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A Study on Ezekiel 18:24 Ezekiel 18:24 But when the righteous
turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all
the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness
that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath
trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. As God in
His Word instructs us, we rightly divide His Word by comparing “spiritual things with spiritual things”
( 1
Corinthians 2:13) using, “not
the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but what the Holy Spirit teaches” …and
of course the words the Holy Spirit teaches us are the words of the Holy
Bible. I believe God’s Word will
explain this passage for us. I’ll try
to stay out of the way of the Word and just compare scripture with scripture
to come to understanding. Please take
your time reading this study, making sure to look up all the scripture
references so that you can be fully blessed by God’s Word and understand the
Biblical view I will try to share with you . Looking at this
passage more closely has been a great blessing to me. First of all, I don’t believe that Ezekiel 18 is specifically
referring to eternal salvation.
There are many, I am sure, who isolate this passage from the rest of
God’s Word and say that this passage shows a person can lose their salvation. John 10:26-30 and Romans 8:33-39 are two examples
of how the Bible teaches that once a person is saved, they cannot lose their salvation. One reason I don’t think Ezekiel 18 is
referring to eternal salvation is because in Ezekiel 18:22 it says, “…in
his righteousness that he has done he shall live.” The Bible is clear, that in so far as salvation is concerned, salvation is in no way
merited or received through the means of our
righteousness. Titus 3:5 is
a good example of this, “ Not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” Eternal salvation is a free gift, given to us through
God’s grace (undeserving favor), not our works. (See also Ephesians 2:8,9 and 2 Corinthians 9:15). In Ezekiel 18:24
it refers to the righteous turning from his righteousness and dieing. Usually,
when the Bible refers to “the righteous”, it is talking about those who have become saved, because apart from Christ,
“there is none righteous, no, not one”
( Romans 3:10). Those who are united with Christ and
become saved are imputed or credited with the perfect righteousness of Jesus
Christ (
Romans 4:5-8). I believe
that when it says “the righteous” here in Ezekiel 18:24, it also is
referring to “the saved”. I say this
because the Bible speaks about death in more than one way. We know that once a person is saved, that
they have passed from death unto life ( John 5:24) and shall not come into
condemnation. However, the Bible says other things that
force us to conclude that when it talks about “condemnation” and
“death” here in John 5:24, it is speaking about eternal
damnation only. There is another judgment,
and another death that the Bible speaks about that does apply to the believer. Let’s take a look at it… In 1 Corinthians 11:32 it says to
believers, “ But when we are judged, we are chastened
of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” This verse
clearly mentions the Lord’s action of chastising the believers and uses the
term “judged” when referring to it.
We know that once a person is saved they are no longer subject to
eternal judgment or eternal damnation, but here we have another judgment
mentioned that does apply to the believer.
Hebrews
12 describes the Lord’s action in chastising those He loves. In Romans 8:1 it clearly says “ There is therefore now no condemnation (judgment)
to them which are in Christ Jesus”
but notice in the rest of the verse that this statement is conditional when
it says, “ …who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.” In
other words, there is no judgment for those in Christ Jesus as long as they
are walking in the Spirit. If they,
in their folly, neglect their relationship with the Lord and walk in the ways
of their carnal mind, the Lord will deal with them -- we will look at this
more in a moment, but notice here in Romans 8:6, it says, “ For to be carnally minded is death”. The Lord is describing the condition of
walking according to the carnal mind as “death”. Now we know that before
we are saved we are spiritually dead enslaved to our carnal mind, just as Ephesians 2:1- 3
says, but when we become saved, we experience a spiritual birth and begin to
posses the “ mind of Christ” ( John 3:3-8;
1 Corinthians
2:16) and long for the ways of God. However, it is still possible, even after being saved, to find
ourselves walking after our carnal mind.
This is why in Romans 8:13 it describes the need we have as
saved people to “mortify (put to
death) the deeds of the body, that you may live. ” We have many promises from
the Lord about being able to reign over sin once we become saved such as in Romans 6:14 and 2 Peter 1:3 but it is important to realize that although we
have been completely changed in our inner man, our physical man (our flesh)
is still inclined to sin. The
apostle Paul, in Romans 7 beautifully describes the condition
we, as saved people, are in, now that we
posses two natures. Paul, through the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says “
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing” ( verse 18) and in verse 25 “…so then with the mind I myself serve (am a slave to) the law of God; but with the flesh the
law of sin.” Wonderfully, God
promises us a day when we will be redeemed and changed not only in spirit,
but in body too – see Ephesians 1:14; Philippians 3:21 and 1 Corinthians
15:50- 53. But until that
day, we need to give good heed to God’s Word of instruction and warning,
“that we may live” because “ if you
live after the flesh, you shall die” ( Romans 8:13). God’s gift of salvation provides us with
an eternal inheritance of paradise in which we will forever live in the
presence of the Lord, where there is fullness of joy continually ( Psalm 16:11);
we will also be perfectly righteous, no longer inclined to sin; but now
presently, this is not the case. We
wrestle with sin now, and have only been given “access” to grace, which will
enable us to keep sin under control (see Romans 5 verses 2 and 17). The Lord’s promises are sure in this matter though, “ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and
you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” ( Galatians 5:16). The Lord promises us an abundance of grace
when we are in continual fellowship with His Spirit, just as that Romans 8:13 passage
said, “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through
the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live.” (see
also Romans
5:17) Now we need to ask a few
questions: ‘What is the character of this death that believers can
experience?’ and ‘What is the character of the life that is mentioned
here?’ Obviously this passage is
speaking to believers who are physically alive, and who have been given eternal
life, so what does it mean when it says,
“you shall live”. We have
already established from the scriptures that eternal life is a free gift
given to us not on the basis of
our work. So if this is not speaking
of the life to come, then it must be speaking of a quality of life that is
for the here and now – a life the believer has access to. Let’s see what the Bible says… In John 1:4,
it says, “ In Him was life; and the
life was the light of men.” The life was the light of men? What is the “light of men”? Matthew 5:16 explains, “ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” So here we see that the “light” is “good
works”. The “life” then is
characterized by “good works” since this is the “light of men”. And this life is in Jesus. It’s important to realize that any good
work done by us is really the product of Jesus working in us. Just as Philippians 1:11 says, “ Being filled with the fruits of
righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” See also Galatians 5:22- 24. Here is
another verse to consider on this subject:
2
Corinthians 13:4 “For though He was crucified through
weakness, yet He lives by the power of God.
For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live by the power of God
toward you. “ The
“you” in this verse are the Corinthian people Paul was preaching to. The last statement in this verse seems to
relate to Isaiah 58:6-10... (especially
vs10) -- in that God promises the blessings
of true life to those who draw out the soul to others. Our life (here
presently) is experienced as we experience the power of God toward
others. As we labor with God (actually His grace working
in us) to reach others with the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God (that they might be saved) we live. Apart from this
purpose and work in Christ that God has called us to, we are not living. So to be
living for the true believer, is to be effectively used by God. God uses our words, but most importantly
our actions to witness to others, just as Matthew 5:16 said (see also 1 Peter 2:15
and 1 Peter
3:1). Now let’s look at the character of this “death” a believer is
subject to. We have already seen a
few verses in Romans
8 that use the language of death to describe when a believer is
not walking in the Spirit. Now let’s
look at some more verses, but before we do, I promised to talk more about how
the Lord deals with a believer who is neglecting his relationship with the
Lord and grieving the Spirit.
Remember how the Lord used the term “judgment” when talking about His
work of chastising us. Here is
another use of the term in 1 Peter 1:17- 19 “ And if ye call
on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every
man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in
fear: Forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from
your fathers; But with
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ” Here
again we see the Lord talking about judging the believer. We know these verses are directed only to
believers, because only they “call on the Father” and only they are “redeemed”. Here we see that God is saying He will
most certainly deal with us if we resort back to “our former conduct” because
He has already invested too much into our salvation (the precious blood of
His Son) to allow us to fall away.
Look at Psalm 94:12-15
“ Blessed is the man
whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the
days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the
LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. But
judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall
follow it. ” Now let’s look at some more… Psalm 39:11 “ When thou with
rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away
like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah. ” Notice
here in this Psalm how that the speaker describes the way the Lord was
dealing with him. He says, “I was dumb, I opened not my mouth;
because you did it.”( verse 9). Now
compare these verses with Psalm 90:11- 17 which says, “ O satisfy us early with Your mercy…make
us glad according to the days wherein you have afflicted us…And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and
establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands
establish thou it. ” God’s judgment or chastisement of a
believer is evident when He removes from them the power to be an effective
witness, which is described in these verses by the removing of His beauty and
not establishing the work of our hands.
Here is another passage… Psalm 88.
Read this Psalm entirely.
Notice this is a saved man speaking, which is evident by verse 1 “O Lord God of my salvation…” The man describes how the Lord has been
dealing with him in chastising him.
Notice in this Psalm all the language that relates to death. Notice also verse 4, he says, “ I am counted with them that go down to
the pit: …” He is “counted” or “numbered” with the spiritually dead or
unsaved. Just as he says he is “Free among the dead, like the slain…”
He is a believer without a witness.
He looks just like the rest of the world. Notice his cry in verse 11 as he pleads for God’s mercy, “Shall
thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in
destruction?” He is speaking
about his condition of being in a grave, that is, dead, without a witness and
asks the Lord “how will Your lovingkindness and faithfulness be known if I
remain in this condition?”. In Psalm 30
we have an example of the Lord answering such a plea (notice verses 2
and 3). As the Psalmist reflects back on how the
Lord was dealing with him, he mentions how he cried unto the Lord with these
words, “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare
thy truth? ” ( verse 9)
…much the same language of Psalm 88.
Notice here in Psalm 30:12 the Lord gives the reason for
dealing with the man in this way. It
says, so that he would not be “silent”
-- that is, that he would be an effective witness. Often,
the Lord’s chastisement may come upon us because we are not seeking to be a
witness, as we should. Psalm 82 is
a good example of this. Here the
Lord uses the term “gods” to refer to His saved people ( verse 6). Notice verse 1 “God stands in the congregation of the
mighty; He judges among the gods.” This first verse sets the theme for this psalm. Verse 6 and 7
further mention the judgment: “I have said, You are gods; and all of you
are the children of the Most High. But
you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes” (of this world). In this psalm God is saying the judgment
comes upon His people for failing to fulfill verses 3 and 4 which say, “
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. ”
All this language is synonymous with drawing out our soul to the
lost and seeking to communicate to them the truths of salvation. It is through this action that the “poor”
becomes rich, the “afflicted and needy” are comforted and healed and are
delivered out of the hands of the wicked (Satan). Verse 5 continues, “ They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in
darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.” The unsaved will not become saved on
their own, without our witness. A
similar warning as in Psalm 82 is found in James 2:12,13 there we read, “ So speak ye, and so do, as they that
shall be judged by the law of liberty.
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy;
and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” As
believers, Jesus has fully delivered us from the letter of the law that
brings eternal damnation by suffering that punishment for us ( Colossians 2:14). But now we are still under the law of
Spirit (
Romans 8:2). And according
to that law, as James 2:12,13 said, we will be judged or
chastised if we fail to show mercy and seek to be God’s instrument in the
saving of others. Here is another passage that relates: Hebrews 10:28- 31 He that
despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how
much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath
trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the
covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite
unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The
Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God. The Lord does not automatically chastise us for every sin we commit after becoming saved -- Psalm 19:12,13 explains this. It is “presumptuous sin” that usually gets us into trouble. Here is a
wonderful passage on this subject: Job 33:27 “ He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will
deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all
these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring
back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living. ” In conclusion, as we have seen, there is no fear of eternal
damnation for the true believer – his salvation is secure in Jesus Christ. But there is a judgment for God’s
people. It takes place here and now
as we come under the chastisement of our Heavenly Father. It is very real, and very painful. The Lord in His lovingkindness does not
render to us what our iniquities deserve though, but corrects us in measure ( Psalm 103:10,13 ; Jeremiah 30:11). He deals with us in this way as individuals and as a
people. But let me leave you with a
promise. In 1 John 5:16 we read, “ If any man see
his brother sin a sin which
is not unto death, he
shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto
death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for
it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a
sin not unto death. ” Because this is
referring to “a brother” we know that it is speaking of a saved
individual. When it talks about a
“sin unto death” here, I believe it is referring to a sin, such as murder
which may require the death penalty or suicide, which would not apply because
the life in view is for this world.
The promise here is, if we see a brother caught up in a particular sin
that is causing him to be shackled to his carnal mind and ineffective as a
witness, because the Lord is dealing with him, we can simply “ask” and the
Lord, through our prayers, will restore him to the ways of life. It is my hope that you will be blessed as you meditate on these
Biblical principles. Love and grace to you from our Lord. If you should have questions or comments about what is said or have need for additional verses, please send an e-mail by clicking here>> Reply2you back to main page
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