What did God intend for Israel as soon as He brought them out of Egypt?
God intended Israel to be a separated, holy nation as soon as He brought them out of Egypt. The instructions were clear-cut: they were to have nothing to do with the people around them but were to be a set-apart people.
Les explains that the moment God brought Israel out of Egypt, He intended them to be a separated, holy nation. The instructions were clear-cut: they were to have nothing to do with the surrounding peoples. Les then applies this same principle to Christianity, lamenting that Christianity has lost that distinction—most people can't tell a Christian from an unbeliever by looking at behavior or lifestyle. But that is not what God intended; believers are to be different, though not oddballs or gloomy. Les points out that if anyone has reason to be joyful in this perplexing world, it is believers. He then turns to 1 Corinthians 6, where Paul writes that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, listing sins such as fornication, idolatry, adultery, and theft. In verse 11, Paul says, 'And such were some of you'—past tense, meaning that is no longer their identity. This reinforces the call to separation and holiness.