Week 28 Ezekiel
In chapter 33 the Lord gave Ezekiel a pretty clear and uncomplicated Action-Outcome Formula.
He said: the good works of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin.
He repeated it: when righteous people turn to evil they will die.
The equal & opposite breakdown for non-righteous people is this: nor will the sins of evil people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins. (Ezekiel repeated that one too: if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live.)
In the OT there’s a big divide between Insiders and Outsiders. If you were born into the Abraham Family you automatically start out as an Insider. But Insiders weren’t guaranteed permanent Insider Status. Being one and staying one were two different things.
For example I might start out as a God-fearing Ephraimite Insider but if I decide to worship Moloch then I’m deciding to move Outside. I might be thinking what-about-my-Insider-status? But it sounds like Ezekiel’s answer is that my past status is an dependent variable that’s now become irrelevant. The main question is: where am I at right now?
No one’s saying that nothing about my past matters. That would be crazy.
What’s not crazy – and what Ezekiel maps out – is that my current decisions are dynamic and weighted-down with a bunch of heavy freight. It’s what I’m currently doing that determines my status.
Note: quotes from Ezekiel 33:12, 18-19 (NLT)