For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Rom. 6
When we read Romans 1 a few days ago, I noted Paul’s statement, “the obedience that comes from faith”. Obedience is another one of those relative words that does not stand on its own. There are all kinds of things we can choose to obey. Thus, Paul tells us in this chapter that we are slaves of whatever it is we choose to obey. However, we can define sin as disobedience to God. In other words, obedience to anything other than God. So all those things we can choose to obey really boil down to just two things. Obey God, or obey sin. Thus, obedience to God is the only true obedience. That’s why Paul said, “you are slaves of the one you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness” (Rom. 6:16b).
So once again I see that we cannot break away from obedience to sin, to our own desires, and enter into true obedience to God without faith. Having faith means that we set aside self – our efforts, knowledge, wealth, instincts, desires…all of it – and put our trust in God’s work on our behalf through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Only then can we truly break free from sin. Because it is then that we enslave ourselves to the obedience that comes from faith. And it is then that God’s grace truly takes hold in our lives.
Ezek. 9-10
Who was marked and why? What does this tell you about God’s judgment? We just saw in Romans that we are either slaves to God or slaves to sin. Since we know that no one can serve two masters, being a slave to God has to be all-in. If it is anything less, we are still slaves to sin. We also know that, as slaves, we belong to the one we serve. More than once, the Bible uses this idea of marking to indicate belonging. I see the general concept in Deuteronomy 15. Masters were to set their servants free in the seventh year. If a servant did not want to leave, however, the master was to pierce their ear to mark them as their servant for life.
God did a similar thing with His people when He established His covenant with Abraham. He marked them by circumcision to identify them as belonging to Him through that covenant. Then, during the Passover in Egypt, the blood of the sacrificed lamb marked those who were obedient to God, sparing them from death. Conversely, in Revelation the mark of the Beast identified those who belonged to sin rather than to God.
Here in Ezekiel, God marked those who were distressed by the depravity around them. It is safe to say that these were the people who refused to leave God and continued to serve Him alone. As with the Passover, God spared those who belonged to Him. This again makes me think that Ezekiel’s message is a picture of Jesus’ mission. It is with the blood of Jesus, the sacrificed Lamb, that God marks us as His servants for life.