“For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.” – Ezekiel 18:4.

“The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.” – Ezekiel 18:20.

“I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” – John 8:50-51.

Justice – No One Escapes

Convicted in 1973 of trying to bribe a witness, one man remained free during three years of appeals. Finally, in 1976, all appeals exhausted, he should have begun serving a four-year sentence; however, no one notified him when to surrender, and he never bothered to report. For seven years, he lived in a twilight of fear and hope. Had he escaped oversight, he wondered? Or would the arm of justice finally reach out and snatch him away? Finally, perhaps on the tip of an informant, the court routed the offender from the crack he had fallen into and ordered him to prison at a specific time. He gambled on escaping the system—but failed.

Many in the world resemble that man spiritually. They somehow hope to escape divine justice, to be small enough to be overlooked, to have offended so little that no one will care. To no avail. There are no cracks to fall through in God’s judgment. He exempts, overlooks, and excuses no one. His perfect knowledge thoroughly educates us in his expectations and renders conspicuous any imperfection in our obedience.

Courtesy of Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations by Virgil Hurley © 1995 by Word, Incorporated.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved.