How does Ezekiel 18:24 align with the concept of eternal security? Text Of Ezekiel 18:24 “But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does the same abominations that the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous acts he has done will be remembered; because of the treachery he has committed and the sin he has done, he will die.” Historical And Covenantal Context Ezekiel prophesies to the exiles in Babylon (ca. 592–570 BC). His primary message concerns the Mosaic (Sinaitic) covenant’s stipulations of life and death in the land (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28–30). Under that covenant, “life” (ḥāyâ) and “death” (mût) were chiefly temporal—health, longevity, safety, and the right to remain in the land—while “death” entailed sword, famine, pestilence, or exile (cf. Ezekiel 14:21; Jeremiah 21:9). Accordingly, Ezekiel 18 addresses corporate and individual responsibility for those blessings and curses (Deuteronomy 24:16), not the final, once-for-all justification that would be accomplished in Christ (Romans 5:1,9). Theological Principle: Personal Responsibility, Not Soteriological Reversal 1. God judges each person on the basis of his present moral stance (Ezekiel 18:20,24). 2. The purpose: overturn Judah’s proverb, “The fathers eat sour grapes, and the sons’ teeth are set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2). 3. Therefore, the text exhorts repentance so the nation might yet escape temporal judgment (18:30–32). Harmony With Eternal Security 1. Different Covenants, Different Promises • Eternal security rests on the New Covenant ratified by Christ’s blood (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 10:14). • Under that covenant the believer is “sealed with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13-14) and “kept by God’s power” (1 Peter 1:5). • Ezekiel 18 addresses Mosaic-era blessings and penalties explicitly conditioned on obedience (cf. Exodus 19:5). Its warnings do not override New-Covenant guarantees. 2. Evidence vs. Essence • Perseverance in righteousness is evidence of genuine faith (1 John 2:19; Hebrews 3:14). • A professing Israelite who “turns” and practices abominations manifests that his earlier obedience lacked saving faith (Psalm 78:36-37; John 8:30-44). • Thus Ezekiel’s hypothetical “righteous man” parallels New Testament “false brethren” (2 Corinthians 11:26) rather than a regenerate, sealed believer. 3. Divine Consistency • God’s immutable character (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17) ensures He cannot both promise irreversible salvation (John 10:28-29) and simultaneously revoke it for the truly redeemed. • Therefore, Ezekiel 18 must concern a category that falls short of New Testament regeneration. 4. Progressive Revelation • Earlier Scripture reveals genuine atonement only through substitutionary sacrifice (Leviticus 17:11). • Christ fulfills and transcends these shadows (Hebrews 9:9-14). • With fuller revelation, the believer now understands that righteousness is imputed, not earned (Romans 3:21-26). Ezekiel’s exhortation remains morally valid but does not redefine the settled doctrine of justification. Exegetical Support From Within Ezekiel • 18:31–32: “Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit… For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death.” Israel is urged toward repentance leading to temporal preservation. • 36:26–27: God promises under the future New Covenant, “I will give you a new heart… I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” The guarantee of perseverance comes after, not within, chapter 18’s Mosaic framework. New Testament ALIGNMENT • John 10:27-29 : “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.” • Romans 8:30: “Those He justified He also glorified.” An unbroken chain. • Jude 24: God “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless.” These passages establish the doctrinal bedrock of eternal security, which Ezekiel neither contradicts nor addresses directly. Common Objections Answered 1. “But the text says, ‘None of the righteous acts he has done will be remembered.’” – In covenant lawsuit language, Israel’s past deeds cannot offset current disobedience (cf. Ezekiel 33:12-20). It does not state that God erases imputed righteousness; rather, He applies covenant curses to ongoing rebels. 2. “Doesn’t ‘he will die’ imply eternal damnation?” – Compare Ezekiel 33:27: “Those who are in the open field, I have given to the beasts to be devoured.” Physical death and exile, not necessarily eternal condemnation, are in view. 3. “If salvation cannot be lost, why warn at all?” – Warnings are one means God employs to keep His elect persevering (cf. Acts 27:31-32, where a promise of rescue coexists with a command to stay on the ship). The elect heed the warning; the false convert proves false by ignoring it. Parallel Passages Illustrating Temporal Judgment For Covenant Breakers • Psalm 78: “They flattered Him with their mouths… yet He killed the stoutest of them.” • 1 Corinthians 11:30: “That is why many of you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” Temporal discipline without loss of salvation for true believers. • Hebrews 10:26-30 addresses covenant community members who hear truth but “trample the Son of God.” Their apostasy shows they never received the covenant in the heart (Hebrews 10:39). Pastoral Implications • Ezekiel 18 underscores the seriousness of ongoing sin; professing believers must examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). • Assurance of salvation rests not on past profession alone but on a present posture of faith and repentance, which genuine believers will maintain by God’s preserving grace (Philippians 1:6). • Preaching should echo Ezekiel’s balance: warn against apostasy, urge repentance, and announce God’s willingness to forgive immediately (1 John 1:9). Summary Ezekiel 18:24 operates within the Mosaic covenant to emphasize personal accountability and temporal consequences, not to undermine the New-Covenant promise of irreversible salvation for the regenerate. Properly situated in redemptive history, the verse is fully harmonious with eternal security: those who finally abandon righteousness show they never possessed saving faith, whereas those truly born of God are both warned and kept, guaranteeing perseverance to glory. |
    |