Living in the Spirit

September 6, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Ezekiel 33:7-11
So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

I am 100% against the death penalty. My basic reason is that the final judgment belongs to God. I support having a criminal justice system, and I believe some people who are a threat to themselves, or others may need to be sentenced to life in prison. The death penalty carries the inherent risk of executing an innocent person. Since 1973, at least 190 people who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated. We do not know how many innocent people have been executed. Once they are executed, no official investigation occurs to challenge the sentence.

Does God define as wicked all the things I identify as wicked? Do I see something I consider evil as evil in God’s eyes? Yes, I do think as Christ-followers, we have a responsibility to live and communicate God’s ways of being as described in the Bible, like the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. Rather than chastise someone for something I deem is evil, I am more comfortable suggesting someone try to follow Christ’s example of living and loving that would, of necessity, rule out the behavior I have observed.

Prayer: Lord, we are your servants and are called to do your wishes. Please guide us in the best way to share your love with someone who seems to have lost their way. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.