John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 18:20

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." — Ezekiel 18:20 (ASV)

Ezekiel still pursues the idea that we have explained: namely, that God is a just judge and treats everyone according to their conduct. As Paul says, as each has lived in the flesh, so God lays up a reward for them (Romans 8:13). But he more clearly refuted the proverb that the sons should suffer for their fathers’ sins.

He says, then, that each one, when they come before God’s tribunal, should be judged by their works. As far as the general principle is concerned, it is in accordance with common sense that God should exact punishment from the wicked, and that they should receive the just reward of their works.

But in the next clause, the question arises how the Spirit here pronounces that the son should not pay the penalty due for the father, when God so often declares that He visits the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20:5). That statement often occurs, but there are two passages especially remarkable where it is attached to the second precept of the law (Deuteronomy 5:9), and then in that remarkable vision which appeared to Moses, God pronounces the same thing as before: namely, that the iniquity of the fathers should fall upon the sons (Exodus 34:7).

These passages seem to contradict each other, but it will be easy to resolve the contradiction by beginning with the fall of Adam. If we do not consider the whole race fallen in Adam, we can hardly free ourselves from that difficulty which we often feel causes us serious misgivings.

But the principle of the universal fall in Adam removes all doubts. For when we consider the perishing of the whole human race, it is truly said that we perish through another's fault; but it is added at the same time, that everyone perishes through their own iniquity.

If, then, we inquire into the cause of the curse which presses upon all the descendants of Adam, it may be said to be partly another's and partly our own: another's, through Adam's turning away from God, in whom the whole human race was stripped of righteousness and understanding, and all parts of the soul utterly corrupted.

So, everyone is lost in themselves, and if they wish to contend with God, they must always acknowledge that the source of the curse flows from themselves. For before the child was born into the world, it was corrupt, since its mind was buried in darkness, and its will was perverse and rebellious against God.

As soon as infants are born, they contract pollution from their father Adam: their reason is blinded, their appetites perverted, and their senses entirely corrupted. This does not immediately manifest itself in the young child, but before God, who perceives things more sharply than we do, the corruption of our whole nature is rightly treated as sin.

There is no one who, during the course of their life, does not perceive themselves liable to punishment through their own works; but original sin is sufficient for the condemnation of all people. When people grow up, they acquire for themselves the new curse of what is called actual sin, so that even someone who appears pure by human standards is guilty before God. Hence, Scripture pronounces us all naturally children of wrath; these are Paul’s words in the second chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 2:3). If, then, we are children of wrath, it follows that we are polluted from our birth; this provokes God’s anger and renders Him hostile to us. In this sense, David confesses himself conceived in sin (Psalms 51:5).

He does not here accuse either his father or his mother so as to lessen his own wickedness; but, when he abhors the greatness of his sin in provoking the wrath of God, he is led back to his infancy and acknowledges that even then he was guilty before God.

We see then that David, being reminded of a single sin, acknowledges himself a sinner before he was born; and since we are all under the curse, it follows that we are all worthy of death. Thus, properly speaking, the son will not die through the iniquity of his father but is considered guilty before God through his own fault.

Now let us proceed further. When God pronounces that the iniquity of the father returns upon the son, we must remember that when God involves the son in the same death with the father, He does so principally because the son of the impious is destitute of His Spirit. Consequently, he remains in the death in which he was born.

For if we do not consider any other punishments than those which are openly inflicted, a new misgiving will again arise from which we cannot free ourselves, since this question will always recur: how can the son perish by his own fault if he can produce good fruit and so reconcile himself to God?

But the first punishment with which God threatens the reprobate is the one I have mentioned: namely, that their offspring are destitute and deprived of spiritual gifts, so that they sink deeper and deeper into destruction. For there are two kinds of punishment, the one outward and the other inward, as we express it.

God punishes the transgressors of His law either by the sword, by famine, or by pestilence, as He everywhere declares. He is also armed with other means of slaughter for executing His wrath, and all these punishments are outward and visible. But there is another kind, inward and hidden: when God takes away the spirit of righteousness from the reprobate, when He gives them up to a reprobate mind, subjects them to foul desires, and deprives them of all His gifts. Hence, God is said to cause the fathers’ iniquity to recoil upon the children not only when He outwardly punishes the little ones, but because He devotes a cursed offspring to eternal destruction, through their being destitute of all the gifts of the Spirit.

Now we know that God is the fountain of life (Psalms 36:9), from which it follows that all who are separated from Him are dead. Therefore, it is now evident how God casts the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, since when He devotes both father and son to eternal destruction, He deprives them of all His gifts, blinds their minds, and enslaves all their appetites to the devil.

Although we may, in one word, summarize the whole matter of the children suffering for the fathers: when He leaves them to their mere nature, as the saying goes, He in this way drowns them in death and destruction. But outward punishments also follow afterwards, as when God sent lightning upon Sodom, many young children perished and were all destroyed with their parents (Genesis 19:24).

If anyone asks by what right they perished, first, they were sons of Adam and so were accursed; and second, God wished to punish the Sodomites through their offspring, and He could do so justly. Concerning the young who thus perished with their fathers, it is said, Happy is he who dashes thy young ones against the stones or the pavement (Psalms 137:9).

At first sight, indeed, that atrocity seems intolerable: that a child whose age and judgment are so tender should be so cruelly killed. But as we have already said, all are naturally children of wrath (Ephesians 2:2). No wonder, therefore, that God withdraws His favor from the offspring of the reprobate, even if He executes these outward judgments.

But how will this now be suitable with the statement, shall not the son bear the iniquity of the father? For Ezekiel here speaks of adults, meaning that the son shall not bear his father's iniquity, since he will receive the reward due to himself and sustain his own burden.

Should anyone wish to strive with God, they can be refuted in a single word: for who can boast themselves innocent? Since, therefore, all are guilty through their own fault, it follows that the son does not bear his father's iniquity, since he has to bear his own at the same time. Now that question is solved.

He now adds, the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the impiety of the impious shall be upon him. We said that this was the legal sentence: if God used the same language everywhere, no hope of safety would be left to us. For who would be found just if their life were judged strictly by the law?

But it has already been said, strictly speaking, that God rewards those worshipers who observe His law and punishes those who transgress it. But since we are all far from perfect obedience, Christ is offered to us, from whom we may partake of righteousness, and in this way be justified by faith.

Meanwhile it is true, according to the rule of the law, that the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, since God will not disappoint anyone but will really perform what He has promised. But He promises a reward to all who observe His law. If anyone objects that this doctrine is useless and superfluous, we have an answer at hand: that it is in many ways useful.

1. First, we acknowledge that God, although He owes us nothing, yet willingly binds Himself to be reconciled to us; and thus His surprising liberality appears.

2. Second, we gather that by transgression we cannot profit or obtain any advantage when God offers a reward to all who observe His law. For what can we demand more just than that God should of His own accord be our debtor, and should reward us while He holds us bound to Himself and completely subject to Him with all our works?

   And that pattern of Christ must be considered: When you have done all that was commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10). Why is this so? Because we return nothing but what God has justly required of us. We gather, then, from this statement, that we cannot argue with God or complain about anything while the fault for our own condemnation resides in us for not keeping the law.

3. Third, we acknowledge another instance of God's mercy in His clothing us with the righteousness of His Son, when He sees us lacking a righteousness of our own and altogether destitute of everything good.

4. Fourth, we said that they are considered just who do not satisfy the law, since God does not impute their sins to them.

Hence, the righteousness of the law is not without fruit among the faithful; since on account of that blessedness described in Psalm 32:2, their works are taken into account and rewarded by God. So the righteousness of the righteous is upon him, just as the impiety of the impious is upon him, and it shall recoil upon his own head.