Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—Ezekiel 18:10-13
by: Michaella Osborn.
Much of the Bible was written from the perspective of an honor and shame worldview, where entire communities bear the shame of one person’s wrong actions. In the western world, people typically have a guilt and innocence worldview, where each person’s actions are their own and do not reflect on people they are associated with. So, while this passage may seem straightforward to us, it was countercultural to the original readers. What may seem fair or even harsh to us, could have been received as a message of hope and redemption to families with wayward children. Why do you think God chose to give this message of responsibility being placed on the individual rather than a whole family?