Eze 18:29-32 | KingComments | STEP | God always offers man the opportunity to turn or repent ( ), yes, He even commands it ( ). An unrighteous person can become a righteous person at any time. True turning will be demonstrated by doing God’s will. One who turns and does His will “shall surely live; he shall not die”. That is how great God’s grace is toward a repentant sinner. His grace is so great that He no longer even remembers against the converted sinner all the transgressions he has committed ( ). God’s forgiveness is complete. The converted wicked person will live “because of his righteousness which he has practiced”. Living because of his righteousness does not mean that he deserves life by his righteous living. The starting point is his conversion. That is his first righteous act. Next, the new life that God gives produces righteous acts. The opportunity God gives the wicked to turn has to do with the lovingkindness of the mind of God. He is truly not pleased with the death of the wicked ( ). He doesn’t like to judge people (cf. ). When an ungodly person turns away from his ungodly ways and lives, it is a joy to His heart. That life is a life in fellowship with Him, in the full enjoyment of real life. Life is only life when it is lived from and together with Him. The reverse can also be the case. It can happen that a righteous person turns away from doing righteousness and starts acting wickedly ( ). God will not let such a person live. That righteous person may have done so many righteous deeds, but they will not help him avoid judgment for even one atrocity. Judgment will come on him, and all his righteous deeds will be void, there is no longer any thought of them. Judgment will come on him because he has become unfaithful to the LORD and because of the sin he has committed. The people dare to accuse the Lord ( Adonai ) of unrighteousness, of acting not right. They accuse Him of going down winding roads, of being fickle in His policy ( ). They mean that in the case of the wicked who turns, God does not take into account his past sins and leaves them unpunished, and in the case of the unfaithful righteous, He does not take into account his previous good deeds and does not reward them. They judge that He thus acts arbitrarily and does not apply right properly. Surely this shows an unprecedented insolence on the part of the people. Indignant, God tells them to listen carefully. How dare they say it! They should look at their own ways, how they are full of injustice. It is a very bad trait of man to call God unjust in order to justify his own iniquity. The LORD summarizes again what happens to the righteous who starts to do wrong ( ) and to the wicked who turns away from his wickedness ( ). God acts on the principle that He calls each person to account for his own actions. Thereby He proves that He views man as a fully responsible person who reaps what he sows ( ). By the way, what Ezekiel is presenting here is about natural life and death on earth – it is important to keep this in mind when considering the meaning of this chapter – not about eternal life or death. In the Old Testament, salvation for eternity depends on living faith in God and the Messiah. A person who is wicked cannot be saved by doing good works. He must turn and then can do good works. In the other case, when someone does righteous deeds, keeps the law (see the summary in ), such a person is also not saved by keeping the law. As long as he keeps the law, he extends his life on earth. A person is saved for eternity only by faith and not by works ( ). Once one has turned to God with sincere repentance of his sins and received new life, he cannot perish ( ; ). Once again – and this proves their stubbornness – Israel accuses the Lord ( Adonai ) of not making His way right ( ). In response, God calls Israel to think about that one more time. Is it really the case that His ways are not right? Or is it rather that their own ways are not right? This gross accusation, which proves their total blindness, is the ground for His judgment ( ). Each one will be justly judged according to his ways. And then again that great mercy of God. He calls them even now to return to Him and repent of all their transgressions. If they do, they will stumble no more. Yet let them cast away all their transgressions and begin to act from a new heart and a new spirit ( ). This presupposes a work of God in their inner being, yet it is presented here as a responsibility for man. It is up to man to show the desire to start living according to the will of God. This means first breaking with sin, in other words: confession of sins and conversion to God. This then means to start living from the new life. Why will they die? The final verse is the repetition of the Lord God’s impressive declaration that He is not pleased with the death of anyone who dies ( ). Therefore, in conclusion, the call to “repent” sounds one more time with the wonderful promise “and live”. God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” ( ). He truly is “a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” ( ).

‏ Ezekiel 18:29-32

Responsibility and Turning Away

God always offers man the opportunity to turn or repent (Eze 18:21), yes, He even commands it (Acts 17:30). An unrighteous person can become a righteous person at any time. True turning will be demonstrated by doing God’s will. One who turns and does His will “shall surely live; he shall not die”. That is how great God’s grace is toward a repentant sinner. His grace is so great that He no longer even remembers against the converted sinner all the transgressions he has committed (Eze 18:22).

God’s forgiveness is complete. The converted wicked person will live “because of his righteousness which he has practiced”. Living because of his righteousness does not mean that he deserves life by his righteous living. The starting point is his conversion. That is his first righteous act. Next, the new life that God gives produces righteous acts.

The opportunity God gives the wicked to turn has to do with the lovingkindness of the mind of God. He is truly not pleased with the death of the wicked (Eze 18:23). He doesn’t like to judge people (cf. 2Pet 3:9b). When an ungodly person turns away from his ungodly ways and lives, it is a joy to His heart. That life is a life in fellowship with Him, in the full enjoyment of real life. Life is only life when it is lived from and together with Him.

The reverse can also be the case. It can happen that a righteous person turns away from doing righteousness and starts acting wickedly (Eze 18:24). God will not let such a person live. That righteous person may have done so many righteous deeds, but they will not help him avoid judgment for even one atrocity. Judgment will come on him, and all his righteous deeds will be void, there is no longer any thought of them. Judgment will come on him because he has become unfaithful to the LORD and because of the sin he has committed.

The people dare to accuse the Lord (Adonai) of unrighteousness, of acting not right. They accuse Him of going down winding roads, of being fickle in His policy (Eze 18:25). They mean that in the case of the wicked who turns, God does not take into account his past sins and leaves them unpunished, and in the case of the unfaithful righteous, He does not take into account his previous good deeds and does not reward them. They judge that He thus acts arbitrarily and does not apply right properly.

Surely this shows an unprecedented insolence on the part of the people. Indignant, God tells them to listen carefully. How dare they say it! They should look at their own ways, how they are full of injustice. It is a very bad trait of man to call God unjust in order to justify his own iniquity.

The LORD summarizes again what happens to the righteous who starts to do wrong (Eze 18:26) and to the wicked who turns away from his wickedness (Eze 18:27-28). God acts on the principle that He calls each person to account for his own actions. Thereby He proves that He views man as a fully responsible person who reaps what he sows (Gal 6:7).

By the way, what Ezekiel is presenting here is about natural life and death on earth – it is important to keep this in mind when considering the meaning of this chapter – not about eternal life or death. In the Old Testament, salvation for eternity depends on living faith in God and the Messiah. A person who is wicked cannot be saved by doing good works. He must turn and then can do good works.

In the other case, when someone does righteous deeds, keeps the law (see the summary in Eze 18:5-9), such a person is also not saved by keeping the law. As long as he keeps the law, he extends his life on earth. A person is saved for eternity only by faith and not by works (Eph 2:8-9). Once one has turned to God with sincere repentance of his sins and received new life, he cannot perish (Rom 8:1 ; 35-39; Jn 10:28-29).

Once again – and this proves their stubbornness – Israel accuses the Lord (Adonai) of not making His way right (Eze 18:29). In response, God calls Israel to think about that one more time. Is it really the case that His ways are not right? Or is it rather that their own ways are not right? This gross accusation, which proves their total blindness, is the ground for His judgment (Eze 18:30). Each one will be justly judged according to his ways. And then again that great mercy of God. He calls them even now to return to Him and repent of all their transgressions. If they do, they will stumble no more.

Yet let them cast away all their transgressions and begin to act from a new heart and a new spirit (Eze 18:31). This presupposes a work of God in their inner being, yet it is presented here as a responsibility for man. It is up to man to show the desire to start living according to the will of God. This means first breaking with sin, in other words: confession of sins and conversion to God. This then means to start living from the new life. Why will they die?

The final verse is the repetition of the Lord God’s impressive declaration that He is not pleased with the death of anyone who dies (Eze 18:32). Therefore, in conclusion, the call to “repent” sounds one more time with the wonderful promise “and live”. God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Tim 2:4). He truly is “a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (Neh 9:17b).