Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

Salvation as Joining the People of God (continued)

them , as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. . . . “An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD’S Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land.” b. Isa. 56.3-8 (ESV) - Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say,“The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.” And let not any eunuch complain,“I am only a dry tree.” For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Sovereign LORD declares-he who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.” 4. The New Testament suggests that even Moses (an ethnic Hebrew but raised culturally as an Egyptian and therefore a foreigner) had to make a conscious choice to join himself to the people of God in faith so that he could experience salvation. Heb. 11.25 (ESV) - He [Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 5. Summary: [In the Old Testament] salvation came, not by the man’s mere merit, but because the man belonged to a nation peculiarly chosen by God (“Salvation,” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [Electronic ed.]. Cedar Rapids: Parsons Technology, 1998.).