Accountability and Sour Grapes
— God’s Law Can be Hard
We present more hard sayings —teaching in the Bible that people find hard to hear and difficult to believe. This page is about sin, accountability, and God’s Law...
1"The word of the LORD> came to me again, saying, 2What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge'? 3'As I live,' says the LORD God, 'You shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. 4Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father, as well as the soul of the son, is Mine; The soul who sins shall die'" (Ezekiel 18:1-4 after NKJV).
Here are six things to consider...
1 Sour Grapes and Children's Teeth
That proverb, "The fathers eat sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge", was a way of saying that guilt of a father's sin is passed on to future generations. This proverb was false.
It is true that some sins can adversely affect generations to come. However, children do not bear guilt for the sins of their parents and ancestors. They are condemned, and their souls die, because of their own sins. Let's say that again: Harm can be passed on to future generations, but they do not inherit guilt or spiritual death (Ezekiel 18:1-4 etc).
2 The Soul Who Sins
The wages of sin is death and the soul who sins will die. If we break God’s law, we break our connection to the life of God. Having done this, our only hope is to be justified and redeemed by Jesus Christ who shed His blood for us (Romans 3:21-26).
3 The Wicked Who Cause Stumbling
There are wicked people who cause many other people to stumble. These antichrists, who target even children, are accountable for the sins of those they corrupt. Jesus said, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6 NKJV).
4 The Mission of Christ
Truly, there is a great spiritual battle going on in our world. Christ's mission is to destroy the antichrist and all evil. He provides us the armour to help Him in this battle (Ephesians 6:10-17).
5 The Judgment Seat of Christ
Christ will finally accomplish his mission at his Second Coming. Then we shall all, living and dead, be brought before his throne to be judged. There are some things that everyone must do. Whilst people have a choice in many things, they are nevertheless compelled in a few things. One of those things is to stand before Christ on Judgment Day. People who have been well known to Jesus beforehand will not have their bad deeds remembered and they'll be judged on their faithful obedience to Him (2Corinthians 5:10).
6 Obeying God’s Law
Regarding obedience, we do not decide what is right or wrong. God is the law maker, so He decides what is sinful. People don't want to be accountable to God, but we all are accountable, whether we like it or not. We must obey God's law (1 John 3:4, Romans 3:23)
People think that Jesus makes laws for his followers, and if you don’t belong to Jesus, you aren’t subject to his laws. However, you are then judged by God as lawless and unholy. So you need to follow Jesus and obey his commandments.
The main idea in this lesson is that you are responsible and accountable for your own obedience and disobedience to God and his Christ. That may be a hard saying for you to hear, but seek the help of Jesus. He wants to forgive your sins (Acts 2:38-39), and he does not hold the sins of your fathers against you.