One of the Bible verses that has always stuck with me comes from the New Testament where a woman was caught in the act of adultery. She was brought before Jesus as the villagers were about to stone her. Jesus said, “let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”. Everyone walked away without a single stone being thrown. When all had gone, and after she realized there was no one left to accuse her, Jesus told her to “go and leave your life of sin.” I’ve always wondered how difficult that command might have been for her to carry out. It is difficult to leave a life of sin. It is difficult to change a pattern even with the help of the Holy Spirit. But that is what we are called to do. We are called to repent. We are called to get a new heart and a new spirit. God spoke through his prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel chapter 18, verses 30 through 32, with these words:
“Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his 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, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
God’s words were more than a command, it was an appeal. He was telling the Israelites the same thing Jesus told the woman who was caught in the act of adultery; “repent”. Earlier, God spoke through Ezekiel to the Israelites, explaining that every person would be judged for their own sins; that a father will no longer bear the sin of their son, nor vice versa. Each person was now responsible for themselves, just as it is today. But in doing so, God appealed to his people. He said that he takes no pleasure in the death of anyone. He implored them to repent and live. I believe this appeal is still very valid today. We will be judged according to our own obedience or disobedience. Our parents can’t save us, our pastor can’t save us, and our friends can’t save us. We are responsible for ourselves. God’s appeal is that we rid ourselves of sin. It can be difficult to leave a life of sin. It can be difficult to turn away from our offenses, but it can be done. If it couldn’t, then God wouldn’t ask it of us. So I challenge you, if you are away from God, if you haven’t left your life of sin, do it today. None of us can do it on our own. But that is why Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit.
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God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone. He could’ve been referring to physical death, or he could’ve been referring to spiritual death. In either case, this kind of judgement can be avoided if we get a new heart and a new spirit as he outlined in Ezekiel. Yes, sin is enticing. But greater is he who is in you then he who is in the world. In other words, the Holy Spirit living inside of you is greater and stronger than any foothold Satan has in your life. Do you believe that today? Allow God to give you a new heart and a new spirit; a heart that seeks after him and not the desires of the flesh, and a new spirit that is broken and contrite before him; one that will allow him to mold you into the person he is calling you to be. I encourage you to heed God’s appeal. As he said, “Why will you die, I take no pleasure in the death of anyone. Repent and live!"
