On my drive home the other day, a very personable man in a very comforting voice asked me if I was "suffering" under a heavy load of credit card debt - - even tens of thousands of dollars. Then, without waiting for my answer (which I started to give him, because not only do I sing --badly -- in the car, I also talk to the radio, to myself, and to God). Well, anyway, he assured me that if I was suffering, "It's not your fault." The troubling thing is that there are an awful lot of people in our American culture today who buy into this load of garbage. And not just about credit card debt, but about anything wrong in their lives. It's never their fault.
That's not what God's Word teaches us. Listen to God's prophet, Ezekiel, as he speaks for God Himself,
"The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child." (Ezekiel 18:20a)
And again,
"...I will judge each of you according to your own ways," declares the Sovereign LORD. (Exekiel 18:30a)
And Jesus maintains the same stance throughout his teachings.
Jesus says,
"If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." (John 9:41)
Look at this video clip. I'll bet you'll like it. One of my favorites.
The only thing that would've made it better would've been if the box of tissues had hit the guy square in the head.
You liked it, didn't you? And do you know why you liked it? Because, in the depths of our beings, God has wired us to know the truth. And the truth is that God has given us the freedom to choose. And with that choosing comes consequence.
So, where does that leave us? We've all chosen poorly, stupidly, selfishly, arrogantly, hatefully, and maybe even violently. We are responsible for those things - - no one else. Oh sure, there are influences all around us. None of us had perfect fathers or mothers, or families, friends, or churches, for that matter. We've all been damaged along the way, yet we, alone, are responsible for our lives and actions. So, again, where does that leave us? Without hope?
By no means!! You see, while God holds us accountable for our lives, and while he wants us to be responsible (i.e. pay the people we owe, honor the commitments we've made, and do what's right in His eyes), He also knows that we are completely unable to totally make right (and, therefore, overcome all of the consequences) all of the wrong we've already done.
The prophet Ezekiel provides us with the germ of the answer in part b of verse 18:20 when God says through the prophet, "Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall."
What you do and what you say matters. It carries deep & lasting consequences for good or for evil. But, when we resolve to leave mamby-pamby land and when we turn away from our sin, our selfishness, our blaming, and turn to Jesus, He takes our sins upon himself, and they are no longer held against us. Now there's a challenge!
This is Challenge Pointe.
Semper Fi.
Doug
