The Only Thing That Matters

¹⁰ “Son of man, speak to Israel. Tell them, ‘You’ve said, “Our rebellions and sins are weighing us down. We’re wasting away. How can we go on living?”’

¹¹ “Tell them, ‘As sure as I am the living God, I take no pleasure from the death of the wicked.  I want the wicked to change their ways and live. Turn your life around!  Reverse your evil ways!  Why die, Israel?’

^12-13 “There’s more, son of man.  Tell your people, ‘A good person’s good life won’t save him when he decides to rebel, and a bad person’s bad life won’t prevent him from repenting of his rebellion.  A good person who sins can’t expect to live when he chooses to sin. It’s true that I tell good people, “Live! Be alive!”  But if they trust in their good deeds and turn to evil, that good life won’t amount to a hill of beans.  They’ll die for their evil life.

^14-16 “‘On the other hand, if I tell a wicked person, “You’ll die for your wicked life,” and he repents of his sin and starts living a righteous and just life—being generous to the down-and-out, restoring what he had stolen, cultivating life-nourishing ways that don’t hurt others—he’ll live.  He won’t die.  None of his sins will be kept on the books.  He’s doing what’s right, living a good life.  He’ll live.

^17-19 “‘Your people say, “The Master’s way isn’t fair.”  But it’s the way they’re living that isn’t fair.  When good people turn back from living good lives and plunge into sin, they’ll die for it.  And when a wicked person turns away from his wicked life and starts living a just and righteous life, he’ll come alive.

²⁰ “‘Still, you keep on saying, “The Master’s way isn’t fair.”  We’ll see, Israel. I’ll decide on each of you exactly according to how you live.’” – Ezekiel 33:10-20 (NIV)

I firmly believe that God will not allow any missed opportunities to pass anyone.  He will provide as many chances of choice for everyone as they are willing to recognize for them to repent and choose life in Him, until that unknown time when their heart closes forever.  He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone who refuses Him and His free gift of life.  How could love take comfort in a soul’s destruction?  It can’t, it isn’t possible!

All the good that any of us do has no bearing on our salvation.  None.  In fact, the term “good works” is even debatable in my opinion.  If we do good works in the eyes of man, is it really good works?  If we do good works of our own effort, is it good works?  But if we join God to work I where and what He is working, then it most definitely is good works.  However, you can’t do this last effort with a wicked heart that rejects God.  Although you could do the first two with a wicked heart.

The one thing that matters is whether you are repentant regarding your ways.  Do you accept the one true living God?  Do you believe in His only Son and accept His life, death, and resurrection as real and as a substitution for your sins?  Whether you think life is fair or not doesn’t matter, but whether you choose life in salvation offered freely from God does.  And it’s all that does.