A Covenant of Believers

The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, everyone who is able to understand and who has separated themselves from the surrounding peoples to [obey] the law of God— 29 join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the law of God given through God’s servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.

Neh 10:28-29 (HCSB)

God has an expectation for His people to be in a covenant relationship not just with Him but also with other believers. We find this both in the church in the New Testament and the nation Israel in the Old Testament.

In today's culture here in the US we have made church membership easy if required or necessary at all. Perhaps we need to rethink this paradigm. Here in Nehemiah it says the rest of the people joined with their noble brothers and committed to an oath, a covenant. The promised one another obedience to the Word and separation from the World.

It is important for us today as Christ followers to covenant with other Christ followers to serve together in a community of faith. I think the Scripture encourages us to covenant with others to obey the Word and be distinct from the World. Not all churches will expect that from its "members" or attenders but God expects it from His Christ followers.