Ezekiel 18:21-32 – Exercise our will and choose rightly!

In the first portion of Ezekiel 18, God through the prophet was dealing with the issue of individual accountability. Like the exile, we each are also responsible for our own life. In verses 21-32, God made known to His people in exile that they have the freedom of choice, but they would have to bear the consequence of the choice they make.

God has made man with a free will. We all have the capacity to choose.  We are not robots with no ability to make decisions. Therefore, it is important that we make the right choices. While we can choose what we want to do, we cannot choose the result we want. The consequence is always determined by the choices we make. We cannot choose to eat an orange but want the taste of a durian. The taste is determined by what we choose to eat. This is essentially the message of Ezekiel 18:21-32.

God here also made clear that He is the God of the second chance. His forgiveness and blessings in life can be experienced if one chooses to repent.  In verses 21-23, God states categorically to His people that no matter how wayward a person could be, he still could repent and choose to return to God. When he does that and returns to live righteously, he can still find life in God. However, the opposite is also true. When a man who had walked with God righteously then chooses to turn away and live wickedly, He will have to face the consequences of his choice.

The exile had accused God of being unjust to punish them for the sin of their fathers. God made it explicitly clear that He has no pleasure in punishing sins. He would rather that His people repent find forgiveness and walk uprightly before Him. When we make the choice to obey God and follow through with our decision to live wisely, we will have His promise of everlasting life.  

How should we live knowing that we each have a free will and that we will be held accountable for how we choose to live? In Ephesians 4:21-24 Paul tells us Christians what we each must do. Here is how the New Living Translation of the Bible puts it: ^“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”