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.