Ezekiel 18 is an important chapter in the Bible that presents God’s message about each person’s individual responsibility before Him. The prophet Ezekiel received a message from God about divine justice and how it is applied to each individual. The central message is that each person is responsible for their own actions and cannot blame their ancestors or other people for their own choices.
God begins the message by saying, “All life is mine; the life of the father and the life of the son belong to me. He who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). This means that God does not punish a person for the sins of his ancestors or other people, but rather for what he himself does. Responsibility is individual and not collective.
Next, God says that whoever is righteous and follows the ways of the Lord will have eternal life. “If a man is righteous and does what is right and just, if he does not eat on the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, if he does not dishonor his neighbor’s wife or have intercourse with a woman during menstruation, does not oppress anyone, but repays what the debtor has given him, does not steal, but feeds the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, if he avoids doing evil and judges fairly among men, following my laws and commandments, that man righteous; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 18:5-9).
However, the one who is unjust and goes his own way will be punished. “But if an unjust man turns away from all the sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does what is right and just, he will surely live; he will not die. Of all the transgressions that he has committed, he will not be remembered ; for his righteousness which he hath done he shall live” (Ezekiel 18:21-22).
In summary, Ezekiel 18 teaches that each person is responsible for their own choices and actions, and will be judged individually by God. The message is clear: God does not punish a person for the sins of others, but for what he himself does. Therefore, it is important for every person to live a righteous life and follow the Lord’s ways to have eternal life. Responsibility is individual and we must be aware of this in order to live according to God’s will.
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