283. Surely Live
Ezekiel 18:21, 22, 28 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
The promise of God that we will surely live is conditional: If you repent and turn from your sins and keep the Law, then you will surely live. The condition is repentance and faith. For us in the NT it means faith in Jesus Christ, for He is the only one who has kept the Law in our place and suffered the death penalty for our sins. In other words, believing in Jesus is eternal life. “He who believes has eternal life. He who does not believe is condemned already,” already condemned because the unbeliever is still in sin and so under the sentence of death; and there is no one to pay for his sin but he himself. The penalty is eternal death; he will not surely live.
The additional promise for “those who live” is that their sins will not be mentioned. When believers stand in the Judgment no sins will be mentioned or even found in the books, for they have been forgiven and erased. The record is clean. Since there is no sin mentioned this person is righteous, and in his righteousness he will live. The only way to become righteous is by faith in Christ. We have traded our sins for His righteousness. By faith righteousness is ours and sin is not ours any longer.
Jesus has met the condition. Repentance and faith in the Gospel does not cause life; it simply receives it and makes it personally one’s own. Now we “have” eternal life. This faith is tremendously helpful for everyday life. To live, really live, we need to hear the Gospel and receive the promise every day, for we sin every day. Sin brings death; the Gospel gives forgiveness, righteousness and life. We will find life in this deadly world much more bearable and enjoyable when we believe the Gospel afresh and receive Jesus again and again.