Question: Is holiness the only benefit one can expect from being “IN” and “ONE WITH” God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? Before bringing forth the Biblical answer we need to be reminded of the vital part the Old Testament plays in the life of the modern saint. A few New Testament verses will confirm its importance. First Corinthians 10:11 tells us that what was written in the Old Testament was preserved for “our (the New Covenant Church’s) instruction.” In 2 Peter 1:21 God says that holy men of old spoke as they were move upon by God’s Holy Spirit. Their scribes then recorded what they spoke “for our instruction.” In Ephesians 2:20 we are told that the New Covenant Church was founded on the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and the New Covenant apostles. In 2 Timothy 3:14-16 we are assured that all Scripture (Old and New Testaments) are inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness for the purpose of attaining salvation. Numerous Scriptures tell us that in order to be in the God family, to remain in His love and to show our love for Him we must keep His Ten Commandments, which were given and written in stone during Old Testament times. With the importance of the Old Testament firmly and Biblically proven, let us go to those Scriptures to learn what one can expect for being “IN” and “ONE WITH” the Almighty and His Christ.

To do this we will turn to what I believe are the two most important chapters in the entire Bible relative to God’s Cause and Effect Rule by which He directs the “walk” of His most prized creation–man. In these passages He explains to man the results of being part of  the “holy trinity” (my term) consisting of Himself, Christ and the obedient saint as well as what to expect if one is not a member.

In Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 28 God is speaking to the children of Israel–our biological and spiritual ancestors (see Who and Where is Israel Today and The Lost Tribes of Israel–the Apostles’ Mission Field). In these two chapters the Almighty explains in My-way-or-the-highway, take-it-or-leave-it terms what are the outcomes of being in His family through obedience to His Words and being in Satan’s family by obeying his words. One will note that there is no mixing of our allegiance–we worship, serve and obey one or the other totally. Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 for God’s statement on the subject. It is important that we know that God formulated His covenant with man on His own accord. Notice also that it is His purpose to bless mankind. It is His will that all me live in such a way so as to receive His promised blessings. However, as will be seen, God will curse those who refuse to obey Him. Note that it is the Lord Himself who administers both blessings and cursings, and that they will be administered based solely on man’s reaction to His Words. In simple language, man determines whether he will be blessed or cursed by God. In these chapters, as well as in numerous other places in the Bible, God makes known His will, what man must do to fulfill it, the rewards he will receive in this life for doing so and the punishments he will receive for not doing so.

In the first 13 verses of each of the focal Books the Lord tells Truth seekers how He will bless them if they obey Him. Notice that, though it is His will to bless man, man must QUALIFY to receive His promised blessings, including salvation. There is only one way man can EARN God’s blessings in this life and salvation at the return of Jesus to earth–OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD.

Following His “blessings verses” in which God tell us what He will do FOR us if we obey Him, He then tells us what He will do TO us if we disobey Him. Before we continue let us be reminded that what He wrote to the biological Israelites of Moses’ day, He writes to the spiritual Israelites–His church–today. He is the Lord, He changes not. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. In Him there is no shadow of turning (changing). He is no respecter of persons. With these Scriptures firmly in mind, let us begin our study of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. We will combine them in that they present the same message to the same people–the Israelites of old who rejected His covenant and the modern Catholicism/Protestantism church system which follows in their footsteps. L.J.