The Justice of God

Ezekiel 18:4

Ezekiel 18 addresses the justice of God – how He treats individuals, both the righteous and the wicked, and how He will judge us. Let us examine what this chapter teaches us about God and His justice.

God Wants All to Be Saved

‘Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,’ declares the Lord God, ‘rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?’” (Ezekiel 18:23).

‘For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord God. ‘Therefore, repent and live’” (Ezekiel 18:32).

Paul told Timothy, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Peter said the Lord is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The Scriptures are very clear on this point – God wants all to be saved and He went to great lengths to make that possible.

However, the fact that God wants all to be saved does not mean that all will be saved. Jesus was asked, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” He answered affirmatively: “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:23-24; cf. Matthew 7:13-14). Though the Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, the wicked must still “turn from his way” in order to be saved (Ezekiel 18:23). The Scriptures plainly teach that obedience is necessary for salvation (Hebrews 5:9).

We Are Each Accountable

The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20).

The type of death that is the punishment for iniquity is spiritual death (cf. Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23). We will each be held accountable for our own sins, as God said, “I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct” (Ezekiel 18:30). There is only one Judge (James 4:12) – the Lord Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) – and we will be judged according to His standard (John 12:48).

We Cannot Blame Others

‘What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, “The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge”? As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die’” (Ezekiel 18:2-4).

Proverbs can either be used correctly or incorrectly. If this proverb was used to show that children often face consequences for their father’s actions, then that would be correct. But the context of this chapter indicates that it was being used differently – that the children were not to be blamed for their sins, but their fathers were. This idea was false.

God went on to show that a righteous man can have a wicked son and a wicked man can have a righteous son (Ezekiel 18:5-18). No one will stand or fall based upon the actions of another person. We cannot use our upbringing, circumstances, or anything about our past to excuse our disobedience to God. We can and must choose to do right, regardless of what others have done around us.

There Is Always Hope

‘But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statues and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,’ declares the Lord God, ‘rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?’” (Ezekiel 18:21-23).

If the wicked man turns from his sins, he can be saved. This will always be true in life. God “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). But His patience is not eternal. Peter continued, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). While there is always hope as long as we have life and this earth still stands, we must use the time we have now to prepare. We do not know when our time will run out (James 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2).

There Is Always Cause for Warning

But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die” (Ezekiel 18:24).

If a righteous man turns back to sin, he will be lost. There is no “once saved, always saved” concept taught in the Bible (cf. Hebrews 4:11; Revelation 2:10). We must continue on the right path or else God will forget our righteous deeds.

Our eternal fate will be determined by how we are found in the end – either at our death or when the Lord returns. This does not mean we should forsake God until we believe we are nearing the end of our lives. After all, the end could be near at any time – even at this moment. So we must be faithful at all times, ready to stand before the Lord in judgment to answer for what we have done with the time we have been given in this life.


.

Trackbacks

  1. […] Read the article: The Justice of God […]