Ezekiel 18:20
The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.
We are responsible for ourselves, and this also means that we can change the course of history if we were raised in a family that rejected God. We can choose to follow Him.
But it also means our children will be accountable for their own faith. They are not Christian because we are. They must personally choose to follow Christ.
Does God want to punish anyone?
Ezekiel 18:32
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
The great tension of God’s character: He is love and just.
His justice demands a penalty for sin; sadly, that is, eternal death.
His love has made a way for forgiveness if we turn from our sin and follow Him. This is why Jesus came. This is life.
We each must choose for ourselves. We neither inherit God’s forgiveness nor do our children automatically get it.
We must choose to turn from our sins and follow God.
I am so thankful He takes no pleasure in judging sin. I am thankful He made a way by the death of His own Son that we may have life with Him.
