Thursday, August 24, 2006
God People (part ii)
If you are not convinced yet that the assembly and God's People are related, look at the following passage in Isaiah.
“And they will call them, ‘The holy people, the redeemed of the LORD’; and you will be called, ‘Sought out, a city not forsaken.’” (Isaiah 62:12 NASB)
At first glance, this passage does not seem to directly support the connection between God’s People and the assembly. However, I have already quoted from this passage earlier. Chapter 62 of Isaiah is talking about the Day of the Lord and the marriage. I applied verses four and five of this chapter to the assembly when I asked who the bride of Christ was.
Let’s return back to 1 Peter. Peter continues:
“… for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” (1 Peter 2:10 NASB)
Peter is referencing a passage in Hosea 1:10. The passage in Hosea can be directly applied to the Israelites of that time. But Paul quotes this passage in Romans to refer to how the Gentiles are also apart of God’s People. Interestingly, following Paul’s quotation of Hosea, he quotes the passage in Isaiah about how a rock will be a stumbling block for the Jews. Peter uses the same quote in Isaiah prior to quoting Hosea. However, Peter seems to apply the stumbling block to all non-believers. Even though they are approaching the topic slightly different, they are developing the same idea: the description of God’s family. A people who were not a people are now God’s People.
This idea of exclusion from God’s People and now being a part of God’s People was seen earlier in Ephesians.
“… at that time … strangers to the covenants of promise … But now … you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” (Ephesians 2:12, 13, 19 NASB)
To the assembly in Ephesus, Paul continues the idea of Gentiles now being included with God’s People:
“By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:4-6 NASB)
Because of the clear statements, the assembly of God must be God’s People.
“And they will call them, ‘The holy people, the redeemed of the LORD’; and you will be called, ‘Sought out, a city not forsaken.’” (Isaiah 62:12 NASB)
At first glance, this passage does not seem to directly support the connection between God’s People and the assembly. However, I have already quoted from this passage earlier. Chapter 62 of Isaiah is talking about the Day of the Lord and the marriage. I applied verses four and five of this chapter to the assembly when I asked who the bride of Christ was.
Let’s return back to 1 Peter. Peter continues:
“… for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” (1 Peter 2:10 NASB)
Peter is referencing a passage in Hosea 1:10. The passage in Hosea can be directly applied to the Israelites of that time. But Paul quotes this passage in Romans to refer to how the Gentiles are also apart of God’s People. Interestingly, following Paul’s quotation of Hosea, he quotes the passage in Isaiah about how a rock will be a stumbling block for the Jews. Peter uses the same quote in Isaiah prior to quoting Hosea. However, Peter seems to apply the stumbling block to all non-believers. Even though they are approaching the topic slightly different, they are developing the same idea: the description of God’s family. A people who were not a people are now God’s People.
This idea of exclusion from God’s People and now being a part of God’s People was seen earlier in Ephesians.
“… at that time … strangers to the covenants of promise … But now … you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” (Ephesians 2:12, 13, 19 NASB)
To the assembly in Ephesus, Paul continues the idea of Gentiles now being included with God’s People:
“By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:4-6 NASB)
Because of the clear statements, the assembly of God must be God’s People.
# posted by Wesley Son of Cornelius @ 11:00 PM 
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