when we are born again through the Spirit of God. We are holy because we are children of God not as the result of works. We are holy because we are His!

David Robison

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