Rev. Don Campbell
Deuteronomy 3-4
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, March 12, 2019
“THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER”
Moses said to the people, “The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel” (Deuteronomy 3:18). God had given the land to the previous generation, but they failed to go in and possess it (Deuteronomy 1:21-33). The land was a gift that was promised to Abraham and his descendants, but God did not send a plague on the country to kill all its residents and allow Israel to walk into the land without lifting a hand. Moses also said, “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you” (Deuteronomy 4:1).
Putting the two together, we read that “God gave” and “God is giving.” The promise of God was sure, but not unconditional, as is seen in the language but also in the fact that the previous generation was also given the land, but did not possess it because of unbelief: “And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:18-19). Notice two things here: disobedience is unbelief and unbelief is disobedience. Some contend that the first generation never believed, because had they believed, God would have given them the land whether or not they did anything to possess the land. Not so. The Scriptures say, “Then they believed his words; they sang his praise” (Psalm 106:12). Then 12 verses later they say, “They did not believe his word (Psalm 112:24). They believed but ceased to believe. The security of the believer is a biblical doctrine, but the impossibility of apostasy is not.
This harmonizes with the gospel message, of which Paul wrote: “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister” (Col 1:21-23). To enter the promised land, we must continue in the faith and not give up the hope of the gospel.
CONNECTIONS – Romans 11:22-23 – John 15:5-6
1. Read Romans 11:22-23 to see how Paul has made the same connection as have we.
2. What happens to unfruitful branches (John 15:5-6)?
