DELIVERANCE FROM PERSONAL JUDGMENT
(short overview)
False Premise
Let's look at Ezekiel 18.
The Jews in the day of Ezekiel believed that each person would be judged and punished for the sins of his father.
EZEKIEL 18:1-4
1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?
3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die.
Suffering is Not Always Punishment...
God condemned this false doctrine, which is still in vogue with many Christians. While it is true that the innocent suffer because of the guilty, the innocent are not punished for the sins of the guilty. Every man suffers for other people's sins, but no one is punished for other people's sins. We are all punished for our own sins. But God does not want us to be punished, even for our own sins. This is why He offers deliverance from sin and judgment.
The rest of the chapter 37 points out that the faithful, righteous man would not be punished for the wicked and the wicked man would not be forgiven for the righteous man. Those who turn from righteousness to sin will be judged and punished.
God's Way of Escape from Sin...
At the end of the chapter, God calls on people to be saved. Though we are not Israel, we are the object of God's love and redemption through Christ. These words are applicable to us today.
EZEKIEL 18:30-32
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
Notice the specifics of God's call to salvation.
God warns that we will be judge according to our own deeds (30).
God calls sinners to repent, change their mind, change their direction concerning sin. It is not just a matter of regretting our past or fearing our future, it is a matter of hating our rebellion (30).
Rebellion will be the Ruin of everyone who does not Repent (30).
Repentance includes a casting away of our sins. We should hate our sins and be finished with our willfully sinful ways (31).
However, it is not left us to us to save ourselves.
If we will turn from sin, He will impart a new heart, a new spirit (31). As Paul said, We will become new creations in Christ, old things will pass away and all things will become new (2 Co. 5:17). This is why we Must be born again (Jn. 3:3). It is not a matter of me trying to do better, it is a matter of Him changing me and empowering me to trust and obey Him.
Why should anyone die in sin, when deliverance is at hand (32)?
God does not desire the death of those who die. God wants us to live (32).
The Spirit of God Redeems, Regenerates and Restores those who are taken captive in their sins.
We cannot stop the world from oppressing the weak or causing the innocent to suffer, but we can escape the judgment of God by
repenting,
turning from our sin (by turning to God),
casting away the evil we have practiced.
God will give us a new start, with a new heart.
People need to make the right decision early, because a delayed decision is a decision to rebel. God warns us,
PROVERBS 29:1
He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
