How does Ezekiel 18:26 challenge the concept of eternal security in salvation? Canonical Text “When a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; he has died because of the iniquity he committed.” (Ezekiel 18:26) Immediate Literary Setting Ezekiel 18 forms a legal-prophetic disputation in which the exiles accuse God of injustice (vv. 2, 25, 29). Yahweh answers by declaring that each individual bears personal responsibility. Verse 26 stands inside a chiastic structure (vv. 19-32) that alternates between the fate of the righteous who apostatize and the wicked who repent, underlining the reversibility of one’s standing if one’s conduct reverses. Covenant-Historical Frame Under the Mosaic covenant blessings and curses were temporal and corporate yet also personal (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 1). Ezekiel, a priest in exile, invokes that covenant framework. A man once reckoned “righteous” by Torah obedience forfeits covenant life when he decisively repudiates that obedience. Thus v. 26 directly addresses Israel’s assumption that past faithfulness guarantees future security (cf. Jeremiah 7:4, 8). Theology of Personal Accountability Verses 20 and 26 combine to overturn the proverb “The fathers eat sour grapes” (v. 2). Neither hereditary guilt nor hereditary merit shields the individual. The argument presses the exiles toward immediate repentance and away from complacency. How v. 26 Appears to Challenge Eternal Security Eternal security (commonly, “once saved always saved”) teaches that a person genuinely regenerated by God can never finally fall away. Ezekiel 18:26 describes a person who: 1) stood in a covenant relationship described as “righteous,” 2) subsequently “turns” and practices iniquity, and 3) “dies” for it. If one equates “righteous” with “saved” and “die” with “eternally lost,” the verse seems to imply possible forfeiture of salvation. Harmonization Strategies 6.1 Covenantal-Dispensational Distinction Some interpreters note the text addresses Israel under Mosaic administration, where “life” and “death” are national-blessing categories (cf. Deuteronomy 30:15-19). Thus v. 26 may threaten physical/covenant death, not final damnation. Nevertheless NT writers freely apply Israel’s wilderness judgments to warn Christians (1 Corinthians 10:1-12; Hebrews 3:7-19). The ethical trajectory is continuous even if the covenant form shifts. 6.2 Phenomenological Language Another approach views the “righteous man” as outwardly righteous—covenantally identified but not inwardly regenerated (Romans 2:28-29). His apostasy unveils an unconverted heart. John uses similar logic: “They went out from us, but they were not of us” (1 John 2:19). Under this view Ezekiel 18:26 describes loss of status, not loss of genuine salvation. 6.3 Perseverance Conditional Yet Certain Many theologians synthesize Scripture by affirming that perseverance is a condition God infallibly supplies. Texts like John 10:28 (“no one will snatch them out of My hand”) and Romans 8:30 (“those He justified He also glorified”) guarantee the elect’s final salvation, while warning passages (Ezekiel 18; Hebrews 6) are God’s ordained means to secure that perseverance. Thus v. 26 functions instrumentally, not hypothetically. New Testament Parallels • Hebrews 10:26-31—deliberate sin after knowledge leads to “terrifying expectation of judgment.” • James 5:19-20—turning a sinner “back” saves his soul from death, echoing Ezekiel’s idiom. • 2 Peter 2:20-22—those escaping defilements and later entangled are worse off. These echoes show the NT writers preserved Ezekiel’s warning motif for church use. Patristic and Rabbinic Reception • Rabbi Akiva (m. Sanhedrin 90a-c) cited Ezekiel 18 against fatalism, stressing continued obedience. • Justin Martyr (Dialogue 141) quoted Ezekiel 18 to argue pagan converts must remain virtuous. Historically, both Jewish and Christian expositors viewed the passage as teaching conditional security, though nuances varied. Reformed Confessions on Apostasy Texts The Westminster Confession 17.3 acknowledges that the elect may “fall into grievous sins,” incur fatherly displeasure, yet cannot “fall from the state of justification.” Ezekiel 18 is classified as an “admonition” to the visible church. Synod of Dort V rejects the possibility that truly regenerate could perish, insisting warnings are means God uses. Arminian Confessions The Articles of Remonstrance 5 appeal directly to Ezekiel 18 as evidence a believer may “fall from grace.” Modern Wesleyan theologians likewise cite v. 26 in support of conditional security, emphasizing reciprocal covenant fidelity. Scholarly Exegetical Consensus Critical and conservative scholars alike agree the verse asserts reversibility of status within Ezekiel’s argument. Debate centers only on whether that status equals spiritual salvation or covenant membership. Practical and Pastoral Implications 1. Self-Examination: 2 Corinthians 13:5 instructs believers to test themselves; Ezekiel 18 supplies the metric—ongoing righteousness evidenced in conduct. 2. Evangelistic Appeal: The passage dismantles fatalistic excuses—today’s choice matters (cf. Luke 13:3). 3. Discipleship: Churches must nurture perseverance, employing Word, sacrament, and discipline (Hebrews 3:13). Common Objections Answered Objection A: “If salvation can be lost, assurance is impossible.” Response: Assurance rests on God’s promises and present faith (1 John 5:13), not a static past decision. Objection B: “Warnings nullify grace.” Response: Grace empowers obedience (Titus 2:11-12); warnings guard against presumption. Objection C: “The righteous man in v. 26 is hypothetical.” Response: The parallel with the real wicked man who repents (v. 27) argues for symmetrical reality. Synthesis Ezekiel 18:26 undeniably asserts that a person once counted righteous can incur covenant death by apostasy. Whether this equates to loss of eternal salvation or evidences false profession depends on wider canonical synthesis. Either way, the verse refutes casual antinomian versions of eternal security by insisting that final destiny corresponds to one’s ultimate posture toward God. Authentic faith manifests in persevering righteousness; apostasy invites judgment. Therefore the text functions as a Spirit-inspired safeguard, exhorting every professed believer: “Repent and live!” (v. 32). |
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