Ezekiel 18:20
The soul who sins shall die.
The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father,
nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son.
The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself,
and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
Perhaps the most poignant passage identifying “original sin” as a false doctrine are the words of the prophet Ezekiel. Be sure to read the entire chapter, but to summarize notice the words of verse 20.
- “soul who sins shall die” – As we saw in the opening passage (Romans 5:12), the guilt of sin falls upon the one who sins.
- “The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father” – Wait! Read that again! Did the inspired prophet just say that sin is not inherited from the father?! Q: How is a baby guilty of “original sin” if sin is not passed along from father to son?
Note: As Moses was reminding the adults of Israel about their sinful past, he makes a very interesting declaration about the sinlessness of their children. Deuteronomy 1:39 (ESV) …your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. Q: How could the parents be guilty of sin, yet their children be pure of heart, if the children inherited original sin from their parents?
Conclusion: It’s as if the Holy Spirit anticipated the false doctrine of “Original Sin” and decided to have the prophet Ezekiel write specific words to counteract the falsehood.