Pleasure

 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
Ezekiel 18:23 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/ezk.18.23.ESV

Many people, even if they believe in God's existence, have a grotesque caricature of Him as some grumpy old man up in the sky, itching to smite us for our importunity. This couldn't be further from the truth. The answer to God's rhetorical question is a resounding 'no' for the first half, and 'yes' for the second half.

If God really just wanted us all to die, He would let us do so. Yet if we trust in the Resurrection and Life of Jesus, even our physical deaths will just be like falling asleep until He wakes us up. We're all naturally dead spiritually; but we can be supernaturally made alive spiritually.

Even with our forefather Adam and Eve, God didn't simply condemn them to death, but promised deliverance, through the Offspring of Eve. The virgin born Son of Mary is the eternal Son of God through whom we can have eternal life. Adam and Eve looked forward to Christ's first advent; we look back.

In the Lord Jesus Christ, we see the truth of this verse most clearly. God didn't send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him has life; whoever doesn't believe in Him faces condemnation.

'Our Heavenly Father, please help us to trust in Your Son for salvation, and live for Him and His glory, in whose name we pray, amen'

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