In the prevailing culture, many individuals seek to evade responsibility by blaming others, including their parents, for their own shortcomings and misdeeds. This tendency to shift guilt mirrors the grave error made by Israel during Ezekiel's time, where the people wrongly believed that God judged them harshly due to the sins of their forefathers, claiming they were mere victims of past wickedness. They misunderstood the principle that while descendants are affected by their fathers' sins, each person remains individually accountable for his or her own actions. God directly challenges this fatalistic mindset in Ezekiel 18:3, declaring that the proverb, "The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge," should no longer be used in Israel. He asserts that righteousness and wickedness are not hereditary, and individuals are free to choose to walk in His ways, unbound by their ancestors' deeds. The fundamental principle of judgment is clear in Ezekiel 18:4 and 18:20: the soul who sins shall die, and each person bears the guilt or righteousness of his own actions, not those of his father or son. Through illustrations in Ezekiel 18:5-18, God demonstrates this principle of individual responsibility. A righteous father, an unrighteous son, and a righteous grandson each receive judgment based on their own deeds, not those of their family. A righteous man upholds God's law by refraining from idolatry, adultery, oppression, theft, and unjust practices, showing his faith through his actions toward others. Conversely, an unrighteous son lives oppositely, engaging in cruelty and violence, and thus faces judgment for his own wickedness. A righteous grandson, despite his father's unrighteousness, lives by God's law and is not condemned for his father's sins but lives due to his own righteousness. Ultimately, responsibility equals accountability for one's own actions. Each individual will give an account of himself to God, and He will judge each according to his works. While the effects of ancestors' sins may impact us, they do not predestine or condemn us to repeat their errors. The soul who sins shall die, and judgment remains personal and individual.

God has given each of us a specific responsibility to fulfill His purpose as we prepare for the next step in His plan to develop and create His Family to live with Them through eternity. If any one of us fails to uphold our individual responsibilities, even for a moment, it creates a significant gap that affects the entire Body of Christ, causing harm to others within the church. We must recognize that our personal failures to meet the mark may contribute to the pain and suffering experienced by God's elect, prolonging the process of building character as we near the end of our preparation before God and Jesus Christ. Our main responsibility now is to become holy as God is holy, striving to separate ourselves from the ways of this world and to follow the pattern of instruction He has established. We are to examine ourselves daily, ensuring we are not holding onto accursed things that hinder our progress and cause weakness, sickness, or even death among us. As members of one united Body of Christ, we are accountable for one another's well-being, acting as our brother's keeper and supporting each other through fervent prayer and righteous living. God expects us to strive with all our might to hit the mark, knowing that to whom much is given, much is required. Our individual actions impact the physical and spiritual health of the entire church, and failure to overcome and come out of this world may result in suffering for many. We must recommit ourselves to holiness with day-to-day fervor, confessing our faults to God and changing our ways so that the body may be healed, as He has promised.