The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will be charged against him. (Ezekiel 18:20)It was a commonly held belief that a child was liable for the sins of his father. The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge (v. 2) Here, God makes it clear, through his prophet Ezekiel, that a man is responsible for his own choices, but not for the choices of his parents.
He goes through an extensive treatise on a righteous man who makes good choices and his son who makes bad choices and then his grandson who again chooses well. The grandson will not be punished because he had a wicked father, and the wicked son cannot escape judgment by saying, But my father was a respected member of the church! Each individual; each generation has to live with the consequences of its own choices.
The prophet goes on to describe a man who turns from his wicked ways to live a good life: None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him (v. 22). God is not looking for excuses to punish anyone.
The lesson seems to be that our present and not our past determines our destiny. Though we cannot change the past, we certainly do have control over our present. There is always a right choice to make right now.
What's your next right choice?
The prophet goes on to describe a man who turns from his wicked ways to live a good life: None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him
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