ESOCS Devotional 1 October 2021
TEXT: EZEKIEL 18: 1-4; 19-32
MEMORY VERSE: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him …” (Ezekiel 18:20).
In Exodus 20:5-6, the Lord in His commandments stressed that He would visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, even unto the third and fourth generation. But in our text today, Prophet Ezekiel stresses sin, judgment, and restoration for the individual offender, without recourse to either children or parents (vs. 20). At this point in time in Israel, people complained bitterly that they were made to suffer because of the sins of their parents. Here Ezekiel countered by emphasizing individual sin and judgment, as well as individual righteousness and salvation. This aligns with the New Testament, where each person would be required to make a personal decision to either vote for Jesus or otherwise (John 1:12).
As we see in verse 20 of our text, the Lord God insists that any soul that commits sin shall die, and neither father nor son should bear the iniquity of the other. Furthermore, in verses 21-24, there is a caution that if the wicked will turn from his wickedness, he will surely live. On the other hand, if the righteous turns from his righteousness, his previous righteousness shall not cover him anymore.
Therefore, there is no such thing as “once saved, always saved.” The apostate or sinful remains a sinner, until he turns to righteous behaviour. No past good behaviour atones for present sin. Current obedient lifestyle is what constitutes righteousness before God. Therefore, once a person repents and turns to God, he should remain steadfast unto the end, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23) KJV.
- If Christ suddenly comes, will He catch you unawares in sin?
- Lord, grant me grace and will power to refrain from sin.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: 2 Kings 18:17-22; Luke 4: 16-30; Gal. 6: 1-19
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ESOCS Devotional 1 October 2021
