A condition, yes, but...
When the word of God is spoken and people obey it they
become bearers of the word of the Lord. Their lives become a witness to
the revelation they received and a vehicle of its continued
proclamation. They carry it with them in their liturgy and ordinances,
in their songs and sadness, in their contrition and their joys. The way
they live their lives is shaped by that revelation of God and their
consequent relationship with him. In this way it continues to be a
rehearsal of the self-unveiling of God (compare 2 Corinthians 4:10).
If the word of the Lord came to a people saying, "Live in the
wilderness as nomads," then the nomadic life of that people would be the
visible embodiment of the word of the Lord. The only point I wish to
make at this moment is that it is foolishness to narrow "obedience" down
bare acts of compliance. Among all the other things that obedience is,
it is God making himself known and present in the lives of his people.
As Christians when engaging in the Lord’s Supper proclaim the Lord’s
death until he returns so their life’s obedience in general proclaims
the truth that he has entered their lives by faith. Faith-filled
obedience is not only a witness to the faith that these Christians share
it is a visible proof of the living Lord’s presence in their lives.
So we should say that obedience is a condition that must be
met if salvation and life is to be enjoyed with God (Hebrews 5:8-9) but
we should also say that it is our witness of God’s self-revelation to us
in the living Lord Jesus Christ. (embolded emphasis added- GDR)