Ezekiel 3:18-21
“‘If I say to the wicked, ‘You are going to die,’ and you don’t sound the alarm warning them that it’s a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I’ll hold you responsible. But if you warn the wicked and they keep right on sinning anyway, they’ll most certainly die for their sin, but you won’t die. You’ll have saved your life.
‘And if the righteous turn back from living righteously and take up with evil when I step in and put them in a hard place, they’ll die. If you haven’t warned them, they’ll die because of their sins, and none of the right things they’ve done will count for anything—and I’ll hold you responsible. But if you warn these righteous people not to sin and they listen to you, they’ll live because they took the warning—and again, you’ll have saved your life.’”
“‘If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because your obeyed me.
‘If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, then they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.’”
The Old Testament makes sure we understand God’s intolerance of sin and evil. In these verses we see both the wicked and the righteous are polluted; degree matters not. When we know how fickle our good intentions, our utter sinfulness, we know our desperate need for a savior. At the cross God paid the price we could not and in doing so displays his essential nature, love.
Ezekiel’s life was saved by heeding God’s call and acting upon it. He was not saved by his actions but by his obedience. The New Testament shows trust in the cross’ redemptive power is the ultimate act of obedience to which all others point. The cross of Christ allows us to shift from doing to being the beloved of God.
Lord, thank you for paying the penalty for my sins on your cross. How can you love me so? You set me free to live unfettered by should, would and ought. I can simply ‘be’. May my obedience testify of my gratitude for your unmeasurable love.