In this video presentation I’m going to teach on the scriptures found in Ezekiel Chapter 18 as it pertains to individual responsibility and its rejection of imputed righteousness.
Ezekiel Chapter 18 is a cornerstone of Jewish theology regarding individual responsibility for sin and righteousness. It refutes the notion of transferable punishment or substitutionary vicarious merit, emphasizing instead that each person bears the consequences of their own actions. This chapter, particularly verses 19-20, underscores the principle that the righteousness of the righteous is upon them alone, and the wickedness of the wicked rests solely on their own heads. These scriptures directly contradict the Christian doctrine of imputed righteousness through Jesus Christ, revealing a fundamental divergence between soteriology in the Hebrew Scriptures and that of Christian theology.
I’m going to first explain the context of this chapter. Ezekiel 18 addresses the misconception held by the Israelites in exile, who believed they were suffering for the sins of their ancestors. This belief was encapsulated in the proverb: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2). God, through Ezekiel, explicitly rejects this idea, affirming that everyone is judged according to their own deeds. As God says through the prophet: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20).
The chapter is clearly about individual accountability for sin. The chapter lays out various scenarios to illustrate that each individual’s standing before God is determined by their own choices:
Choice one: The Righteous Man: A man who follows God’s commandments, refrains from idolatry, and acts justly is declared righteous. “He shall surely live” (Ezekiel 18:9).
Choice 2: The Wicked Son: If this righteous man has a son who engages in sinful behaviors, the son alone is held accountable for his actions. The father’s righteousness cannot shield the son from judgment (Ezekiel 18:10-13).
Choice 3: The Repentant Sinner: A wicked person who turns away from their sins and begins to live righteously will not be condemned for their past actions. “None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him” (Ezekiel 18:22).
Choice 4: The Righteous Who Turns to Wickedness: Conversely, if a righteous person abandons their righteous ways and commits iniquity, their previous righteousness will not save them. “All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered” (Ezekiel 18:24).
I find that Verses 19-20 of Ezekiel 18 contain the heart of God's teaching on this topic. These pivotal verses make it unequivocally clear that righteousness and sin are non-transferable: God says clearly through Ezekiel: “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:19-20). This passage encapsulates the Torah’s teaching on justice. Responsibility for sin or righteousness is personal and cannot be transferred from one individual to another.
The Prophet Ezekiel is consistent with Jewish Soteriology and the Torah’s foundations. Jewish theology, as rooted in the Torah and expanded upon in the Prophets, consistently maintains the principle of individual accountability. The Torah itself reinforces this idea in numerous places: As the Torah states in Deuteronomy 24:16: “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.” And again as the Torah states in Exodus 32:33: “When Moses pleads with God to forgive the Israelites’ sin, even offering himself as a substitute, God responds: “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” So we see these texts clearly affirm that neither sin nor righteousness can be imputed from one person to another. Each individual’s moral standing before God is determined by their own actions.
Despite the clear teachings of the Torah and the Hebrew Scriptures at large, we find the Christian Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness nowhere to be found. In stark contrast to the Scriptures, Christian theology introduces the concept of imputed righteousness through Jesus Christ. According to this doctrine, Jesus’ supposed perfect righteousness is credited to all believers, while their sins are imputed to just him on the cross. This teaching is central to Pauline theology, as seen in passages such as 2 Corinthians 5:21 which states: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
However, again this idea is entirely foreign to the Hebrew Scriptures. Ezekiel 18 explicitly denies the possibility of one person bearing the sins of another or transferring their righteousness to someone else. The Torah’s legal and ethical framework further reinforces the principle of individual responsibility, leaving no room for the substitutionary atonement espoused by Christianity.
I believe the Christian doctrine on justification is introduced because of foreign Influences. Christianity has Greco-Roman influence upon its soteriology and especially its idea of Imputed Righteousness. The Christian concept of imputed righteousness aligns more closely with Greco-Roman philosophical ideas than with Jewish theology. Plato’s philosophy, for instance, often emphasized abstract social ideals and metaphysical exchanges, or the idea of dying for a social cause, and other such concepts that may have influenced early Christian thinkers operating within a Hellenistic context. The notion of a divine intermediary bearing the sins of others reflects a departure from the concrete, justice-oriented teachings of the Torah and the Prophets.
In my conclusion, I see that Ezekiel 18 presents a clear and uncompromising message: each person is responsible for their own actions. Righteousness and sin are not transferable, and judgment is rendered based on individual choices. This teaching is foundational to Jewish theology and stands in direct opposition to the Christian doctrine of imputed righteousness through Jesus Christ. Far from being rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, this doctrine represents a foreign concept, likely influenced by Greco-Roman thought. For those who seek to understand the biblical view of justice and salvation, Ezekiel 18 offers a timeless and unambiguous answer, that personal responsibility is the cornerstone of God’s justice.
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