In the legion of controversies over teaching that is labeled and damned by 'evangelicals' as hyper-Calvinism, no scripture has ever been quoted more frequently than the following passage from 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. "But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live? . . . "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!" Ezek. 18:19-23; 30-32 NKJV
It is beneficial to read the whole chapter to gain an understanding of the context. Only the nation of Israel is being addressed, not the nations in general. The wicked in view are not the reprobate of the masses referred to in the Psalms and other prophets, but the currently unrepentant among those Jews exiled to Babylon. The terms of life and death expressed are clearly those of the law covenant (see Ex. 19:3-9); not the promise. The people of Israel are exhorted to turn from their wickedness back to God and avoid the curse of the law.
The myriad of interpretations attempting to universalize this passage, as if it is expressing the principles of how God deals with all people in all ages, is nothing less than shameful. Two common variances of universalistic interpretation are worth mentioning: free-willism and hypo-Calvinism.
1. Free-willism ignores every principle of God's covenant of grace taught elsewhere in the Bible and proposes that this passage teaches revolving-door salvation for all mankind. Such an interpretation has no gospel left to proclaim; man gets to heaven by purifying his own heart and obeying God. He is in an alternating state of salvation and damnation depending upon his current experience of personal righteousness and repentance. The most that the atonement does for people in this teaching is the forgiveness of past sins, granting a clean slate upon which man can write his own future salvation or damnation.
2. Hypo-Calvinism and all versions of free-will theology ignore every principle of God's purpose of wrath taught elsewhere in the Bible; proposing that this passage denies a positive reprobation. God refers to the law-covenant; stating that in connection with it he has no pleasure in the death of the currently unrepentant among Israel. This is supposed to be telling us that God has no willing purpose to execute his eternal wrath upon a people created for the sole purpose of magnifying his glory in their damnation.
Any such views deny the Pauline teaching of double predestination in Rom. 9, Christ's teaching of a positive reprobation in his parable of the soils, and even other Old Testament scriptures where a universal scope of God's pleasure and purposes is taught outright:
"Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors, Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country, Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. Listen to me, you stubborn hearted, Who are far from righteousness; I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger, And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israil My glory. Isa. 46-8-10 NKJV
The rest of Isaiah is very clear about God's purposes to redeem his remnant in Israel. He loves Israel only and will therefore accomplish his pleasure in the destruction of Babylon (especially 48:14). The context of these passages is very clearly related to the promise, not the law. We learn from God's subsequent revelation that the true Israel is not Israel after the flesh--but the remnant of fleshly Israel in whom God fulfills his eternal covenant--plus those whom God purposes to redeem from among the nations.
God is very clear elsewhere in Ezekiel that he will experience no pity for the non-elect of Israel when he judges the finally impenitent for their iniquity ( 5:11, 7:4, 9; 8:18, 9:10). God laughs at the misfortune of the reprobate and mocks them when he finally brings about their last calamity (Ps. 37:13, 59:8, Prov. 1:26). So although God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked referred to in Ezek. 18, he most certainly takes pleasure in the final judgment of those predestined to reprobation.
If the greater light of God's revelation to Paul is shone upon the Ezek. 18 passage, it becomes clear why God took no pleasure in the death of the wicked referred to there. The conditions of the ministration of condemnation there reiterated were impossible for mankind to fulfill. If there were no other covenant grounded purely in God's promised purpose of grace, all would perish. But God took pleasure in redeeming the wicked remnant among Israel who had been exiled to Babylon. He established with them a new and everlasting covenant based on grace which was wholly promissory (Ezek. 36, 37).
Originally Posted by whs1
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
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