“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”
Ezekiel 18:30-32
God is falsely accused of going overboard in His judgment against Israel. His people are saying that He enjoys punishing the wicked so much that He punishes close relatives for the sins of others. They had made their own proverb: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge’? (Ezekiel 18:2) God told them to stop using it because all the souls they were talking about belonged to Him and that He took no pleasure in their destruction but that sin brings death to them. Every soul who sins will die. (Ezekiel 18:20) Don’t let your iniquity be your ruin.
God also reveals here it isn’t about our behavior but about the heart that commits the behavior. If a sinner turns his heart around and changes his ways then his iniquity is put away and he lives. If a righteous man grows hard in his heart and turns to sin he is a sinner and will die. God urges us to cast away our sins by getting a new heart and a new attitude. His grace is not a New Testament upgrade. It is an integral part of His character. He cannot abide sin because He is holy, and He cannot abide our deaths because He loves us so He sent Jesus to make a new and living way for us to find our way back to Him.
If you are sinning as a lifestyle turn around. Set your heart on following Him. I do not advocate a specific church or denomination as the means for salvation, not even the one I lead. I say turn from the sinful folly in your life to Jesus and go where He takes you. Let Him lead you in everything in your life, including your place of worship. Jesus is the only name men must believe in to be saved. God is not enjoying the destruction of the sinners live, He is hoping for the changing of the sinner’s heart. He is looking forward to their repentance and life with Him!
Cleanse Me, Oh Lord,
Pastor Jason
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