Naracoorte Presbyterian Church

Scripture Readings

• Romans 2:1-11
• Ezekiel 18:1-20

Introduction

My dear friends in Christ,

All of us had to face the puzzling question, “How can a God of love cause people to suffer?”

Just last week, the Christian world staggered under the horrible news about a young man in his early thirties. Charlie Kirk a married man who dearly loved his wife. He was a father of two toddlers. He displayed such faith, conviction, and talents. He was assassinated while he was proclaiming Christ to students. Yesterday I received news of about 10,000 Christians in Africa facing terrible trauma and even death. As we speak, men, women, and children are suffering for their faith. 

Over the last few weeks, the Word of God taught us more about the attributes of God. We heard about God’s perfection, His love, His mercy, and His holiness. As we heard about God, we understood from the Scriptures that God never changes. and sometimes righteous. If He is loving, forgiving, righteous at the same time then surely, He must be just.

Why then is God punishing us?

Now they ask Ezekiel this question, “Why is God punishing us for all the sins of past generations? Could God not spare the city? The city is full of wickedness, yet some righteous people are still there. We do not deserve this! God is unfair.”

They were shattered because had been built on false hopes and a flawed understanding of who God is. It is crucial to truly know who God is. Only then can we confidently answer questions about His actions.

Ezekiel answers their questions by giving them an example. What can you expect if a country sins against God? They break the covenant by acting treacherously or faithlessly. Does God, the Creator of the universe, not have the right to send famine? Can He not send wild beasts, the sword, and the plague on the people of that country? He further asks them if Noah, Daniel, and Job lived in that country. All of them are known for their faithfulness. Would their combined righteousness ward off God’s striking hand? Would it save or deliver the whole country? No, they alone would be saved because of their own righteousness. Salvation does not come through having a good reserve of transferable moral credit. The righteousness of these famously righteous men would have no effect on God’s judgment. Even if all three were together, they would not change His judgment upon the sinful society. There is no salvation by proxy. The only hope for salvation is for those whose lives and actions prove their own righteous standing before God.

This is a very important point. No sinner is saved on account of someone else’s faith. Everyone will appear before the judgment throne of God to give account of his life. 

The Israeli slaves in Babylon thought they have some privileged exemption from the moral laws of Yahweh. They did not believe that all nations are judged by these laws. They were terribly wrong. Yes, God called them to be His people from all the nations of the world. However, He called them to be holy. He called them to faithfulness to His covenant that He had made with them. Their future and the future of their land as an inheritance for their generations depended on their faithfulness to God. Covenant-breaking would rob them of all the privileges of being God’s special people. God’s punishment on Israel to send them into captivity was therefore an expression of His justice. His mercy, love and kindness do not override His justice.

To understand God’s love and mercy so it nullifies His justice is an error. It molds God into our own desires. He then becomes nothing more than an idol of our own making. To say God loves sinners irrespective of their how they live is grossly wrong. Yes, God loves all types of sinners, but He calls them to repentance and to holiness. He makes them new by His Holy Spirit. Therefore, they turn their backs on what God hates. They live lives to His glory. The Judge of all the earth will do right. Therefore, ultimately, all obstinate and unrepented wickedness will be appropriately punished. If it were not so, we should be lost in darkness, forever wrestling with the endless victory of evil. But, in the same way as we rejoice in the overwhelming triumph of divine love, we celebrate God’s redeeming grace. We can draw comfort from the alarming biblical affirmation of divine justice. This gives us enormous hope.

Sour grapes and blunt teeth

“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “ The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?” (Ezekiel 18:2, NIV) 

Why did the people say this proverb? Children suffer because of the sins of their parents. We do reap what others have sown before we arrived, and future generations will reap what we sow now. Like a mushroom cloud, God’s retrospective wrath had drifted over our lives. God is now treating us unjustly. 

One can understand the proverb as to say, “There’s nothing we can do about our situation.” They sinned, and we go to hell. 

A modern interpretation of this would be “we are the products of genetic ‘programming’ or and carrying the baggage of the attitudes of our previous generation. There’s not much we can do about it. It’s our karma! A great single ‘earth-force’ manipulates its power over us.” 

This is nothing but demoralising fatalism. There is no morality and therefore not even repentance will change anything. We are impotent against global forces that seem beyond any influence we may have or any action we may take. It really doesn’t matter what you do, ‘they’ll get you in the end’. This idea excuses us from all responsibility and accountability. As Richard Dawkins might say, we are nothing but a collection of selfish genes.

No, if that were the case God would indeed be unjust. 

Listen to what God says, 

“For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4, NIV) 

 “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11, NIV) 

Four scenarios

The righteous father

“He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 18:9, NIV) 

The unrighteous son

The violent son, “sheds blood or does any of these other things through the father has done non of them” (Ezekiel 18:10-11 NIV) 

“Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.” (Ezekiel 18:13, NIV) 

The righteous son

“But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:” (Ezekiel 18:14, NIV) 

What about this son? 

“He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.” (Ezekiel 18:17–18, NIV) 

“Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live.” (Ezekiel 18:19, NIV) 

The righteous man turns his back on God

“But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.” (Ezekiel 18:24, NIV) 

To sum it up: 

“The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.” (Ezekiel 18:20, NIV) 

Personal repentance

Without repentance, there is no gospel, no salvation, no hope. That was the bad news Ezekiel had to get across. All true evangelists must convey this before any word of hope can be uttered. God offers just grace to the repentant sinner.  Listen, 

“But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.” (Ezekiel 18:27–28, NIV) 

Therefore, 

“I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:30–32, NIV) 

Conclusion 

Is God unjust? No. His justice is displayed in His grace and holy, uncompromising love.

Why did Jesus, the sinless then die? To meet God’s justice on sin. God could not turn a blind eye on sin; it had to be dealt with. Christ died in our place. Listen to the verse once again,

“But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1–2, NIV) 

As we sit at the table of the Lord, we see displayed the symbols of His atoning sacrifice.

Let us examine ourselves. Let us repent, turn from our old, wicked ways and receive life.

Amen.