Book of Ezekiel: Chapter 18
Justice is something God takes seriously. When a person has sinned against Him, God plans to make it right by passing down judgment. But what about the sins of our parents or the sins of our children? Should we be worried about that? Will our family’s shortcomings cause God to judge us? According to this chapter of Ezekiel, we are all judged by our own sins; no one else’s.
In chapter 18 of Ezekiel, God lays out how He is a righteous God. Specifically, He goes through a number of examples of how He will judge. The examples given are those related to man and his relatives. If a man is righteous, but his parents are wicked, then only the parents will be punished. If the man is wicked, but his children are righteous, then only the man will be punished.
Through these examples, God demonstrates that He will judge based on your actions and your actions alone. Generational sins will not cause you to be punished. God is only going to judge based on how righteous your life is. You cannot be held accountable for anyone else’s sin but your own.
Key Verse:
“The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.” ~ Ezekiel 18:20 NLT
Questions to ponder:
- What sins follow through the generations in families?
- How can the tradition of sin in families be broken?
