“None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die.” Ezekiel 18:24
When I started crawling out of my life of iniquity and returning to God, I was taught to believe that salvation was granted through “magic” words. “Only say these words, and you will be saved and unable to lose that salvation!” The difficulties of life, family, and friends can make this “method” of salvation quite appealing. Yet, God tells us through the Prophet Ezekiel that this is not his plan for our redemption.
Salvation is not a one-and-done deal completed by the utterance of magic words, and we will be held liable for the sins we commit after repentance. “Once
saved, always saved” contradicts the call from Jesus Christ and his Saints to constantly repent of our sins. The words of Prophet Ezekiel also remind us that those who repent of wickedness shall live again. As Christians, we must persevere in righteousness and repentance, lest we become like King Solomon, who was blessed with wisdom, yet squandered righteousness for hundreds of wives and concubines in his later life.
Lord, this Lenten season, grant me the strength to look towards you rather than the world. Thank you for the gift of mercy and redemption granted through your Son Jesus Christ.
— Anonymous