Compare Ezekiel 18:26 with Hebrews 10:26-27 on willful sinning after knowing truth. The Passages Side-by-Side • Ezekiel 18 : 26 — “When a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for this; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.” • Hebrews 10 : 26-27 — “If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Setting and Context • Ezekiel addresses exiled Judah, emphasizing individual accountability under the Mosaic Covenant (Ezekiel 18 : 20-32). • Hebrews speaks to believers tempted to abandon Christ and return to temple sacrifices, written after the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus (Hebrews 9 : 26-28). Shared Themes • Personal responsibility: No one can hide behind past righteousness or religious heritage (cf. Romans 2 : 5-8). • Knowledge rejected: Both passages presuppose prior understanding of God’s ways (cf. Luke 12 : 47-48). • Intentional rebellion: The sin is willful, persistent, and conscious, not momentary stumbling (cf. Numbers 15 : 30). • Consequences are severe and certain: “he will die” / “no further sacrifice… fearful expectation of judgment.” Distinctive Emphases • Ezekiel focuses on temporal death and covenant curses in Israel’s history; still illustrates the eternal principle that “the soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18 : 4). • Hebrews centers on eternal realities: judgment fire and exclusion from Christ’s atonement (cf. Hebrews 12 : 29). • Ezekiel highlights the possibility of returning and living (Ezekiel 18 : 21-23). Hebrews underlines the finality of rejecting the only sacrifice available (cf. Hebrews 6 : 4-6). What These Warnings Mean for Us • Past obedience never grants a free pass for future rebellion (Galatians 6 : 7-8). • Greater light equals greater accountability; rejecting Christ after knowing Him is graver than Old Covenant defiance (Hebrews 10 : 28-29). • Ongoing, deliberate sin hardens the heart, shutting the door to repentance if persisted in (Proverbs 29 : 1). • These texts do not deny God’s mercy but expose the folly of presuming on that mercy while clinging to sin (Romans 6 : 1-2). Living It Out • Examine ourselves regularly (2 Corinthians 13 : 5). • Confess and forsake sin quickly (1 John 1 : 9; Proverbs 28 : 13). • Encourage one another daily so that none of us is hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (Hebrews 3 : 13). • Fix our eyes on Jesus, the guarantor of the better covenant, whose blood speaks a better word than Abel (Hebrews 12 : 24). Assurance for the Repentant • God delights to forgive the returning sinner (Ezekiel 18 : 23, 32). • Christ’s sacrifice remains fully sufficient for all who humble themselves and believe (Hebrews 7 : 25; 1 John 2 : 1-2). • Perseverance is the fruit of genuine faith; those who truly belong to Christ heed these warnings and keep coming back to Him (John 10 : 27-29; Philippians 1 : 6). |
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