If I did not write clearly enough yesterday, I apologize. If you get the impression that I put man and God on the same footing, I apologize.
It is obviously wrong to put creatures and the Creator on an equal footing. Truly, man is higher than most of the creatures, second only to angels. We are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Unlike other creatures except angels, we are aware of our own existence. Perhaps other animals are aware of their own existence as well. But man is more than that. We are able to reason, to develop a philosophy of our existence, our being.
We are created a little bit lower than angels and yet God enjoys building up relations with us (Psalm 8:4-5). He even takes up our lowly nature in order to reveal to us and to die for us (John 1:14). We are honoured to enter into relations with Him. He exists and makes us exist. He exists even when we do not. Yesterday, when I wrote "Israel exists because God exists and God exists because Israel exists", there is no way I could mean Israel exists and makes God exist. Israel cannot be on a par with God. Israel is not a Creator and God is the Uncreated. Therefore, what I meant was that the existence of Israel shows the existence and characteristics of God. Their encounters with God have demonstrated to the whole world the divine nature of God, His power, His faithfulness, His love.
It is obviously wrong to put creatures and the Creator on an equal footing. Truly, man is higher than most of the creatures, second only to angels. We are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Unlike other creatures except angels, we are aware of our own existence. Perhaps other animals are aware of their own existence as well. But man is more than that. We are able to reason, to develop a philosophy of our existence, our being.
We are created a little bit lower than angels and yet God enjoys building up relations with us (Psalm 8:4-5). He even takes up our lowly nature in order to reveal to us and to die for us (John 1:14). We are honoured to enter into relations with Him. He exists and makes us exist. He exists even when we do not. Yesterday, when I wrote "Israel exists because God exists and God exists because Israel exists", there is no way I could mean Israel exists and makes God exist. Israel cannot be on a par with God. Israel is not a Creator and God is the Uncreated. Therefore, what I meant was that the existence of Israel shows the existence and characteristics of God. Their encounters with God have demonstrated to the whole world the divine nature of God, His power, His faithfulness, His love.
Man experiences injustice in interpersonal relations, in social networks and in the society. In such a background, man experiences the justice of God. But God's justice is different from and goes beyond man's sense of justice.
Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel mention a Jewish proverb, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" (Jeremiah 31:29, Ezekiel 18:2).
I do not know much about the background of this proverb. It probably means the sins of the parents affect their children, or the children have to repay the debts of their parents. In Jesus' time, this idea was still current. Even the disciples of Jesus asked their master the cause of the blindness of a man who was born blind (John 9:2).
The Chinese also have had a similar legal precept 「父儥子還」 "The son has the obligation to repay the debts of his deceased father" for more than a thousand years as such. Therefore, I suppose this legal precept/principle must have been honoured among many civilizations for centuries. It enshrines a sense of human justice. But God disagrees. God has a different sense of justice. He wanted a man to be held accountable for his own sins only.
Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:4).
Therefore, the children should not suffer for the sins of their fathers. Is this understanding correct? If it is, it will run against the doctrine of the Original Sin!
I think "the soul that sins shall die" does not imply "the children should not suffer for the sins of their fathers". The children will have a greater probability to sin when they grow up in a sinful environment built up by their fathers. Therefore, there is a possibility that the children die for their own sins which they have picked up from their parents such as gambling, drug addiction, domestic violence etc. Children do die for the sins of their parents. As of this writing, a single-parent family mother jumped off from the Tsing Yi Bridge with her 7 years old son. The woman died and the body of the boy is still missing. How tragic it is!
However, God's focus is not on the punishment of the sinner but rather his conversion. Here is the famous line.
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (Ezekiel 18:23)
We have a very narrow sense of justice. We want retribution. We want to see the evildoers punished, an eye for an eye. We want to 'rectify' the injustice inflicted on the victims. We want restitution. We want debts to be repaid etc.
In our eyes, God's mercy has messed up His sense of justice. How can God forgive and treat mercifully a cold-blooded serial killer that finds pleasure in raping and mutilating his terrorized victims? Our blood boils whenever we know of such news. Many accuse Christians for being merciful to such beasts and thus being brutal to our children and women, because appeasing them is nurturing evils 「姑息足以養奸」.
It is not easy to defend this image of merciful God in modern times when more people do not believe in God than people who do. It will be more embarrassing if the offender is himself a Christian.
The experience of the Israel tells us that God claims the inheritance of all souls. Since all souls belong to God, God has a stake in taking care of the serial killer. God allows him to run his natural course. God allows him to put fire on his own head until his evils are full. Then, his soul will probably be lost forever. God lives in a different time frame and appears to be very patient to us human. Our life is short. People want to see "justice, human style" done within their life span.
Jesus' attitude speaks loud and clear that God is not a God of the dead, but of the living. God wants all souls to be saved.
For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord GOD; so turn, and live (Ezekiel 18:32)
Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel mention a Jewish proverb, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" (Jeremiah 31:29, Ezekiel 18:2).
I do not know much about the background of this proverb. It probably means the sins of the parents affect their children, or the children have to repay the debts of their parents. In Jesus' time, this idea was still current. Even the disciples of Jesus asked their master the cause of the blindness of a man who was born blind (John 9:2).
The Chinese also have had a similar legal precept 「父儥子還」 "The son has the obligation to repay the debts of his deceased father" for more than a thousand years as such. Therefore, I suppose this legal precept/principle must have been honoured among many civilizations for centuries. It enshrines a sense of human justice. But God disagrees. God has a different sense of justice. He wanted a man to be held accountable for his own sins only.
Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:4).
Therefore, the children should not suffer for the sins of their fathers. Is this understanding correct? If it is, it will run against the doctrine of the Original Sin!
I think "the soul that sins shall die" does not imply "the children should not suffer for the sins of their fathers". The children will have a greater probability to sin when they grow up in a sinful environment built up by their fathers. Therefore, there is a possibility that the children die for their own sins which they have picked up from their parents such as gambling, drug addiction, domestic violence etc. Children do die for the sins of their parents. As of this writing, a single-parent family mother jumped off from the Tsing Yi Bridge with her 7 years old son. The woman died and the body of the boy is still missing. How tragic it is!
However, God's focus is not on the punishment of the sinner but rather his conversion. Here is the famous line.
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (Ezekiel 18:23)
We have a very narrow sense of justice. We want retribution. We want to see the evildoers punished, an eye for an eye. We want to 'rectify' the injustice inflicted on the victims. We want restitution. We want debts to be repaid etc.
In our eyes, God's mercy has messed up His sense of justice. How can God forgive and treat mercifully a cold-blooded serial killer that finds pleasure in raping and mutilating his terrorized victims? Our blood boils whenever we know of such news. Many accuse Christians for being merciful to such beasts and thus being brutal to our children and women, because appeasing them is nurturing evils 「姑息足以養奸」.
It is not easy to defend this image of merciful God in modern times when more people do not believe in God than people who do. It will be more embarrassing if the offender is himself a Christian.
The experience of the Israel tells us that God claims the inheritance of all souls. Since all souls belong to God, God has a stake in taking care of the serial killer. God allows him to run his natural course. God allows him to put fire on his own head until his evils are full. Then, his soul will probably be lost forever. God lives in a different time frame and appears to be very patient to us human. Our life is short. People want to see "justice, human style" done within their life span.
Jesus' attitude speaks loud and clear that God is not a God of the dead, but of the living. God wants all souls to be saved.
For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord GOD; so turn, and live (Ezekiel 18:32)
Dear Lord, allow us to see Your justice so that we may rest in satisfaction. Amen.
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