24 “But awhen a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? bAll the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
25 “Yet you say, a‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?
26aWhen a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.
27 Again, awhen a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.
28 Because he aconsiders and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
29aYet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?
30a“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. b“Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.
31aCast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a bnew heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?
32 For aI have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and blive!”
There is an individual responsibility. God never condones sin nor grants license for anyone to disobey His commands. This is not speaking about our transgressions done out of weakness or ignorance. These are transgressions that are done as a way of life with knowledge that one is doing wrong. However, God always allows the sinner to repent. He will always chase after the sinner with His Word, giving him the opportunity to turn around. We see that in the lives of the kings Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah. God always leaves the door open for a sinner who desires to repent. If he does not repent, his mind eventually becomes set, seared, and over time, repentance becomes impossible.
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