Regarding God’s closeness to His people, God said to Moses in Exodus 19:5: “Now therefore, if ye will indeed obey my voice, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” And in Deuteronomy 7:6, God said: “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” When Hosea prophesied that Gentiles would be acceptable to God, he said: “Then I will say to those that were not My people, You are my people! and they shall say, You are my God” (Hosea 2:23; cf. Romans 9:25-26).
The bottom line is: God wants to be close to His people! God sacrificed His Son to die on the cross because He loved us, and wants us to be forever close to Him. He has no need of our money or possessions because He owns it all — including our very existence (Psalms 50:7-12; Acts 17:25). He simply wants to be close to us because He loves us with a selfless eternal love (1 Corinthians 13). Can we not be moved to obedience by such an unselfish love?
We need to realize that Christ died for people! (Romans 5:8). The whole plan of salvation is God’s plan to change the hearts of people. Hearts are changed by faith as we come to put our trust in Him through willing obedience (Acts 15:9; 1 Peter 1:22-23). In repentance, we turn from our sins to do the Lord’s will (Matthew 21:28-32). In baptism, the guilt of the old life is removed and we rise to walk in a new lifestyle (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-4). We become new creatures “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Gal. 3:27), no longer walking in the ways of the flesh (Galations 5:16-22).
It is of such people that Peter writes: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Beloved, God wants to be close to a people who are truly his own — a people by whom He may be "glorified" (Isaiah 43:7; Romans 15:6-7; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) — a people with whom He may dwell "eternally" (John 14:23; 1 John 2:24; Revelation 3:20; Revelation 21:3). The question we must ask ourselves is: “Do we truly want to dwell eternally with Him?”
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
The bottom line is: God wants to be close to His people! God sacrificed His Son to die on the cross because He loved us, and wants us to be forever close to Him. He has no need of our money or possessions because He owns it all — including our very existence (Psalms 50:7-12; Acts 17:25). He simply wants to be close to us because He loves us with a selfless eternal love (1 Corinthians 13). Can we not be moved to obedience by such an unselfish love?
We need to realize that Christ died for people! (Romans 5:8). The whole plan of salvation is God’s plan to change the hearts of people. Hearts are changed by faith as we come to put our trust in Him through willing obedience (Acts 15:9; 1 Peter 1:22-23). In repentance, we turn from our sins to do the Lord’s will (Matthew 21:28-32). In baptism, the guilt of the old life is removed and we rise to walk in a new lifestyle (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-4). We become new creatures “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Gal. 3:27), no longer walking in the ways of the flesh (Galations 5:16-22).It is of such people that Peter writes: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Beloved, God wants to be close to a people who are truly his own — a people by whom He may be "glorified" (Isaiah 43:7; Romans 15:6-7; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) — a people with whom He may dwell "eternally" (John 14:23; 1 John 2:24; Revelation 3:20; Revelation 21:3). The question we must ask ourselves is: “Do we truly want to dwell eternally with Him?”
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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