Some folks like to live on the edge. They take risks. They ignore common warning signs like "slippery when wet" or "drive with caution." We ignore warning signs because we see them as judgment calls depending on what seems apparent.
If the floor doesn’t appear wet, one can easily ignore the "slippery when wet" sign. Yet, If you choose to walk on the floor with a sign, there may be a wet spot you didn’t see, and you could slip and fall. If you fall and are injured, you will live with your injury, because you ignored the warning.
Warnings can protect us, but signs only help those who heed the warnings given them. Ezekiel, the prophet, alerted the people of Israel that they must turn from their wicked ways, for those who refused to turn would die for their sin.
God made it clear that he wanted the best for his people. The Lord told Ezekiel, “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!’” (Ezekiel 33:11)
The Bible repeatedly reports how God's people in both the Old and New Testaments needed repeated warnings to turn from sin and evil. There is a blind spot with those belonging to God. They see sin in others but cannot spot it in themselves. In heaven, sin is gone, but sin still infects all people until then. No one is so pure and perfect that they are sinless. “There is not a righteous man on Earth who does what is right and never sins.” (Eccl. 7:20) Too many Christians deny they have a sinful nature.
God's people compare themselves to other people, and they can see those who seem far more sinful than themselves. (Galatians 5:19 confirms) “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like.” It is not our job as Christians to see the sin in others but to see sin in ourselves and turn from it.
Paul writes in 1 Cor. 10:12 to believers in Christ, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” No one can escape every temptation and never sin except for Jesus. Many Christians will admit they could sin but refuse to admit they do sin and need to turn from sin.
Admitting our sins and agreeing we need to turn from our sins is going in the right direction. However, turning away from sin is impossible if we find no sins in our lives that need our confession. In Luke chapter 13, Jesus had a blunt message of warning for his followers to repent or perish.
Jesus commented on Galileans cut down while making their sacrifices at the temple. It was thought by those with Jesus that the Galileans must have been worse sinners than other Galileans because of their brutal deaths. Jesus said that they were not worse sinners than any others. Jesus warned all those following Him that they also needed to repent or perish.
