One of the consequences of being married to a dentist is that I now have become more aware of peoples’ teeth and their smiles. So it comes to no surprise when I read Ezekiel 18 the other day, particularly Verse 2, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” that I took notice. This idea that children are held responsible for their fathers’ actions comes up in other places in Scripture, too. I know that when I read the Epistles of Paul (Romans through Philemon), it is easy for me to forget that a lot of those “you” verses are directed toward a whole church (the “you all”), not just me as an individual.
I know this particular section in Ezekiel is not trying to speak to the collective oral hygiene of ancient Israel, but the question that came to my mind reading this passage is this: is God more concerned with groups of people or with individuals? The short answer is both.
It’s on me, myself, and I
It wouldn’t be hard for me to convince any American that God cares for the individual. In fact, many of us probably go to the extreme and think that God’s sole purpose is to please everyone according to each person’s desires and needs. This is the underlying belief of moralistic therapeutic deism, which says there is a God who wants us all to play nice and be happy, and he might come around if we need him. And in some passages you definitely see how God is paying attention to the individual.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” Luke 15:4
The truth is that God does care about me, and not just as a member of a group. He has numbered the hairs on my head (though I shudder to think he knows how many of them are gray). He is also concerned with how I live, and he is probably most concerned with what I believe about him. What’s more, in Ezekiel, as well as in Jeremiah, the Lord tells the Israelites that they shouldn’t hold to that old proverb about grapes and teeth, and the children aren’t going to get cavities now because their dads were gnawing on some overripe fruit.
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Ezekiel 18:20
God is showing us here that he deals with us according to our individual choices, not the choices of our “fathers.” If your dad was as bad as they come, God doesn’t automatically throw you into the bad-apple barrel. Then again, if your mom was as righteous as Mother Teresa, you don’t get to ride her coattails either.
You are called to decide what you believe about God, not your spouse, not your pastors, not your profs, not your parents—you need to come to Jesus and look him in the face and say “I believe in you as Lord and Savior” or “I reject you.” There is no group pass into heaven—the door is narrow so people have to come in one by one.
Be honest with yourself. Examine whether you’re riding on the back of someone else’s faith. Don’t just agree generally that people are sinful and they need Jesus, but actually take steps to pray about and name your own sin by conviction from the Spirit. God is not asking you to pay for the sins of your parents—in fact, he is not asking you to pay for the sin you’ve done (2 Cor. 5:19). Rather, he is inviting you to come to the Savior who died for you and paid the price for your sin.
In it together
“You are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.” 2 Corinthians 7:3
But if we are saved as individuals from our own sin, then why is there a strong emphasis in the Bible about groups of people like Israel or the church? To the ancient world (and probably other parts of the world today) the idea of our rugged individualism would’ve been shocking. Then, everyone was part of a family, the family was part of a tribe, and the tribe was part of a nation. Your successes and failures were shared by many and what you chose to do as an individual almost certainly had an impact on others. But even as we hold to our individuality today, we don’t want to be left out at the same time. The idea that we’re in it together isn’t an outdated one.
Time and time again in the Old Testament, God makes this covenant declaration: “You will be my people and I will be your God.” God expects his people to walk in his ways, to repent of their sin, and to follow Jesus as his covenant people. We are a church in many places and God is calling all of us to be a part of his people. Jesus saves us from our individual sin and he saves us into a kingdom that is bigger than ourselves. As Christians, we need to see our individual lives as a part of God’s story, what he is doing through his people.
This is the biggest lesson God is teaching me right now: my salvation isn’t about me—it’s about God and about the people around me God wants to save.
Are you plugged into what God is doing through his church? Have you been coming in and out of services just to spend time with you and God? Is your Community Group just you, Jesus, and your study Bible?
Now is the time to get involved with what God is doing—don’t just wait for your regular schedule to kick in this fall. Join a Community Group, serve on a Sunday service team, call up a friend today. Ask God, “Who are the people you have placed in front of me that need to hear about Jesus?”
We are saved as individuals, we are brought into a family, and we are called to live on mission as a people, amen!
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:5–7
