By Allen Domelle
Ezekiel 3:19
“Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”
We often overlook other truths that are presented in this chapter because of the warning God gives to the watchman. In this chapter, the prevailing truth that is given is the importance of the watchman delivering God’s Word to the wicked and the righteous. The watchman’s duty was not to make people do right, but his duty was to be sure they heard the truth so they had the opportunity to do right.
However, the verse above is a warning to the wicked to turn “from his wickedness.”God was telling the wicked person that all they had to do to get right is to make one turn towards righteousness. It was turning towards wickedness that got the sinner in trouble, and it is the ease of turning to righteousness that can get them out of trouble. It is truly an easy action to get right. All you have to do to get right is to turn away from your wickedness.
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I was talking to an individual who had made some bad turns in their life, and they said that it was hard to get right with God. My response to the person that it is as hard to get right with God as it was for them to choose to sin. All they did to go into sin was to turn from righteousness to wickedness, and all they had to do to get right with God was to turn from wickedness to righteousness; it is truly this easy.
The pivotal point of doing right or wrong is which way you choose to follow. Whichever way you turn to go is the way of life you will have to live with when it comes to consequences or rewards. Let me give you a couple of thoughts about the ease of getting right with God.
First, the ease of getting right with God is as easy as turning away from sin. The true decision you have to make about getting right with God is are you willing to leave your sin to do right. Leaving sin is a choice you have to make, but let me warn you that if you choose not to leave sin that you will have to endure the consequences that it brings. Don’t make getting right more difficult than how God says to get right. God says that all you have to do to get right is turn away from wickedness.
Second, getting right is a choice. Choices always bring consequences or rewards depending upon which way that choice leads you. Nobody makes you choose wickedness, and nobody can make you choose righteousness. God gives the believer a free choice to do what they want to do, but you can’t choose the results of that choice. The results of each choice are dependent upon what you choose to do.
Third, nobody is making you do wrong, and nobody is making you do right; it is your choice. If you are tired of the heartache and load that sin brings, all you have to do is to turn away from sin. It is a simple turn from what is causing the heartache that can lead to blessings if you will continue to live a righteous life.
Finally, don’t blame God for the choices you have made. If you don’t like the heartache that sin is causing in your life, you have no-one else to blame but yourself. You can get right with God simply by turning to Him. My question for you is this; which way are you going to turn? Always remember that there is a destination that your choice brings; you better be willing to live with that destination once you make the turn.
For more information, visit the Old Paths Journal Website.