A Sign for Whom?

 “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules,  and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.”

(Ezekiel 20:19-20 ESV)

As believers, we always wrestle with the relationship of faith and works. We wrestle with it doctrinally. But we also do so practically.

Scripture assures us that we are saved by grace alone. It assures us that we are saved through faith alone. And it assures us that we are saved by Christ alone. In other words, our efforts play no role in our salvation whatsoever.

However, it teaches also that our faith necessarily affects the way that we live. Having faith does not mean that we’ll be perfect or live a sinless life. But it creates within us a desire to live according to the Lord’s commands and precepts.

Yet, we can easily fall into error in one of two directions. Knowing that we play no role in our salvation, we can fall into antinomianism. We can begin to live according to our sinful nature, we can begin to live out our sinful desires, believing it doesn’t matter. We can do so believing that God will simply forgive our willful disobedience due to our faith in him.

However, as we look to our efforts, we can easily begin to question our salvation. As we look not to what Christ has done, but to what we have done, we can begin to doubt God’s promise. We can begin to wonder if we’re doing enough or if we have enough faith.

The passage above introduces another thought that helps us to understand the relationship of these realities. We see in this passage not that our obedience reveals to the Lord that he is our God. It, rather, serves as a sign of this reality for us.

We think as if our faith is revealed to God by way of our actions. We forget, however, that the Lord alone knows what’s in our heart and mind. He knows this far better than we ourselves. The reality of our faith does not need to be proven to him. 

We, however, question the strength of our faith. We tend to doubt the reality of our faith. So although our faith is not unknown to God, and although it’s not a question for him, it often is for us.

But as we live in faith and gather around His Word, it is revealed to us that He is our God. As we keep His Sabbaths—gladly hearing and learning His promises—the Holy Spirit enables us to know that the Lord is our God. This living faith then drives us and empowers us to walk in His rules and commands, serving Him in gratitude. 

The Enduring Faithfulness of God

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

(Psalm 136:1 ESV)

 

My life, over the past couple of years, has been quite turbulent. Without going into details, essentially every aspect of my life has been upended. While in years prior, even while there were transitions and changes, things were stable and predictable, I’ve now had a couple of years where that has been anything but the case.

 

I’m now entering yet another phase of transition where the answers, and where God’s leading, are not as clear as they had once been. And I don’t mean to say that I’m in a period of doubt or questioning. The next step, and the direction for the future, just hasn’t been obvious.

 

In the face of this uncertainty, Psalm 136 is a tremendous comfort. The first line, which is seen above, begins a recounting of the works of God throughout history. It recounts the blessings that he poured out upon his people again and again. And each phase ends with the refrain: “for his steadfast love endures forever.”

 

The word “steadfast” is key. This word indicates that the love of God is constant. It indicates that, in all things, God is faithful.

 

We often think of faithfulness in terms of our faithfulness to God. And when we’re honest with ourselves, it’s clear that we are not always faithful to him. Our love for him is not constant and enduring.

 

But God, on the other hand, is completely reliable. Even when our lives seem turbulent, he is faithful. And even when we are undeserving, his love for us endures.

 

What this Psalm does is recount for the people the past faithfulness of God. And, as it does so, it encourages them for both the present and the future. It assures them that, if God has always been faithful to us, and if his love has endured, we can expect no less now or in the days and years to come.

 

In the same way, I realize that I can look back on my life and see the ways in which God has worked. Like the Psalmist, I can recite the refrain again and again: “for his steadfast love endures forever.” And this provides me with both comfort and hope in the trials I now face.

 

Even though I do not yet have the answers I seek, I know that God, who has always been faithful, and whose love has never failed me, will remain faithful. He will lead. He will provide.

 

Someday, I’ll look back on this experience, and it will be one mere phrase in the history of God’s faithfulness and love. It will be one phrase in the history of his faithfulness to me and to the people of God. And the refrain will once again bear repeating: “for his steadfast love endures forever.”