Sunday
School Lessons
Commentary by Walter Albritton
July 27
A Serious Covenant with God is Essential to Authentic Christian Living
Nehemiah 10:28-39
Key Verse: Because of all this we make a firm agreement in writing, and on that
sealed document are inscribed the names of our officials, our Levites, and our
priests.
n
Nehemiah 9:38
The
people of
The
teaching of Nehemiah and Ezra did not fall on deaf ears. The people realized
that in allowing them to return to
They responded to God’s deliverance by
developing and entering into a covenant with God. This covenant was a written
statement of promises they vowed to keep to show their gratitude for all that
God had done for them.
Across
the centuries, God’s people have always recognized the importance of a covenant
with God. The Jews were a covenant people. Christians are a covenant people.
There was the old covenant, and there is the new covenant.
As
disciples, we may have a rich personal relationship with Jesus. However, genuine
Christianity is much more than a personal religion. It is impossible, for example, to be an
authentic Christian and ignore the Church. Those who believe they can be
serious Christians without participating in a church have been deceived by the
Evil One, the father of all lies.
To
know Jesus as Lord is to become a brother or a sister with all others who know
Jesus as Lord. As brothers and sisters, we become part of the family of God,
the Church Universal. The Church is the Body of Christ in the world, and our
Living Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church.
Our
Lord binds us together, with love, so that within our several churches we may
work together to fulfill the Great Commission, to make disciples, and to make
known the gospel to all the nations of the world.
This
is where the covenant is important. Our modern covenant is different from that
of the people of
In
1970 I had the good fortune to meet Elton Trueblood. He became a gracious
mentor and friend. The prominent Quaker philosopher had attracted thousands of
believers to the Yokefellow Movement. Under Elton’s influence, I made the
commitment to live for Christ as a Yokefellow.
Yokefellows
were bound by a covenant, a simple agreement to embrace several disciplines of
the spiritual life. We covenanted to daily prayer, Bible reading, regular
worship, intercessory prayer, tithing, serving others in love, and studying the
Christian classics to enrich our lives.
Even
though the Yokefellow Movement has not remained strong since Elton’s death, I
continue to be bound by this voluntary covenant to link my little life with
others who demonstrate our love for Christ by faithfulness to these “holy
habits.”
The
“way” we live is a witness to others about the serious promises we have made to
our God, in response to his great gift of his Son Jesus for our salvation. Like
the people of
The
least we can do today is to make sure our covenant is up to date. + + + +