“Tell them, ‘As I live — this is the declaration of the Lord God  — I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’ “‘So when I tell the wicked person, “You will surely die,” but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right —  None of the sins he committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.” Ezekiel 33:11, 14, 16 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/ezk.33.11-16.CSB

Yesterday, we learned that few will enter heaven, and most will continue to rebel against God and ignore His command to repent. We are born evil, though our culture tries to convince us otherwise. Little children must be taught to obey their parents and be kind to others. It is clearly not our natural state, even though some have a greater propensity for obedience than others. Yet true obedience to God is seeking Him and perfectly obeying His will. Is this our human nature? Absolutely not. Yet God loves us, which is why He came to us in Jesus so that He could save us from the wrath to come by dying in our place for our rebellion, though He was perfect in obedience to God all His days, always doing the will of God. God doesn’t want anyone to perish eternally but for everyone to have eternal life with Him, where He lives in peace, joy, health, love, and abundance forever. Eventually, He will make a new earth where He will live with all those who have loved Him and obeyed His command to repent and follow Him so all can live again forever on the earth that God rules, and evil with death is absent forever. The new body God promises us will no longer be prone to evil, nor will it ever die. So what must we do to live with God and those we love forever? Repent from our disobedience and follow Jesus. Ask God’s forgiveness for not doing His will, not seeking His ways, ignoring His commands, and refusing to conform to His will. Then, we join God’s people to do everything Jesus commands, identifying ourselves as His people publicly through baptism and the confession of our new life to others so that others will repent and become children of God.