What role does personal responsibility play in Ezekiel 3:20's message? Setting the scene Ezekiel 3 records the prophet’s commissioning as a “watchman.” Verse 20 adds a sobering dimension: • “Now if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity … he will die.” • “If you did not warn him … I will hold you responsible for his blood.” The core statement of personal responsibility 1. Personal sin carries personal consequences. 2. Personal silence carries personal guilt. 3. God Himself holds each party to account. What the verse teaches about the righteous person • Past faithfulness is no shelter for present rebellion. • Moral collapse is not hypothetical; it can happen (“turns from his righteousness”). • Divine justice is impartial—“his righteous acts … will not be remembered” once he embraces iniquity (cf. Ezekiel 18:24). The watchman’s accountability • A call to speak: remaining silent equals complicity (James 4:17). • A call to courage: warning a straying believer risks rejection, yet God commands it (Galatians 6:1). • A call to love: rescue outweighs reputation (James 5:19-20). Individual accountability in other Scriptures • Deuteronomy 30:19 — each listener chooses “life or death.” • Romans 14:12 — “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” • 1 Corinthians 10:12 — “let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” • Galatians 6:5 — “each one should carry his own load.” Living this out today • Monitor your walk: daily repentance keeps yesterday’s righteousness from growing stale. • Guard one another: loving confrontation protects the body of Christ. • Speak truth promptly: delayed warning can cost a life and stain a conscience. • Rest in God’s grace: responsibility is real, yet forgiveness is ready for those who repent and obey (1 John 1:9). |
    |