This is a very important chapter, emphasising the key role of individual responsibility. At the same time it is important to bear in mine that it is only part of the Bible's teaching on this subject. The Bible is consistent in teaching that we can and do influence others, and are influenced by others, and this influence can pass from one generation to the next. Furthermore we see the effects of this in the world around us, in our own nation, and in our own lives. However, the person who has most responsibility for me is me, and the person with most responsibility for you is you.
There was a saying going around effectively blaming their ancestors for the trouble they were encountering. God's answer is that "the one who sins is the one who will die".
God goes on to illustrate this from every angle. If a man does what is right then he will live. However, if he has a son who does all sorts of things wrong, then the son will die because of his sin. Conversely, if this son then has his own son who does what is right, then this son will live.
God then extends this further, by saying that if wicked turn from their ways and do what is right they will be forgiven and will live. This then followed by the crucial statement that God does not desire the death of anyone, only that people will turn from their sin and live. Jesus was invoking this principle when He spoke of their being joy in heaven over a sinner who repents.
Likewise, if someone was once righteous but then turns to evil, they will not be saved by their past righteousness, they will die. Some accused God of being unjust. But the Lord's ways are just. Men are always looking for rules that allow someone to be saved or not saved. Look at all the rules the Pharisees introduced. Look at the habit we can have in evangelical and charismatic churches (supposedly free). We will invent all sorts of things that show someone is in or out.
The overwhelming message is that "you do what is right and you will be saved", and God wants us to do right. We can think God is out to get us, but that is a lie, He is out to get people to live right, If anyone turns from their sin to Jesus then they will live.
There is an emphasis in some places on "generational curses". How does this fit in with a chapter like this? I would say two things. One is that any teaching that is fatalistic or is blaming someone else for your condition is almost certainly wrong. At the same time, we need to walk into the freedom that Christ has won for us. The message of this chapter is that if I follow God then I will live, regardless of what anyone else has done. However, we can sometimes live as if we are still bound by the past, and we need to learn to live in the new way of Christ, and to appropriate all the benefits of the cross. These are not things that happen in an instant, but over a lifetime. Sometimes this is straightforward, in other cases there can be deep emotional issues that need disentangling.
There was a saying going around effectively blaming their ancestors for the trouble they were encountering. God's answer is that "the one who sins is the one who will die".
God goes on to illustrate this from every angle. If a man does what is right then he will live. However, if he has a son who does all sorts of things wrong, then the son will die because of his sin. Conversely, if this son then has his own son who does what is right, then this son will live.
God then extends this further, by saying that if wicked turn from their ways and do what is right they will be forgiven and will live. This then followed by the crucial statement that God does not desire the death of anyone, only that people will turn from their sin and live. Jesus was invoking this principle when He spoke of their being joy in heaven over a sinner who repents.
Likewise, if someone was once righteous but then turns to evil, they will not be saved by their past righteousness, they will die. Some accused God of being unjust. But the Lord's ways are just. Men are always looking for rules that allow someone to be saved or not saved. Look at all the rules the Pharisees introduced. Look at the habit we can have in evangelical and charismatic churches (supposedly free). We will invent all sorts of things that show someone is in or out.
The overwhelming message is that "you do what is right and you will be saved", and God wants us to do right. We can think God is out to get us, but that is a lie, He is out to get people to live right, If anyone turns from their sin to Jesus then they will live.
There is an emphasis in some places on "generational curses". How does this fit in with a chapter like this? I would say two things. One is that any teaching that is fatalistic or is blaming someone else for your condition is almost certainly wrong. At the same time, we need to walk into the freedom that Christ has won for us. The message of this chapter is that if I follow God then I will live, regardless of what anyone else has done. However, we can sometimes live as if we are still bound by the past, and we need to learn to live in the new way of Christ, and to appropriate all the benefits of the cross. These are not things that happen in an instant, but over a lifetime. Sometimes this is straightforward, in other cases there can be deep emotional issues that need disentangling.
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