Ezekiel 33:15, commentary and pictures

When the wicked is told he shall surely die, if he turns from sin and does what is lawful and right he shall surely live and shall not die, where turning means restoring the pledge, giving again what was robbed or withheld, and walking in the statutes of life without committing iniquity. To the one who so turns, none of the sins he committed shall be mentioned to him or held against him. The promise is plain and definite but conditional, and forgiveness and life are given only on meeting its conditions of restoring, returning what was taken, and obeying God's life-giving statutes without continuing in wrongdoing. Sincere repentance requires reformation, so that returning what was taken, living by God's statutes, and stopping wrongdoing are the result of genuine sorrow for sin, and such changed conduct is the proof and evidence of a changed life that gives assurance of passing from death to life. Joined to its counterpart, it shows God's merciful government that the righteous who trusts in his own righteousness and turns to iniquity shall die and his righteousness shall not be remembered, while the wicked who turns to what is lawful and right shall live, for God takes no pleasure in the wicked person's death but delights when he turns. It is a broad and deep and full promise of mercy and abundant pardon to sinners who forsake their way and return, to be believed and received into the heart, held by faith against doubts, and held up as a standard against the enemy by complying with its conditions and trusting God to fulfill His word.

Promise and Its Conditions

When the wicked has been told that he shall surely die, if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right he shall surely live and he shall not die, and that turning means restoring the pledge, giving again what he had robbed or withheld, and walking in the statutes of life without committing iniquity. To the one who so turns from wickedness to lawful and right conduct, living by what is right without returning to iniquity or continuing in wrongdoing, none of the sins he committed shall be mentioned to him or held against him, but life is the outcome. That former guilt is not remembered against the one who makes restitution for what was taken or owed and follows God's commands without continuing in wrongdoing, for restitution with a turn to the way of life and a stop to wrongdoing is counted as proof of a changed life.

The promise is plain and definite but conditional, and forgiveness and life are given only on meeting its conditions of restoring the pledge, returning what was taken, and obeying God's life-giving statutes without continuing in wrongdoing. True confession therefore includes restitution to others, with sins confessed and wrongs to a neighbor who was wronged, injured, or defrauded confessed to him and made right by restoring what was taken, as the plain work of washing clean, ceasing to do evil, learning to do well, and forsaking sin so that perfection of character can be worked out. Joined to its counterpart, it declares God's mercy and government: the righteous who trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity shall die and all his righteousness shall not be remembered, while the wicked who turns to what is lawful and right shall live. God takes no pleasure in the wicked person's death but takes pleasure when he turns from sin, offering broad and deep and full mercy and abundant pardon to sinners who forsake their way and return, with joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, to be believed and received into the heart and held by faith against doubts.

The wicked are given life when they return to loyalty, and a further trial is made possible, because Christ gave His life to save them. Yet each person must search the Word for himself and cannot be excused for committing his soul to a minister, and no minister can pay the ransom for another soul. God's government holds each person personally responsible to turn and obey for himself, without relying on a neighbor's obedience or excusing his own neglect by pointing to a neighbor's similar failure.

Repentance Proved by Restitution

Sincere repentance requires reformation, so that returning what was taken, living by God's statutes, loving God and others, and stopping wrongdoing are the result of genuine sorrow for sin and involve correcting actual wrongs. The wicked who so turns from sin, makes restitution for what has been taken or withheld, and lives by God's commands without continuing in wrongdoing will live rather than die, and former sins will not be held against him. Such reformation is genuine when the sinner makes restitution, confesses sin, and turns to love God and other people.

That changed conduct is the proof and evidence of genuine repentance and a changed life. Turning from sin includes making restitution by returning what was taken or restoring what was pledged, living by God's statutes, and no longer doing wrong. The repentant sinner who makes things right, confesses sin, and loves God and others has assurance that he has passed from death to life. This was illustrated by a woman convicted of fraud and other sins whose public confession and restoration of some things she had taken made her repentance evident, for she was given no rest until she confessed.

True confession means confessing sins to Jesus and, where a neighbor has been wronged, injured, or defrauded, confessing to him and making the wrong right by restoring what was taken. This is the plain work set before the sinner of washing clean, ceasing to do evil, learning to do well, and forsaking sin so God can work with human effort toward perfection of character. Restitution means restoring what was taken or pledged and, as far as possible, also the gains it would have produced if wisely used while it was withheld. Failure to make this restoration, while pride and selfishness displace mercy and love for God and others and wrongdoing is disguised as righteousness through fraud and unjust dealing, stands exposed.

The verse calls churches and their members to examine conduct, put away evil, repent, and be converted.

Proclaiming and Trusting Promise

The verse belongs to the word of the Lord entrusted to chosen watchmen to speak to the people, and the warning is to be respected and the message received and not met with evil thinking or evil speaking against God's messengers. Those who take up the responsibility to preach while neglecting prayerful searching, who preach error contrary to a plain Thus saith the Lord, who stand in the way of obedience and do the enemy's work to justify sin, bring ruin upon themselves in proportion to their influence. The blood of souls who perish through such unfaithfulness will be upon their heads, and all who take Satan's side must themselves bear the penalty of sin.

It is a plain and definite but conditional promise of forgiveness and life, fulfilled when the one told he shall surely die turns from sin to do what is lawful and right by restoring the pledge, giving back what was robbed, and walking in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, and then none of his committed sins shall be mentioned against him. Joined to its counterpart it declares God's mercy and abundant pardon to sinners who forsake their way and return, with joy in heaven over one sinner that repents. It is a broad and deep and full promise to be believed and received into the heart, to be held by faith in the struggle against doubts, and to be erected as a standard against the enemy. When Satan tries to steal hope and light and tempts to give up all hope, the sinner is to comply with its conditions and trust God to fulfill His word.

The passage from the opening of the chapter through this verse is to be read with the Holy Spirit applying it to the reader's own case. It calls the reader to let the Holy Spirit come into the heart and abide there, to have Satan expelled from the soul temple, and to open the door of the heart to Jesus in order to enjoy the richest blessing. The chapter's call for the wicked to make restitution for what was taken, to turn to right conduct, and to stop doing wrong belongs to Christ's commission to serve others through medical missionary work.