If we think carefully about it, surely this raises a big question, “Is God fair?” After all, if God is the giver of life and life is not fair then this implies that God Himself is not fair?
This is not a question the Bible ignores.
In Ezekiel’s prophecy, we find a group of people that we can identify with – the nation of Israel. Their lives had been turned upside down by circumstances seemingly outside their control and, as a result, they suffered. This caused them to make the claim, “the way of the Lord is not fair” (Ezekiel 18:29).
In response to their claim, the prophet Ezekiel, as God’s representative, states that God is, in fact, just and fair in His judgement. He goes on to say that rather than it being God who had caused their suffering, it was the people themselves who had turned away from God.
Ezekiel goes on to conclude his message with an incredible call to the suffering nation. Given his assertion that God is just and fair, he calls on them to “turn and live” (Ezekiel 18:32).
Why did Ezekiel say this? What are the implications of his words for us?
To understand Ezekiel’s stance, we should consider three foundational principles he mentions earlier in the chapter:
- The soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:4);
- The just shall live (Ezekiel 18:9);
- Everyone is responsible for their own actions in the sight of God (Ezekiel 18:20).
“The soul that sins shall die” (18:4), echoes the words of God to Adam (Genesis 2:17), and, later, those of the Apostle Paul, who says, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a).
Put simply, sin equals death. Since we all, like Adam, have disobeyed God, failed to come up to His perfect standard, and are therefore “sinners” in His sight (Romans 3:23), this ultimately means that we are condemned to death.
Ezekiel continues his claim that God is a fair and just judge, explaining that “the just shall live” (18:9). This is the other side of the coin from the first principle. The same assertion is made by King Solomon when he writes, “In the way of righteousness is life; and in its pathway there is no death” (Proverbs 12:28). When we put these two principles together, we can see that God’s justice is not one-sided. The soul that sins dies, but the just shall live; what could be more fair or equitable?
Ezekiel’s final principle further emphasises God’s fairness in judgement when he says that everyone is responsible for their own actions in the sight of God (18:20).
We see this in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians when he explains that when we meet God “each one [will] receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). So, while it is possible for us to deny our actions to others or to blame circumstances, ultimately, God, who sees and knows all things, will hold us responsible for our works.
Having established that Ezekiel’s principles demonstrate that God is a just and fair judge, we should turn our attention to ourselves. Are we fair and just?
According to the Bible, the underlying problem for humanity is that no one is just within themselves: “there is none who does good . . . there is none righteous, no, not one” (Psalm 14:3; Romans 3:10). So, if we want to be just, and live (eternally) then we must heed Ezekiel’s call to “turn and live”.
But what does this mean?
To turn means to repent, a call the Bible makes repeatedly (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 3:19). Repentance involves turning away from something and turning to something else.
This is demonstrated to us in the conversion of the Thessalonians when they “turn(ed) to God from idols to serve the living and true God’ (1 Thessalonians 1:9). This example shows that it is clearly God’s desire that we turn to Him. More specifically, that we turn away from our sin, whatever form it might take, and seek to live for Him instead.
The Bible also shows us that our turning must be wholehearted. The prophet Joel delivered a similar message to that of Ezekiel, imploring on God’s behalf that people would, “turn to Me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). This tells us that God is not looking for people to “give religion a go”; He is seeking a true, wholehearted 180 degree turn to Him.
Any that do turn to Him will be welcomed “with open arms” as the Lord Jesus promised: “the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
It is a wonderful truth that, if we turn to God in true repentance, we will not be turned away. In fact, we will be given the great gift of eternal life – which brings us on to the second part of Ezekiel’s statement “therefore, turn and live”.
Ezekiel is not suggesting that turning to God in repentance will lead to his readers living their “best life” here on earth but, rather, that they will receive the gift of eternal life. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). This verse tells us that eternal life is the sure and certain promise of eternity in heaven, in God’s presence. There is nothing we can do to earn eternal life; it is a gift from God (Romans 6:23b) that is only available because the holy, sinless Son of God, died for us on a cross, and can only be received through turning to Him in repentance and faith.
In summary, Ezekiel, in his prophecy made it clear that God is a fair and just judge. However, his message also exposes us as sinners, condemned to be separated from God for eternity.
Thankfully, his message did not stop there, and the good news is that, because of the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus, if we repent of our sin, we can be declared righteous and receive the gift of eternal life.
That same call that Ezekiel gave to Israel on behalf of God comes to us today: “therefore turn and live” (Ezekiel 18:32).
