Repent and live!
Ezekiel 18:30-32 - As believers, how do we practice repentance? Continually examine our lives, confess our sins to God, and try our best to align our lives with God’s will.
“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”
Ezekiel 18:30-32 NIV
In these verses, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel in exile in Babylon. He’s not saying anything that they haven’t heard before; it’s a reminder to these people that they need to confess and repent before He will ensure their release from captivity.
Repentance seems to be something that mankind has a lot of difficulty understanding. That fact was true in the pre-New Testament days of the prophets, and it is true now. Repentance is defined as “to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent.” Confession is much easier for most humans. If we aren’t confessing to a priest, we may make a general statement of confession during a church service or admit our sins to God in solitary prayer. But repenting is incredibly difficult.
Many of us have probably truly regretted some habit or action to the point that we’ve confessed our sin to God or others, but it’s rare when we truly repent and give up that sin for good.
In these verses, God reminds the Israelites that He is going to judge each of them. After all, He is the ultimate judge, basing His judgement on perfect justice and righteousness. He calls for the Israelites to “turn away from all your offenses”. In the context of the original Hebrew, repentance involved not only turning away from sin, but turning toward God.
The call to repentance came not only from Ezekiel, but other prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah. Repentance is also a crucial aspect of the ministry and message of Jesus:
Matthew 4:17: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”
Mark 1:15: “‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’”
Luke 5:32: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 13:3: “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 15:7: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
God tells the Israelites (and all of us who follow Jesus) to “Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit.” He does not wish for His people to die, but to “Repent and live!” God will judge sin, but He also shows mercy and offers forgiveness to those who honestly repent. Repentance and obeying God prevents sin and the resultant spiritual downfall, and leads to eternal life.
As believers, how do we practice repentance? Continually examine our lives, confess our sins to God, and try our best to align our lives with God’s will.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before You in humble repentance, mindful of Your repeated calls in Scripture for us to turn from our sinful ways. Help us to cast off our transgressions and long for a renewed heart and spirit. Through the grace of Jesus, empower us to walk in righteousness and live as true followers of Your Son. In His name we pray, AMEN.