Ezekiel 18:20 says, “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” It seems to me that God is saying that we are not sinners because of Adam and Eve, but because of our own choosing.
Many times in scripture it is said that the child will bear the curse of the Father down to the third and fourth generation. But the saying of Ezekiel is a little different: “18:1
strange that a proverb should be current in Israel, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are being set of edge.!”
The passage in Ezekiel is speaking to “sons” of Israel; It is speaking to a people who believed they were “Sons” of Abraham, and deserved God’s protection because of that alone; BUT: As John the Baptist observed “Do not say you are Sons of Abraham, God can raise sons of Abraham from these rocks.”
Or again St. Paul said: not everyone who is circumcised is a son of Abraham (Romans).
Historically, the people spoken to by Ezekiel had been exiled into Babylon for a false oath (chapter 17:11-16). This is the context of chapter 18.
So, think about it: Many people, indeed, had died because of their fathers; many were born
in Babylon because of their fathers – suffering exile on account of their fathers.
But, additionally – many of the children (grown and ungrown) were in despair believing that they deserved death on account of what their fathers did. It is to these children, that God speaks a message of Hope. Their father’s damnation (die the death 2nd v:18:13) was to be a sign to them – (18:14-15) – a sign of what causes death and must not be
done. But such a sign is useless to an infant.
The book also is speaking primarily of transgressions of the law of Moses; for the law of Moses prescribes a physical death penalty – but does not guarantee an eternal one. Notice vv: 18:18 – “His father, a man of wrong and violence, that deserved ill
of his countrymen, has paid for his guilt by death;”
Since the father has paid, the law no longer has a claim of debt.
What the prophet is talking about, then, is not the normal Jewish saying, nor is the passage entirely clear which penalty is for what – and in what way a child pays and does not pay for the father’s sin.
Even after the time of Ezekiel, even in the time of Christ, we receive word that the parents can affect the children ill by their disbelief – or conversely, at least one parent needs to be holy to prevent the child being damaged.
1Cori 7:14 Because the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband,
or else your children were unclean; but now are they holy.
Ans also…
Psalm 51 speaks also of the child in this way: “In transgression my mother conceived me.”
This psalm is the classic Catholic apologetic line when speaking of Original sin; cf: Augustine & St. Jerome.
Ezekiel is a message of hope saying the child is not to be punished fully for the father’s sin; but it’s context makes it clear that the children are punished partially for the father’s sins.
Ezekiel says, in the sense of human laws and punishment – that the children ought not be put to death for the false oath of their king; but it says nothing of other costs that the children must bear.
It also seems to me that God is saying that we are not guilty of the sin that was committed by Adam and Eve. Also Jesus said we must become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven and the bible says elsewhere that no sin can enter into Heaven. I guess it could be argued that once we accept God’s salvation, our sins are acquitted, but then what about those babies who die before they grow up?
We do not know for certain; based on Ezekiel – we can hope. But, even the Catholic Church points out that hell is not uniformly punishing. There are lesser and greater torments. It’s not solid logic to prematurely jump to the conclusion that all children would be totally spared.
The children spoken of by Jesus – were children already toddling along. Children who would have been circumcised (if boys); and already sacrificed on behalf of in the Temple – placed under the law – and protected by God’s promise.
The bosom of Abraham, was not heaven at the time of Jesus – but the Parable of Lazarus makes it clear that those with Abraham found comfort; those without him – found torture for their sins. In one sense, namely that Jesus was not with them yet, they were both in hell – in another, some received mercy and not the punishment given to others for their immediate sins.
Do they go to hell because they were “born sinners” and couldn’t accept God’s salvation (as a result of being babies and not knowing or understanding God’s salvation at the time)? Also, at what age does a child become accountable for his or her sins? As far as I know the bible doesn’t say at what age a person becomes accountable for their sins. Finally, how can people say that we are born sinners when the bible clearly says otherwise?
The bible says that the wicked “Go astray from the womb speaking lies.”
Ishmael was excused from the penalty of his sin until some time after age 13. Up and until that time, Abraham bore responsibility for him. It is immediately upon his mocking Sarah and Isaac AFTER this time (eg: during a weaning party, for likely Hagar was the wet nurse – Sarah being too old.) that Ishmael is kicked out – receiving his punishment immediately.
God did, before this time, refuse to allow Ishmael to be punished – even though his mother publicly despised Sarah and suffered reprisal. God said to Hagar to go back and take
her punishment from her master.
“religion of the book”