John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 18:32

"For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live." — Ezekiel 18:32 (ASV)

We see, therefore, how God throws off that false reproach from Himself with which the children of Israel taunted Him, saying that they perished by His excessive harshness and could find no reason for His severity against them. He announces, on the other hand, that the cause of death rested with themselves. Then He points out the remedy: that they should amend their lives, not only in outward appearance, but in sincerity of heart; and at the same time, He testifies to His willingness to be entreated. Indeed, He meets them of His own accord, if they only repent heartily and genuinely.

We now understand the Prophet’s meaning. We said that we are admonished in this way: if we desire to return to God, we must begin at the beginning, namely, renewal of the heart and spirit, because, as Jeremiah says, He looks for truth and integrity and does not value outward disguises (Jeremiah 5:3).

But it may seem absurd for God to exhort the Israelites to form their hearts anew. And men poorly trained in the Scriptures erect their crests under the pretense of this passage, as if it were in man’s power, through his own free will, to convert himself. They exclaim, therefore, either that God here exhorts His people deceitfully, or else that when alienated from Him, we can by our own volition repent and return to the way.

But the whole Scripture openly refutes this. It is not in vain that the saints so often pray that God would renew them (Psalms 51:12, and very often elsewhere), for it would be a feigned and a lying prayer if newness of heart were not His gift. If anyone requests of God what he is convinced he already has, and by his own inherent power, does he not trifle with God?

But nothing occurs more frequently than this manner of entreaty. Since, therefore, the saints pray to God to renew them, they doubtless confess that to be His unique gift. Unless He moves His hand, they have no strength remaining, so that they can never rise from the ground. Besides, in many passages God claims the renewal of the heart as uniquely His own.

We noticed that remarkable passage in the eleventh chapter of this Prophet (Ezekiel 11:19); He will repeat the same in the thirty-sixth chapter (Ezekiel 36:26–27); and we know what Jeremiah says in his thirty-first chapter (Jeremiah 31:33). But Scripture is everywhere full of testimonies of this kind, so that it would be superfluous to heap together many passages. Indeed, if anyone denies that regeneration is a gift of the Holy Spirit, he will tear up by the roots all the principles of piety.

We have said that regeneration is like another creation; and if we compare it with the first creation, it far surpasses it. For it is much better for us to be made children of God, and reformed in His image within us, than to be created mortal. We are born children of wrath, corrupt and degenerate (Ephesians 2:3), since all integrity was lost when God’s image was removed.

We see, then, the nature of our first creation. But when God re-fashions us, we are not only born sons of Adam, but we are the brothers of angels and members of Christ. And this our second life consists in rectitude, justice, and the light of true understanding.

We now see that if it had been in man’s free will to convert himself, much more would be ascribed to him than to God, because, as we have said, it was much more valuable to be created sons of God than of Adam. It ought, then, to be beyond all controversy among the pious that men cannot rise again when they have fallen, and turn of themselves when alienated from God; but this is the unique gift of the Holy Spirit.

And the sophists, who in every way endeavor to obscure God’s grace, confess that half the act of conversion lies within the power of the Holy Spirit. For they do not say that we are simply and totally converted by the impulse of our own free will, but they imagine a concurrence of grace with free will, and of free will with grace.

Thus they foolishly represent us as cooperating with God. They confess, indeed, that God’s grace goes before and follows; and they consider themselves very generous toward God when they acknowledge this twofold grace in man’s conversion. But God is not content with that partition, since He is deprived of half His right. For He does not say that He would assist men to renew themselves and to repent; but He attributes the work to Himself entirely: I will give you a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26).

If it is His to give, it follows that the slightest portion of it cannot be transferred to man without diminishing something from His right. But they object that the following precept is not in vain: that men should make for themselves a new heart. Now their deception arises from ignorance, from their judging of the powers of men by the commands of God; but the inference is incorrect, as we have said elsewhere. For when God teaches what is right, He does not consider what we are able to do, but only shows us what we ought to do.

When, therefore, the power of our free will is estimated by the precepts of God, we make a great mistake, because God exacts from us the strict discharge of our duty, just as if our power of obedience were not defective. We are not absolved from our obligation because we cannot pay it, for God holds us bound to Himself, although we are in every way deficient.

They object again: God then deludes men when He says, make yourselves a new heart. I answer, we must always consider for what purpose God speaks this way, namely, that men convicted of sin may cease to throw the blame on anyone else, as they often endeavor to do. For nothing is more natural than to transfer the cause of our condemnation away from ourselves, so that we may seem just, and God appear unjust.

Since, then, such depravity reigns among men, the Holy Spirit therefore demands from us what all acknowledge they ought to pay; and if we do not pay it, still we are bound to do so, and thus all strife and complaint should cease. Thus, as it concerns the elect, when God shows them their duty and they acknowledge that they cannot discharge it, they fly to the aid of the Holy Spirit, so that the outward exhortation becomes a kind of instrument which God uses to confer the grace of His Spirit.

For although He gratuitously goes before us and does not need outward channels, yet He desires exhortations to be useful to this end. Since, therefore, this doctrine stirs up the elect to yield themselves to be ruled by the Holy Spirit, we see how it becomes fruitful for us.

Hence it follows that God does not delude or deceive us when He exhorts each of us to form his heart and his spirit afresh. In short, Ezekiel wished by these words to show that pardon would be prepared for the Israelites if they seriously repented and showed its effects throughout their whole lives.

That was most true, because the elect did not embrace this doctrine in vain, when at the same time God worked in them by His Spirit and so turned them to Himself. But the reprobate, though they do not cease to murmur, are yet rendered ashamed, since all excuse has been removed, and they must perish through their own fault, because they willingly remained in their wickedness and by self-indulgence cherished the old man within themselves—a fountain of all injustice.

Whenever such passages occur, let us remember that celebrated prayer of Augustine: Grant us what you command, and command what you wish (Epistle 24). For otherwise, if God should lay upon us the slightest burden, we would be unable to bear it.

Besides, our strength will be sufficient to fulfill His requirements, if only He supplies it, and we are not so foolish as to think anything is included in His precepts that He has not granted to us. For, as I have said before, nothing is more perverse than to measure the angelic righteousness of the law by our own strength.

By the word heart, I understand him to mean the seat of all the affections; and by spirit, the intellectual part of the soul. The heart is often taken to mean the reason and intellect; but when these two words are joined together, the spirit relates to the mind, and so it is the intellectual faculty of the soul, while the heart is taken to mean the will, or the seat of all the affections.

Hence we see how very corrupt the Israelites were, since they could not be reconciled to God otherwise than by being renewed in both heart and mind. Hence also we may gather the general doctrine that nothing in us is sound and perfect, and therefore an entire renovation is necessary so that we may please God.

The following phrase, why will ye die, O house of Israel? suggests many questions. Here unskillful men think that God speculates on what men will do, and that the salvation or destruction of each depends on themselves, as if God had determined nothing concerning us before the foundation of the world.

Hence they set Him at naught, since they fancy that He is held in suspense and doubt as to the future end of everyone, and that He is not so anxious for our salvation as to wish all to be saved, but leaves it in the power of everyone to perish or to be saved as he pleases.

But as I have said, this would reduce God to a specter. We have no need of a long dispute, because Scripture everywhere declares with sufficient clarity that God has determined what will happen to us, for He chose His own people before the foundation of the world and passed by others (Ephesians 1:4).

Nothing is clearer than this doctrine. For if there had been no predestination on God’s part, there would have been no deity, since He would be forced into order as if He were one of us. Indeed, men are to a certain extent provident, whenever God allows some sparks of His image to shine forth in them.

If, therefore, the very smallest drop of foresight in men is acknowledged, how great must it be in the Fountain itself? Insipid indeed is the comment which fancies that God remains doubtful and waiting for what will happen to individuals, as if it were in their own power either to attain salvation or to perish.

But the Prophet’s words are plain, for God testifies with grief that He willeth not the death of a mortal. I answer that there is no absurdity, as we said before, in God’s taking on a twofold character—not that He is two-faced Himself, as those profane dogs blurt out against us, but because His counsels are incomprehensible to us.

This indeed ought to be fixed: that before the foundation of the world we were predestined either to life or death. Now because we cannot ascend to that height, it is necessary for God to adapt Himself to our ignorance and to descend in some way to us, since we cannot ascend to Him.

When Scripture so often says that God has heard and inquires, no one is offended. All accept those forms of speech without misgiving and acknowledge them as adopted from human language (Genesis 16:11, and often). Very often, I say, God transfers to Himself the characteristics of man, and this is accepted universally without either offense or controversy.

Although this manner of speaking is rather harsh: God came to see (Genesis 11:5), when He announces that He came to inquire about things already fully known to Him, it is easily explained, since nothing is less in accordance with His nature. For the solution is at hand, namely, that God speaks metaphorically and adapts His speech to human comprehension.

Now why will the same reasoning not apply in the present case? For with respect to the law and the whole teaching of the prophets, God announces His wish that all should be saved. And surely, if we consider the aim of the heavenly teaching, we will find that all are indiscriminately called to salvation.

For the law was a way of life, as Moses testifies: This is the way, walk ye in it. Again, Whosoever has done those things shall live in them. And again, This is your life (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; Deuteronomy 32:47; Leviticus 18:5; Isaiah 30:21). Then of His own accord God offers Himself as merciful to His ancient people, so that this heavenly teaching ought to be life-giving.

But what is the Gospel? It is God’s power unto salvation to every believer, says Paul (Romans 1:16). Therefore God delighteth not in the death of him who dieth, if he repents at His teaching. But if we wish to penetrate His incomprehensible counsel, this will be another objection: “Oh! But in this way God is chargeable with duplicity”—but I have denied this, though He takes up a twofold character, because this was necessary for our comprehension.

Meanwhile Ezekiel announces this very truly as far as doctrine is concerned: that God wills not the death of him that perishes. For the explanation follows directly afterwards: be you converted and live. Why does God not delight in the death of him who perishes?

Because He invites all to repentance and rejects no one. Since this is so, it follows that He is not delighted by the death of him who perishes. Hence there is nothing in this passage doubtful or thorny, and we should also hold that we are led astray by speculations too deep for us.

For God does not wish us to inquire into His secret counsels. Moses says, His secrets are with Himself (Deuteronomy 29:29), but this book is for ourselves and our children. Moses there distinguishes between the hidden counsel of God (which if we desire to investigate too curiously we will tread in a profound abyss) and the teaching delivered to us.

Hence let us leave to God His own secrets and apply ourselves as far as we can to the law, in which God’s will is made plain to us and to our children. Now let us continue.