In Ezekiel's day, many quoted the popular proverb "The fathers eat sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge" (Ezekiel 18:2b). The meaning of this proverb was that the people believed that it is possible to suffer for other people's sins. God, on the other hand, declared: Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the Son is Mine. The soul who sins will die (18:4). This is the law of personal responsibility.
In other words, we are responsible for our own actions and can't blame anyone else for the way that we act. In a society where people sue McDonald's for spilling their hot coffee on themselves (and win!), may we be people who take responsibility for our own actions. And may our actions be godly ones that will honor our Lord Jesus Christ!
I agree that we are responsible for our own actions and can't blame anyone else - however, when a father/parent takes his family down a wrong path (training their children in ways that are not God's ways: humanism, universalism, etc.), the effects can last for generations. That is where the scripture is coming from - that says the sins of the father are visited upon the children. If a father rejects God and takes his family with him, the children will suffer the consequences - unless they make a U-Turn! Sin is in the world, and the consequences of sin can be felt for many generations. I believe that the father or mother who takes their children in a wrong direction will have a more harsh punishment to pay...
ReplyDeleteYour comments are completely true!
ReplyDeleteThe context of Ezekiel 18 is the false belief that God punishes people for others' sins. For example, a few years ago someone told my wife that because she and her husband sinned by getting divorced that God killed her brother out of revenge.
This was the type of false belief that Ezekiel's audience held.
I'm totally with you!
ReplyDeleteYour observations are important to remember - - many refuse to take responsibility for how their lives affect others. Your thoughts would make a great blog post! :)
ReplyDelete