Is God just or is God merciful? That is the question that is often asked, as if God can either be just or merciful and not both. The “logic” is that if God were merciful then there would be no suffering in the world, so He must be just. Or, if God were just then bad things would not happen to good people, as we define good people. Unfortunately, those who wish to impose their own human logic on God fail to realize that their logic is tainted by sin and so really is not very logical. And really, God is not logical as we think of being logical in human terms. Remember last week we were reminded that God’s thoughts and ways are so much higher than our own thoughts and ways so that we really cannot completely understand God. This human logic often feeds that human understanding that we so often hear which is that religion is a personal matter; that my faith is a “me and Jesus” thing. God’s word reminds us that although God may hold each of us accountable for our own lives, our own sins, our faith is not just a “me and Jesus” thing, but is a corporate thing, that is, we are to be Christians in community. Our faith is matter of eternal life or eternal spiritual death. Our faith is not something we keep to ourselves, but as the Lord fills us with His good gifts and blessings, through His Word and Sacraments, we cannot help but overflow and share those good gifts and blessings with others. We might truly surmise, if we are not sharing our faith, do we really have faith. Our text for this morning talks about our lives of repentance and forgiveness.
Our text begins with Ezekiel telling us that the word of the LORD came to him. We read beginning at verse one, “1The word of the Lord came to me: 2“What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die” (v.1-4).
The word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel was a word in response to the people who were saying that they should not be held responsible for their sins. The proverb to which they are referring is in Exodus 20, what we have often referred to as the close of the commandments. God says, “I the LORD you God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” The people were complaining that God had no right to punish them for the sins of their parents. At least this was the perception of the people.
God’s response through Ezekiel begins with the reminder that every living soul belongs to the Lord. And because every living soul belongs to the Lord it is God’s will that all people come to faith. God’s will is not that He wants to punish people. His will is that He wants to give His good gifts and blessings to His people. His will is that His people do not refuse the gifts that He has to give. Here we see, as always, that God is the initiator. God first comes to us. God gives and we are given to and indeed all we really can do is refuse and reject what God gives.
God comes to us, but that does not mean that He just lets us off the hook for our sins. Since Jesus has paid the price for our sins does that mean we are not to be held accountable? Ezekiel tells us that God will hold us accountable, responsible for our sins. He tells us that the soul that sins, and remains in his sin, will die, and the death he will die will be an eternal spiritual death, hell. However, He will not hold us accountable for another person’s sin, unless we have had something to do with that other person’s sin. He will hold us accountable for our own sin.
Our text continues with the complaint that the Lord is being unjust. We pick up at verse twenty-five, “25“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26When 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. 27Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die” (v. 25-28).
Ezekiel begins by showing that God is just because He holds each person responsible for their own sins. And although God does call the corporate body to recognize and call individuals out for their sin He does not hold the corporate body responsible for one person’s sin. The words of the text are very clear, “if a person sins, he will die for his own sin.” These words of God are the Law and God will act justly, according to the Law.
On the other hand, the Gospel in our text says that “if a person turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right,” in other words, if a person repents, “he will be forgiven.” These words of God are the Gospel and so too, God will act accordingly.
Ezekiel is quite clear on God’s justice and fairness. God acts rightly according to His Law and His Gospel. God’s Law shows us our sin and reminds us of our need to repent. God’s Gospel shows us our Savior, and reminds us what Christ has done for us on the cross.
Our text continues with a second complaint of the Lord being unjust. We pick up at verse twenty-nine, “29Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 30‘Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live’” (v. 29 - 32).
It would appear that the people were not convinced by Ezekiel’s words, so he comes to them again. He restates the Law which says that a person will be judge for his own sin. God says, “I will judge every one according to his ways.”
With God’s Word of Law spoken, Ezekiel goes on to give words of exhortation to repent. God is going to hold each person accountable for their sins, thus it is imperative that each person take account of their sins and repent of their sins.
And again the reminder is given that it is God’s will that people repent and live. God’s will is not that He is out to get people as in to condemn people. He is not out to get us. God’s will is not that He is out to destroy humanity. God’s will is that He loves the people. He wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth, to hear His words of salvation, and be saved. Thus, it is God’s will that people repent and live.
Our text sounds a lot like the people of our own world today. How often are we confronted with people who do not want to be held responsible for their own actions, let alone the actions of others. We live in a world in which we do not want to be held responsible for our actions. A person sues and wins, because she spilled hot coffee on herself. A person sues and wins, because he was hurt while trying to rob your house. A person is put in jail and declares that it is societies fault that he is going to jail. We believe that we should be able to do whatever we want, as long as we are not hurting anyone else, and sometimes even if we are hurting someone else, and we do not want to be held responsible for our actions, and yet we believe that we are entitled to all the benefits that come from being a citizen of this country. We expect someone else and especially the government to be responsible for us. How we got to this point is really rather simple, but that is for another time.
Amazingly enough, we are like the children of Israel. They wanted to do whatever they wanted to do and they did not want to be held responsible for their sins. They wanted God to take care of them as if they were, for some reason, entitled for God to do everything for them. Yes, we are very much like the children of Israel. And so God comes to us to tell us that we are responsible and He holds each one of us personally accountable for our own sins, that is the Law. But there is more, and that more is the Gospel. For you see, when we do repent, God no longer holds us accountable, instead He holds Jesus accountable for our sins. Our sins, the penalty for our sins has to be paid. “The wages of sin is death.” “The soul that sins will die.” The death that these verse talk about is eternal spiritual death. That eternal spiritual death penalty was placed on Jesus who suffered our penalty on the cross, for us, in our place.
It is not God’s will that people should perish. It was never God’s intent that He should have to punish us. Rather, God would have us repent and live. As in the past few Sundays, we are reminded again of how important are the words we speak on Sunday mornings, “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us from all unrighteousness.”
God’s will is that no one should perish. Rather, God wants all people to be saved. We may think that God is not fair and we are right. God is not fair. If He were fair, He would give us what we deserve, what we are entitled to, and that would mean that we would all be damned, we would all spend eternity in hell. Because we were conceived and born in sin, because every inclination of our heart is evil all the time, we are entitled only to death, eternal spiritual death and hell. But our God who we think is unfair, unfairly places all our sins on His Son, Jesus who was perfect and holy, who was perfectly obedient, who never sinned. Jesus bears the punishment, the eternal spiritual death penalty for us, in our place. Now that is unfair indeed.
Paul speaks of this unfairness in our Epistle reading for today reminding us of God’s great love for us in Jesus. He encourages us to have the mind or attitude of Jesus who humbled Himself because of His love for us. He reminds us of Jesus being born as a human, being obedient even to death on the cross. He reminds us that the victory is ours by faith in Jesus as in the end every knee, believer and unbeliever will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Here again we are reminded that God is the prime mover. God acts. God stirs in us to believe, to repent and confess, to be given the gifts and blessings He has to give; forgiveness, faith, life and salvation.
Today we celebrate that we are God’s people, we are God’s children, made so in Christ. God created us, giving us life at conception. He recreated us at our baptism, putting faith in our hearts, giving us forgiveness of sins, forgiveness for our original inborn sin as well as our actual sin. He stirs in us to repent and to not refuse His forgiveness. He stirs in us a desire to make regular and diligent us of His means of grace, reading and hearing His Word, especially in divine service; remembering our baptism; confessing our sins and hearing His most beautiful words of forgiveness; coming to His Table to partake of His body and His blood in His holy meal. And He stirs in us to respond to all that He does and gives to us by offering our lives as living sacrifices for Him. What is left except to give Him thanks and praise. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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