Ezekiel 18

The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: "'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'?

"As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son - both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

"Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbour's wife or lie with a woman during her period. He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He does not lend at usury or take excessive interest. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between man and man. He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD.

"Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things (though the father has done none of them):

"He eats at the mountain shrines. He defiles his neighbour's wife. He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable things. He lends at usury and takes excessive interest.

Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he will surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head.

"But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

"He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbour's wife. He does not oppress anyone or require a pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He withholds his hand from sin and takes no usury or excessive interest. He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.

He will not die for his father's sin; he will surely live. But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.

"Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.

"But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offences he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

"But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die.

"Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. Because he considers all the offences he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die. Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

"Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offences; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

- Ezekiel 18 (NIV)

firstly, Ezekiel 18 refutes the notion of generational sin. clearly, 'the son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son' (Ezekiel 18:20, NIV).

secondly, Ezekiel 18 refutes the notion that some persons are chosen to glorify God by receiving His mercy whereas others are chosen to glorify Him by receiving His wrath. while it is true that 'in Adam all die' (1 Corinthians 15:22, NIV), it is also true that 'in Christ all will be made alive' (1 Corinthians 15:22, NIV).

if God did not count the guilt of Adam against Abel, but 'spoke well of his offerings [when] by faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did' (Hebrews 11:4, NIV), how much more will God not count the guilt of Adam against us - not because of us, but because of Christ!

of course, we have to be in Christ.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1 (NIV)

thirdly, Ezekiel 18 refutes the notion that Ezekiel 36:26-27 is about Israel's unconditional election.

[by the way, the calvinist formulation of election as 'unconditional election' is a misnomer. according to calvinism, we do not know how God elects. but just because we do not know how God elects does not mean that God elects unconditionally. to this end, the calvinist formulation of election is not 'unconditional election', but 'unknown election'.]

"Repent! Turn away from all your offences; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit." - Ezekiel 18:30-31 (NIV)

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." - Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV)

for God to give Israel a new heart and put a new spirit in Israel, Israel must rid itself of all the offences it has committed. while it is true that election is unconditional in how it is given, it is also true that election is conditional in how it is received.

as geisler puts it, election is 'unconditional for God and conditional for man' (the sole condition being faith in Christ alone). therefore, Ezekiel 36:26-27 is not about Israel's unconditional election.

even if Ezekiel 36:26-27 is about Israel's unconditional election (which it is not), it is not about Israel's election for salvation, but about Israel's election for service.

"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes." - Ezekiel 36:22-23 (NIV)

"I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel!" - Ezekiel 36:32 (NIV)

salvation (even under the Old Covenant) was never only for Jews in the house of Israel. salvation (all the way from Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21) was always for both Jews and Gentiles, through Jews in the house of Israel.

in particular, through a Jew in the house of Israel - our Lord Jesus Christ.