The Israelites were God's old covenant people. They existed to bring in the Messiah and illustrate God's relationship to His new covenant people–the church (Rom. 15:4). In Ezekiel 36, God tells the prophet of Israel's deliverance from idolatry into a saving relationship with Christ. He is speaking to His new covenant people, His elect, which are scattered throughout the earth.
Before He saves us, God's elect often go from BAD TO WORSE. We go from the immorality of drunkenness and fornication into the self-righteousness of religious dead works–"And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land (Ezek. 36:20)." Whenever someone takes the name of Christ in vain, they profane the Holy Name of God. Whenever someone declares that we can be accepted by sincere obedience rather than a perfect obedience, God's law is cast down–"Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written (Rom. 2:23-24)." And again, Jeremiah speaks of those that are given to covetousness and self-glory. They've heard another gospel, which is not another, which declares that something can and must be added to Christ. "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush… (Jer. 6:13-15)."
Yet, God saves His people in spite of our religious self-righteousness– "But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went (Ezek. 36:21)." The Holy Name of God is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He is the revelation of God, the express image of His person, His very glory, and the unveiling of His entire purpose of grace (John 17:6 / II Cor. 4:6 / Heb. 1:3 / Eph. 3:11). Secondly, HOLINESS precedes God's name and ways more often than any other title. It is the holy temple, the holy Sabbath, the holy anointing oil, the holy day, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Child Jesus, and Christ Himself prayed, "Holy Father". People who don't understand the necessity of the gospel have never entered the presence of God's holiness. If He has ever shown Himself to you in the chief attribute of His Person, you dread being seen by Him apart from Jesus Christ. There is no cleansing of your conscience without the shedding of His blood.
Yet, the HOLINESS OF GOD, in our salvation, means that we have been included in Jesus Christ. When God looks upon Christ, He sees His elect in one glorious union. We are "… the fullness of him that filleth all in all". We are saved for His Holy Names sake because no member of the Christ's body can be destroyed. If the Head is holy, then every member of His body must be holy– "For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken (John 19:36)." Therefore, because of our union with Christ in eternal election, God saves us.
Also, His salvation is according to His great love. He says, "But I had pity for mine holy name…" God's pity comes upon us because He sees us through Christ the Lord. He does not look upon us the same way that He sees the non-elect. He looks upon the rest of Adam's race through the lenses of His holiness and perceives in them nothing but depravity forever. Yet, He looks upon His elect through the mediating blood of our Lord Jesus and loves us with pity and compassion. Rather than destroying us for our sinfulness, He woos us unto salvation. When Lot was commanded to flee from Sodom, he lingered in that wretched city. "And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful [having pity] unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city."
God manifests His pity through the preaching of the gospel whereby He washes us with the water of the Word (Ezek 36:25). It is God Himself who sprinkles the clean water upon our heart. The gospel is a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and every bit of Christianity is a revelation of God. It is a revelation from God, and it is a revelation of God. Your cleaving unto the messengers of God evidences your new birth. Sooner or later, you must make a decision as to WHOM you will worship, by whom you will worship with. There comes a time of separation, when you know that the gospel is not where you are, and you must join yourself with the Lord's people. We do not worship men; that is blasphemous in Christ's church. But, we do get to Christ through the men that He has sent (I Thess. 1:4-6, 9 & 2:12-13). When Paul preached at Athens, most everyone mocked. "Howbeit certain men cleaved unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and woman named Damaris, and others with them (Act 17:34)."
Another evidence of God's salvation is self-loathing. I did not loathe myself until AFTER God saved me. Before, I was concerned about the things that I did, but now I abhor what I am. Before, what I did or didn't do gave me peace. Now, I can only obtain peace through faith in Christ's blood. Before, I could convince myself that my sin was not so bad. Now, the only peace is,"… Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Rom. 4:7-8)."
And one last thing, God will have us know that His salvation is NOT because of us– "Not for your sakes do I this saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel (Ezek. 36:32)." We are blessed IN our deeds, but never FOR our deeds (James 1:25). I have been blessed contemplating this covenant and writing this article; and I hope that you are blessed in reading it. Yet, we are not blessed because of our deed. We are blessed for Christ's sake alone through this means that He had appointed (Eph. 2:8). We could have read and studied and labored incessantly, but without the shedding of His blood to alleviate the guilt of our sin, we could never have obtained anything from the Word. Be it known unto you, my brethren, as you labor to serve your Master in the gospel, that you're blessed by Him and because of Him. This is God's Salvation!
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