“When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” (Ezekiel 18:27-28)
Many people these days claim that God is unjust and unfair. Therefore many have created a god more to their liking, one formed in their own image. This god condones sexual immorality, selfishness, profligacy, and even violence against those they do not like or who disagree with their beliefs. This god demands vengeance and retaliation on their enemies usually under the guise of justice. So, essentially many today are saying the same thing the Jews of Ezekiel’s day, that God is unfair and unjust so I’ll worship someone or some thing else.
The people of Judah addressed by the prophet Ezekiel thought this as well. These men and women had experienced the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and were now exiled in Babylon. They maintained that the Lord had been unfair and unjust toward them. They, like so many today, claimed they had done no wrong, that they were being punished by God for sins committed by their ancestors. Yet the people of Judah deserved this punishment for they had repeated the sins of their fathers. They claimed that they had done no wrong, even though in exile, they were still engaging in detestable practice, idolatry, and immorality.
The Lord, however, is fair and just. He judges each human being separately according to his own deeds and sins, not the sins of others. We may often suffer because of the sins of others, but they are responsible for their own sins before God as we are for ours. This is true even though we all tend to repeat the sins of those we respect, fear or emulate such as our parents, other family members, celebrities and politicians. They often set an example of ungodliness and sin that leads many astray.
In the Kingdom of God, no one can blame someone else for their sinfulness nor for the punishment it brings. Faith in Jesus with its accompanying repentance and righteousness will remove the ultimate penalty of sin and restore fellowship with God. Those who refuse to repent, who reject Jesus as their Lord and savior, who continue to live in wickedness and excuse their sins as mere “lifestyle choices” will find only condemnation. It is up to the church to warn them of the danger while there is time, for the Lord delights to forgive.