Ezekiel 18:31, commentary and pictures

The verse calls the house of Israel to throw off every transgression, form a new heart and a new spirit, and turn back so that wrongdoing will not bring ruin and death but turning will bring life. Its closing question reveals that God finds no delight in the death of the wicked or of anyone who dies, but longs for the wicked to leave evil ways and live, so that dying is needless. The command to make a new heart does not mean people can remake or cleanse themselves by their own power, and seeing that helplessness is a first step toward receiving help, for renewal comes through surrender of will and way, humility, repentance and dependence on Jesus Christ, with God then receiving, forgiving, cleansing and working with human effort. That new heart and new spirit means the mind, will, thoughts, plans, purposes, motives and principles are turned into a right channel in harmony with God, shown in ceasing to do evil and learning to do well by inward purification of life and character rather than by merely outward exact obedience. Every person is judged according to his own ways, so life is given on condition of repentance, forsaking and hating sin, and cooperation with God, and this change must be practical and prompt in resisting stubbornness of heart and acting on truth while strength remains.

Call to Repent and Live

The call is addressed to the house of Israel to cast away every transgression by which they have transgressed and to receive a new heart and a new spirit. Continuing in sin makes iniquity their ruin and brings death, but turning from the path that leads to death brings life. Repentance and inward renewal are therefore set forth as the way to live, with each person urged to repent, turn from all disobedience, forsake and hate sin, and turn so that sin will not ruin them. The warning is to be given while preparing people for the day of the Lord, since God's work is entrusted to those being purified, made white, and tried, not to those whose lives remain defiled by sin.

The closing question, why will you die, reveals that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked or of him that dies. He does not delight in anyone's death but desires the wicked to return from evil ways and live. His command to turn is thus an offer of life, making death needless for those who will repent and live.

The command to change is joined to the promise to cleanse from impurity, uncleanness, and idols, to give a new heart and spirit, and to put His Spirit within people so they can obey Him. Repentance is therefore met by divine cleansing and enabling, not left to human resolve alone.

Apostasy is an evil more dreadful than famine and multiplied horrors of suffering. To free His people from delusion, lead them to understand their accountability to the One to whom they owe life and all things, and help them recover lost faith, He must bring great affliction upon them.

New Heart Through Grace

The command to make a new heart does not mean a person can remake or cleanse himself by his own power, for no one can make himself clean who is unclean. Recognizing that helplessness is itself a first step toward accepting divine help. That recognition should lead to humbling of self before God, surrender of personal will and way, and dependence on Jesus Christ, in which dependence victory becomes possible.

Renewal comes through that surrender joined with humility and repentance, with the Spirit working through Christ to effect the inward change. When the sinner so repents, turns, forsakes and hates sin, God receives him, forgives, cleanses, and works together with human effort in seeking perfection of character. The robes of character are washed white in the blood of the Lamb as the sinner accepts the righteousness of Christ by faith. This gracious work renews the heart, turns the person from sin, and prepares for the kingdom of God.

A new heart and a new spirit mean the mind and will are turned into a correct channel, with thoughts, plans, purposes, motives, and principles brought into accord with God's will and ways. Making that change means ceasing to do evil and learning to do well, with inward purification of life and character. It is not produced by outwardly precise obedience, but is the inward change of the new birth by grace. Even a just and honorable person must experience this new birth through Jesus Christ to be saved and to enter God's kingdom, because strict obedience to the law alone cannot secure that entrance.

Responsibility and Practical Obedience

Each person stands accountable before God and will be judged according to his own ways, so the command to cast away all transgressions and make a new heart and a new spirit makes salvation conditional on repentance, turning from all disobedience, forsaking and hating sin, and cooperating with God lest iniquity become ruin. To doubt His willingness to save misrepresents His character and charges His equal way with inequality, for the question why will you die shows He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked or of him that dies but wills that the wicked return from evil ways and live. That same call to repent and turn so sin will not ruin presses upon families who claim to be Christians, especially fathers and mothers, to feel the converting power of God in a cleansed life and transformed character. Such cleansing is still lacking among many professed Christians, and without it the Holy Spirit cannot do its work upon hearts.

Those charged with speaking for God must confront wrongdoing and give this warning while preparing people for the day of the Lord, whether they heed the message or refuse it. His work is entrusted to those who are being purified, made white, and tried, not to those whose lives remain defiled by sin. Heeding warnings and instruction rather than moving blindly, and receiving reproof with patience and a teachable spirit, brings the Lord's blessing.

The required change must be practical and prompt, shown in a transformed character and not left as vague awareness of weakness. It begins with recognizing and resisting the stubbornness, deceitfulness, and prejudice of the heart that have led away from God, taking responsibility for one's own spirit, and letting God's precepts and the truth in His Word correct the conscience. Excusing personal defects, insisting on one's own opinions, criticism, and self-sufficiency must be abandoned, and reform must begin while strength remains. Making the new heart and new spirit therefore requires recognizing helplessness, humbling the self, cooperating with the Holy Spirit, and willingness to work in harmony with others.