This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
God shaped a people to belong to himself so that their lives would display his praise and bring him glory. They are his treasured possession, his free children and his own property, and everything in them is to reveal whose they are. He receives them by unmerited favor through faith in Christ, and his Spirit renews their fellowship with him and restores his image in them, writing his law in their hearts, pardoning them and giving them joy. They show forth that praise by separate, holy lives that acknowledge Christ, retain his image and reflect his character in sanctified works, serving God rather than magnifying self and shining as lights. This stands as a promise and assurance to true believers amid judgments, to be fulfilled in the last days when he manifests his grace to his chosen and sends them as his witnesses to carry his warning and saving truth to all nations.
People Formed for God
This people have been formed by God for himself for the express end that they should declare his praise and glorify him. Their lives are to honor and serve God rather than magnify themselves, with words and actions witnessing to his glory and revealing him to the world. This means openly acknowledging allegiance to Christ, so that his character appears in sanctified works. It is fulfilled as the Holy Spirit renews them in God's image, writes his law in their hearts, and makes them a spiritual people who reflect Christ and shine as lights in the world. It belongs to God's revealed purpose for his people that they look to him rather than to finite people for wisdom.
They belong to God as his treasured people, appointed to praise him by retaining his image and honoring their holy calling through their lives. He has formed and chosen them as his free children to show forth his praise, his majesty, and his glory. They are his property, and their lives are to reveal whose they are and display their allegiance to him. Standing in holy trust as his stewards, they are answerable for the right use of every entrusted faculty.
This purpose is set out very fully in Isaiah 41-45, which are to be prayerfully studied. There God calls his people to trust his infinite wisdom and not turn away from him to look to finite man for wisdom. He assures them that he does not forget them, but blots out their transgressions and redeems them to himself. He is glorified in them, and their redemption is a reason for joyful praise.
Anyone who chooses may join in this purpose and bring honor to the Creator by showing forth his praise. Those who join themselves to God's purpose share in the purpose of creation itself. That purpose is that human life be a blessing to oneself and to others and an honor to the Creator.
Renewed Lives Show Praise
Through faith in Christ as personal Saviour, men and women are received by God's unmerited favor and grace, and the Holy Spirit renews their relationship with God. In that renewal they are forgiven and given joy, made a spiritual people, renewed in God's image with His law written in their hearts, and thus made to praise Him for His unearned favor. This is how God forms a people for Himself to praise and glorify Him.
They show His praise by separate, holy, distinct lives that make His praise known and reveal whose they are. They belong to Him as His treasured people, appointed to praise Him by retaining His image and honoring their holy calling through their lives. They openly acknowledge allegiance to Christ, and His character appears in their sanctified works, so that their distinct, holy lives and sanctified works visibly show that allegiance. Their words and actions are to witness to His glory and reveal Him to the world, serving and honoring God rather than magnifying themselves. They bear an eloquent testimony that directs attention not to themselves or to display, but to God whose hand sustains the world, reflecting Christ and shining as lights in the world.
Showing His praise means standing as His property in holy trust as His steward, partaking of the divine nature with mind brought into harmony with His mind. It makes a person responsible for the faithful use of all entrusted faculties, guarding every avenue of the soul lest Satan remove the fortifications, and striving to reach the highest excellence by every means. The faithful over little receive much, keeping the mind free from the rubbish Satan would pile in and open to the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness so as to see God. It is faithfully planting and sowing and extending his domains, and presenting his portion of the vineyard well-cultivated and beautiful with well-cultivated intellect and well-disciplined character that knows nothing of defeat or failure, and this is the work God formed His people to display.
God has formed and chosen His people as His free children to show forth His praise, His majesty, and His glory. This requires not being ashamed or intimidated in declaring the truth in the congregation, but proclaiming the straight truth of the living Word in all confidence. It is fulfilled by reflecting light to others, bearing a testimony, and doing a work of uplifting those who need it. This calling remains unchanged regardless of how others treat them, and is fulfilled by walking humbly with God, remaining free in Jesus Christ, and being made fruitful in all good works by the Holy Spirit.
Prophetic Witness and Encouragement
The verse stands among prophecies concerning God's people that will surely be fulfilled. Its setting is a people described as robbed and spoiled, trapped and snared, left without a deliverer to rescue them. That fulfillment belongs to the last days, when God manifests His grace to His chosen people at the time His law is made void.
The chapter to which the verse belongs is a chapter of promises and assurance. It is given to encourage true believers while judgments are falling. Those who heed these assurances and fulfill their conditions place themselves where the Lord will do all that He has promised.
The verse foretells the work of presenting the warning message to the world and of giving a reason for the beliefs held. Those formed to show forth His praise do so by Christlike character as His witnesses and chosen representatives in an apostate world. They are His agencies for the salvation of souls, filled with desire to win sinners to Christ, with the sympathy and cooperation of the heavenly universe. As such they are to become channels of divine light to all nations.
The church entrusted with God's sacred truths fulfills this purpose by standing distinct from idolatrous and apostate nations. It does so by obeying God and obeying the truth. It does so by displaying a high standard of spiritual character, excellence, and elevated spirituality.
As the building of the tabernacle was directed among Israel to show forth God's praise, so the work at Washington is to be established there to show forth God's praise.
God shaped a people to belong to himself so that their lives would display his praise and bring him glory. They are his treasured possession, his free children and his own property, and everything in them is to reveal whose they are. He receives them by unmerited favor through faith in Christ, and his Spirit renews their fellowship with him and restores his image in them, writing his law in their hearts, pardoning them and giving them joy. They show forth that praise by separate, holy lives that acknowledge Christ, retain his image and reflect his character in sanctified works, serving God rather than magnifying self and shining as lights. This stands as a promise and assurance to true believers amid judgments, to be fulfilled in the last days when he manifests his grace to his chosen and sends them as his witnesses to carry his warning and saving truth to all nations.
People Formed for God
This people have been formed by God for himself for the express end that they should declare his praise and glorify him. Their lives are to honor and serve God rather than magnify themselves, with words and actions witnessing to his glory and revealing him to the world. This means openly acknowledging allegiance to Christ, so that his character appears in sanctified works. It is fulfilled as the Holy Spirit renews them in God's image, writes his law in their hearts, and makes them a spiritual people who reflect Christ and shine as lights in the world. It belongs to God's revealed purpose for his people that they look to him rather than to finite people for wisdom.
They belong to God as his treasured people, appointed to praise him by retaining his image and honoring their holy calling through their lives. He has formed and chosen them as his free children to show forth his praise, his majesty, and his glory. They are his property, and their lives are to reveal whose they are and display their allegiance to him. Standing in holy trust as his stewards, they are answerable for the right use of every entrusted faculty.
This purpose is set out very fully in Isaiah 41-45, which are to be prayerfully studied. There God calls his people to trust his infinite wisdom and not turn away from him to look to finite man for wisdom. He assures them that he does not forget them, but blots out their transgressions and redeems them to himself. He is glorified in them, and their redemption is a reason for joyful praise.
Anyone who chooses may join in this purpose and bring honor to the Creator by showing forth his praise. Those who join themselves to God's purpose share in the purpose of creation itself. That purpose is that human life be a blessing to oneself and to others and an honor to the Creator.
Renewed Lives Show Praise
Through faith in Christ as personal Saviour, men and women are received by God's unmerited favor and grace, and the Holy Spirit renews their relationship with God. In that renewal they are forgiven and given joy, made a spiritual people, renewed in God's image with His law written in their hearts, and thus made to praise Him for His unearned favor. This is how God forms a people for Himself to praise and glorify Him.
They show His praise by separate, holy, distinct lives that make His praise known and reveal whose they are. They belong to Him as His treasured people, appointed to praise Him by retaining His image and honoring their holy calling through their lives. They openly acknowledge allegiance to Christ, and His character appears in their sanctified works, so that their distinct, holy lives and sanctified works visibly show that allegiance. Their words and actions are to witness to His glory and reveal Him to the world, serving and honoring God rather than magnifying themselves. They bear an eloquent testimony that directs attention not to themselves or to display, but to God whose hand sustains the world, reflecting Christ and shining as lights in the world.
Showing His praise means standing as His property in holy trust as His steward, partaking of the divine nature with mind brought into harmony with His mind. It makes a person responsible for the faithful use of all entrusted faculties, guarding every avenue of the soul lest Satan remove the fortifications, and striving to reach the highest excellence by every means. The faithful over little receive much, keeping the mind free from the rubbish Satan would pile in and open to the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness so as to see God. It is faithfully planting and sowing and extending his domains, and presenting his portion of the vineyard well-cultivated and beautiful with well-cultivated intellect and well-disciplined character that knows nothing of defeat or failure, and this is the work God formed His people to display.
God has formed and chosen His people as His free children to show forth His praise, His majesty, and His glory. This requires not being ashamed or intimidated in declaring the truth in the congregation, but proclaiming the straight truth of the living Word in all confidence. It is fulfilled by reflecting light to others, bearing a testimony, and doing a work of uplifting those who need it. This calling remains unchanged regardless of how others treat them, and is fulfilled by walking humbly with God, remaining free in Jesus Christ, and being made fruitful in all good works by the Holy Spirit.
Prophetic Witness and Encouragement
The verse stands among prophecies concerning God's people that will surely be fulfilled. Its setting is a people described as robbed and spoiled, trapped and snared, left without a deliverer to rescue them. That fulfillment belongs to the last days, when God manifests His grace to His chosen people at the time His law is made void.
The chapter to which the verse belongs is a chapter of promises and assurance. It is given to encourage true believers while judgments are falling. Those who heed these assurances and fulfill their conditions place themselves where the Lord will do all that He has promised.
The verse foretells the work of presenting the warning message to the world and of giving a reason for the beliefs held. Those formed to show forth His praise do so by Christlike character as His witnesses and chosen representatives in an apostate world. They are His agencies for the salvation of souls, filled with desire to win sinners to Christ, with the sympathy and cooperation of the heavenly universe. As such they are to become channels of divine light to all nations.
The church entrusted with God's sacred truths fulfills this purpose by standing distinct from idolatrous and apostate nations. It does so by obeying God and obeying the truth. It does so by displaying a high standard of spiritual character, excellence, and elevated spirituality.
As the building of the tabernacle was directed among Israel to show forth God's praise, so the work at Washington is to be established there to show forth God's praise.