Choose Life! Or Choose Death!

  Reference:  Ezekiel 18:1-32

I was reading this morning the book of  Ezekiel where someone is suggesting that God’s ways are unfair. God is questioning this person/persons about their theology.  About their  understanding of the ways of God.  And God challenges them to reconsider their opinion about who is punished, That is, who will finally end up dying without God. That is, ending up in a less than pleasant place in the end.   What is of concern here is the question of whether a human being can act freely apart from there historical situation.  But the speaker is suggesting the concept or idea that one generations actions have a determining influence on the next generation in the eyes of God.   That is  because of our cultural conditioning and traditional understandings of Scripture, God, and the Hebrew religion’s  teachings, A person doesn’t have a chance in hell to be saved, or to be good, or to be right with God if their background has Been wickedness and evil.

 So we have to back up and read this conversation today and try to replace what we have learned in our own history from years ago. And what the Bible even says in certain places about the generations influencing, impacting, the next generation. And we have to enter in again to the understanding — or rather the misunderstanding —  of sin.   What sin truly is! And what sin has been created to be in the human mind.   God is trying to help the people understand, in this discussion, is that God is fair.   That God does not judge a person by their past. That God only looks at the heart and soul of a person at any given moment. He wants them to know that sin is not necessarily passed on from generation to another.   That each person has the privilege – – and responsibility – – to choose. To choose the way that they will live.   The choices are quite simple! You can live as God has asked: that is with a true heart that desires to follow the ways of God‘s will. Or to choose the opposite. The opposite of God is the ‘sin’.    To put it in more specific terms, sin is the opposite of love,mercy,justice/fairness, compassion.   And when we choose opposite of God, the thought is that we dies without God’s blessing.  At the same time if we have at one time or another actedopposite of God;  but now have expressed honest regret/repentance we will live with God forever. And it is God who decides this! Not are brothers and sisters. For only God can know our hearts!

The good news, that God came in Jesus to bring to his fallen people, is that this issue of living opposite of God’s will is a revolving thing.  It is on going!  Seemingly never ending until the day we leave this physical body.  We are constantly fighting the battle of choices! However, the blessing is that we keep fighting.  We continue to try!  We continue to desire to do better!  Here in lies the tissue thin place between true evil and occasional temptations to do opposite of God.  Because the evil and wickedness that Ezekiel is referring to here is the constant willingness to live opposite of God’s will for His human creation.  One who doesn’t give a rip about what Jesus taught about God and God’s will.

So, I will ask you what God asks us of us in Deuteronomy: to choose life.  Life in, and with, God! Not death without God!

 It is certainly our  privilege  to choose!