No "Coattails" in Heaven

"The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness."   (Ezekiel 18: 20, NLT)

"I had a praying mother".  "My grandmother was so religious".  "I'm a third-generation preacher".  It's great to have a spiritual heritage.  So much can be passed down from generation to generation.  So much good---and so much bad.  Just because we had someone who lived before us that was good and holy, doesn't mean we'll turn out the same way.  Nor, does God look at your life, and says you get a ticket into heaven just because THEY received eternal life.

Last Friday, I posted "The Blame Game", taken from Jeremiah 31, and in reference to the proverb about "eating the sour grapes".   Here in Ezekiel, we find the same reference, and how we are all responsible for our own sins.  We cannot place the blame on someone else because of our sinful behavior.  And, in like manner, neither can we automatically assume that we are righteous before God because our parents were.  We must take responsibility for our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We can't ride someone else's "coattails" into heaven!