Personal Responsibility

 We had a tragic school shooting this week in Georgia. A 14 year old killed 4 people and wounded 9 others. He will be tried as an adult for murder. His father was arrested and charged with crimes because he bought the gun for his son and did not keep it locked up from him. The son can't get away with his sins because of his father's sins. Each one will pay for what he has done.

That is how God's law works, too. (Ezekiel 18:20) The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father's guilt, nor will the father suffer the punishment for the son's guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon him. All of us bear personal responsibility for our sins.

It is true that this young man has grown up in a very dysfunctional family. His father has taught him to hunt with a rifle, but not how to act. It seems his mother has been out of his life, because of drug abuse and time spent in jail for her crimes. His upbringing has been deficient, but God has been working on his heart all of his life. 

God reveals Himself to every person who is born into this world. Each of us has the choice to put our faith in Him or not. If we listen to the Lord, He will show us what Christ did for us, and we can trust Him as our Lord and Savior. If we reject God's revelation of Himself to us, we will live in sin, separated from God. We will die in our sins and be separated from God forever. Each of us must realize we are personally responsible for our sins and turn to God in faith to forgive them.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 20-22.