“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

Ezekiel is one of the major prophets of the Bible, and he wrote his prophecies during the captivity of Israel in Babylon. God’s covenant with Moses (the Mosaic Covenant) was that if the people of Israel did all that God commanded, then they and the land would prosper. But if they failed to do all that God commanded them, then they would be cursed, and the people and land would despair.  

Because of Israel’s great sin of murder, child sacrifice, and idolatry, God dispersed them among the other nations and turned from them and withheld rain from the land. As a result, the pagan nations began to belittle and dismiss the God of the Israelites.  

This is where and when we find Ezekiel. He is among the captives in Babylon prophesying of things to come. He tells the people how God will restore the landof Israel to its once lush and fertile glory and bring the people back to that land. So, Ezekiel tells the people of a time when God will reclaim His people and His land.  

Now that we have a little background on Ezekiel and what is going on in his lifetime, let’s take a closer look at our passage. This week we are talking about the justification and regeneration that occur at the time of our salvation. For the 136 people who stood up to claim Jesus as their Savior last Sunday at Easter, (and everyone who has done so in their life) it means that the moment they accepted Him, they were justified before God, meaning the penalty of their sin was removed.  

Not only that, but at the same time, regeneration begins. Regeneration is the rebirth that happens in every believer, the old passing away and the new now here. We are a new creation in Christ when we decide to follow Him.  

Look what Ezekiel says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Thousands of years before the Messiah walked the earth, Ezekiel foretold how He would save us.  

I love how my friend Crystal says this, “As believers, we can stand firmly knowing that we are fully justified through the blood of Christ, the penalty is gone, and we stand in right standing with God. We also stand regenerated, a new creation spiritually, born again unto new life.”

So, if Jesus paid the penalty, can we continue on the way we were in our fleshly desires and sin? As Paul says, by no means! When Jesus gives us a new heart, our desires begin to change. We begin to see things as Christ would see them. We begin to want what Jesus wants. But it doesn’t happen without some work on our parts. You see that heart of stone will stay a heart of stone if you want it to. That is how loving our God is – He will not force His will on us.  

What I have learned is that as I draw closer to God through reading His Word, praying, and meeting with His people, I desire more and more to walk as Christ walked. I want to turn away from my own selfish desires because I see that His way is better. I fall more and more in love with Him and begin to look more and more like the woman He created me to be. There is tremendous freedom in letting Him lead me.  

It doesn’t happen all at once. Yes, we are given a new heart, but we are still flesh and blood. We still have the same urges and wants and desires as before. The difference is, we now have the Holy Spirit, the Helper, to nudge us, guide us, and direct us in the way we should go. (Next week, we will delve deeper into this process of sanctification. So be sure to keep joining us for more!)

Father God, thank You for first loving me. Thank You for delighting in me. Thank You that You have created me for a purpose. You have justified me through the blood of Your Son, and You gave me a new heart. Lord, may I glorify You in all that I do and say. In the saving name of Jesus ~ AMEN!

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