Does Ezekiel 18 Refute the Original Sin Doctrine?

DOES EZEKIEL 18 REFUTE THE ORIGINAL SIN DOCTRINE? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

The original sin doctrine teaches that all people born after Adam share in his sinful condemnation. Critics of the original sin doctrine insist that Adam's fall only resulted in physical death and sin coming to men. They deny that Adam's sinfulness and guilt was imputed on his offspring. They insist that men are born innocent and only when they commit sin are they condemned. 

Ezekiel 18:20 says "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" (NKJV). 

Critics of the original sin doctrine consider Ezekiel 18 as evidence that individual responsibility for sinful transgression cannot be transferred to the offspring of the offender. They insist that the text modifies the import of the original sin in Genesis 2-3. 

This view is gaining wide acceptance in sections of Western Christianity that insist that imputed sin and guilt is morally unfair and unjustified. The original sin doctrine has historically been recognized in leading Christian traditions including Roman Catholics, Conservative Baptists and the Reformed groups. 

While I agree with the view that God will hold a sinner guilty for sins they consciously commit, I disagree with the attempt to conflate Ezekiel 18 with the import of Adam's transgression in Genesis 3. The text of Ezekiel 18 is addressing a specific context in Israel's covenant life as a nation. 

My view is that Ezekiel 18 does not refute, amend or override the original sin doctrine taught in Genesis 3 and affirmed in several passages of Scripture including Psalm 51:5. My view is that men are born sinful and share in Adam's sin and guilt. Christ alone was born sinless. 

I am persuaded that Romans 5:12-21 clearly affirms and amplifies the original sin doctrine taught in Genesis 2-3. The impact of Adam's sin on humanity is beyond having a sinful nature. Scripture reveals that sin is imputed on the sinner right from conception (Genesis 2:16-17, 3; Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12-21).  

Romans 5:18-19 says "Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous" (NKJV).

It is instructive that Scripture points to universal sinfulness and condemnation of men in Adam. It further notes the Christ, the New Adam, brought the cure for our sinfulness. 

The import of the argument by the critics of the original sin doctrine is to draw the regrettable conclusion that men are born sinless. This violates several passages of Scripture including John 3:16-17; Romans 3:23, 5:12-21 and 2 Corinthians 5:21.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

 

Enduring Hardships For the Gospel of Jesus Christ - Lessons from 2 Timothy 2:1-13

 

ENDURING HARDSHIPS FOR THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST - LESSONS FROM 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-13

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Christian suffering is a recurring theme in Scripture. We shall study and analyze the passage of Scripture below and conclude with a moral application.

TEXT 

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

11 This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him.

12 If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He also will deny us.

13 If we are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself." [2 TIMOTHY 2:3-13, NKJV]

PASSAGE ANALYSIS 

We begin with an outline of the passage context. Paul exhorted Timothy to be courageous in serving God as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ despite the hardships and afflictions that come with the calling. In the preceding passage of  2 Timothy 1, Paul recognized that Timothy's faith was anchored on the Jewish religious heritage of two Jewish women - his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois (vv. 3-7). He encouraged Timothy to be courageous in preaching the gospel. He further implored him to remain steadfast and loyal to the doctrine that he had received from Paul. 

Paul lamented that some of his ministry associates from Asia had deserted him during one of his missions. He singles out Onesiphorus as a faithful minister who served him consistently. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul continues with his exhortation to Timothy on faithfulness to Christian doctrine. He warns him to keep away from teachers who subvert the gospel truths for selfish gain (vv. 1-9). He describes these apostates as "men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith..."

Paul commends Timothy for his faithfulness in learning from the apostle, saying that Timothy had "carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love and perseverance..." (v. 10). Timothy had been taught the Hebrew Scriptures from a young age (vv. 14-15). 

Having established the context, we now return to our passage of context of 2 Timothy 2:1-13.

Paul encouraged Timothy to remain steadfast and "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (v.2) The illustration of an obedient Roman soldier who seeks to please his master is instructive. A Christian worker should seek to please Christ at all times, even under circumstances that their safety, well-being and liberties are threatened.

Our walk with Christ and our service to God should be informed by solid convictions founded on the truths of God's word.  Paul speaks of "my gospel" (v. 8) in reference to this conviction. What is your gospel? What doctrines do you subscribe to? Some people attempt to dilute the gospel for their convenience, often out of fear of offending others...

Notice further that Paul later speaks of a time when the contemporary Christian society will not endure sound doctrine but "...will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NKJV). Does this text ring a bell to you? 

Back to our passage of context...

Paul speaks about the rewards for the gospel work. He used the illustrations of a disciplined soldier, an athlete, and a farmer to underscore the essence of rewards for diligence (vv. 3-7). In each context, diligence, hard work, and patience is required.

Paul finally used the illustration of his personal sacrifices in serving God. He endured severe afflictions for the sake of advancing the gospel and drawing people to Christ (vv. 9-10). He suffered imprisonment and a series of degrading treatment including imprisonment, being beaten with rods, being shipwrecked, persecution by fellow Jews and finally being imprisoned (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:22-33). All these afflictions did not dampen Paul's spirit. He kept writing to the churches from his prison cell. 

Paul concludes the passage with a poetic doxology or a praise hymn (vv. 11-13). Two things stand out from this hymn: God rewards our diligence and God is faithful. Nothing, not even death, can extinguish our hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Secondly, God's faithfulness endures forever (cf. Psalm 136). God cannot deny Himself. Elsewhere in Scripture, the writer of Scripture proclaims thus:

"God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent.

Has He said, and will He not do?

Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19, NKJV). 

We learn from Paul's statement in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 that he was at the tail end of his apostolic ministry and looked forward to his martyrdom with courage. Paul had been arrested and imprisoned by the Roman authorities for preaching the gospel. Bible scholars say that Paul was martyred by Nero, a cruel Roman emperor in circa 62-64 AD. Nero is identified with the severe persecution of Christians during the first century AD. The Epistle of Second Timothy is considered as Paul's final epistle that he wrote as he awaited his execution.

MORAL APPLICATION 

What are you doing for Christ? You could be facing trials and afflictions in your life for standing out for God's word and God's work. Are you perhaps discouraged in your Christian life? Is your commitment to Christ waning or growing? Christian suffering can arise from our family settings, businesses, careers, workplaces, or even hostile societies of context that reject the doctrines of our Christian.

We should seek solace from the words of this passage and other relevant texts of Scripture and stand firm and proclaim Christ crucified. May the Lord strengthen you as you defend the truths of God's word wherever you are and whatever you do for the kingdom of God. Our diligence and endurance will be rewarded by God. 

Jude 1:3 exhorts us to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. It is our responsibility as God's people to stand firm for our Christian convictions even in the midst of opposition, ridicule and discrimination.

We should therefore proclaim Christ and defend the faith at every opportunity.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

Who were the Sons of God Mentioned in Genesis 6:2-4?

 

WHO WERE THE SONS OF GOD MENTIONED IN GENESIS 6:2-4?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

"There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." (Genesis 6:4, NKJV). 

Introduction

We shall begin with a brief outline of the passage context. The preceding passage of Genesis 5 conveys nine generations of the genealogy of Adam beginning with Seth. It concludes with Lamech and Noah, respectively (vv. 28-32). Noah’s three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth are mentioned in the closing section of the passage (v. 32).

In Genesis 6:1-8, the writer of Scripture describes the wickedness of the succeeding generations of Adam’s offspring and God’s judgment of man. Following the multiplication of mankind (v.1), the Bible reports that the sons of God were captivated by the daughters of men and they took wives for themselves among them (v. 2). 

God reduced the lifespan or years of men to a maximum of 120 years (v.3). This is not a prescriptive limit since Psalm 90:10 provides a related statement. 

At this point, the writer offers no further details on who these “sons of God” were. 

God was sorely displeased with the ensuing generation because of their wickedness.  The writer reveals that a strange offspring came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These are described as “mighty men who were of old, men of renown” (v.4, NKJV). The fact that God determined to wipe out the entire human race from the face of the earth at this point suggests that these mighty men were part of  fallen humanity (vv. 5-7). There was one exception though. The writer records that Noah, a ninth generation offspring of Adam, found grace in the eyes of the LORD (v.6). He was part of God's remnant in a wicked society.

The succeeding passage of Genesis 7 narrates the chilling account of the forty days and forty nights of Noah's flood under which the wicked perished. Only Noah and his immediate family escaped the flood because God preserved them (vv. 13-16). The rest of wicked humanity was destroyed in the flood.

Suggested Interpretations

So, who were the sons of God described in Genesis 6:2-4?

This is a difficult question. There are two major interpretations that have been suggested by scholars in response to it. Three other minor views are noteworthy. We shall proceed to examine them below and draw a conclusion.

Sons of Seth

The first interpretation is founded on the view that the sons of God were the sons of Seth who were godly men that fell for the beautiful but wicked earthly women of that evil generation. These men had abandoned the ways of God and wallowed in wickedness. This would imply that the mention of the sons of God was a metaphorical reference to God's covenant people in this context. The sons of Seth were considered a godly lineage compared to the sons of Cain (cf. Genesis 4-5). 

In the Old Testament Scripture, the closest reference to the phrase “sons of God” is where godly people are identified as God’s sons or children (Deuteronomy 14:1; Jeremiah 3:19). There is however no text of Old Testament Scripture that expressly renders the phrase “sons of God” under a general reference to men. Some have argued that since the Canaanites are considered as descendants of Cain, their prohibition of marriage with God’s people could be evidence of the separation of the two societies. 

This interpretation assumes that the writer was distinguishing two people groups separated by religious convictions, of which the sons of God were faithful people. The results of their marriage however appears to weaken the theory because a genetic variation stands out in their offspring, suggesting that the union between the sons of God and the earthly women was extraordinary. Notice also that the women are specifically described as "daughters of men". This suggests that the sons of God were possibly distinct from members of ordinary human societies. If their moral depravity was exclusively contemplated in the description, then the choice of language would have been clearer in the narrative. 

Fallen Angels

The second interpretation holds that the phrase “sons of God” is a reference to fallen angels. This interpretation is consistent with the view held by traditional Judaism and was adopted by sections of the early church based on their treatment of some New Testament Scriptures (cf. 1 Peter 3:19-20; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). It is further anchored on the view that the phrase “sons of God” is elsewhere used in reference to heavenly hosts (cf. Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7). Some have suggested that Jude 1:6 points to the sexual immorality committed by the fallen angels.[1] Still others consider the “Fallen Angels” view as more plausible given that Peter and Jude mention the fallen angels in their writings.  

Some scholars consider Jesus’ statement in Matthew 22:30 as a refutation against angels marrying human women.[2] This statement appears to muddle the theological standing of the second interpretation at the outset but the passage context indicates that Jesus was refuting the Sadducees’ rejection of the resurrection of believers. Notice Jesus' simile on the resurrected saints: "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven" (NKJV). 

It is therefore plausible to suppose that the angelic union with fallen earthly women may have occurred in this context, given the depravity of the pre-flood society.  The fallen angels, including Satan himself, had already been expelled from heaven following their rebellion against God (cf. Genesis 3:1-6; Isaiah 14:12-17; Revelation 12:7-9).  If Satan could possess or occupy creatures, including a serpent (Genesis 3:1-5), nothing perhaps prevents the fallen angels from influencing humanity under their depravity. Notice further that Satan is described elsewhere in Scripture as the old serpent who deceives the whole world and that he was cast out of heaven together with his angels following his open rebellion against God (Revelation 12:7-9). 

It is instructive that the fall of Adam and Eve was orchestrated by Satan himself. This affirms the view that Satan's expulsion from heaven historically preceded the creation account in Genesis 1-2. His influence on the pre-flood generation was unmistakably profound. 

Other Views 

Don Stewart outlines three additional but minor interpretations that have been advanced in response to this question. 

The first view holds that the sons of God may have been ancient rulers as opposed to commoners. This distinction closely ties in with the sons of Seth theory except that it introduces a social class matrix. 

The second view considers the sons of God as humans who were demon possessed with human women. This theory is difficult to reconcile with the text of Genesis 6:2-4. 

The final interpretation construes the phrase as a reference to men and women in general.[3] . The generalization introduced by this interpretation presents a theological contrast to the clear distinctions set out in the Scripture text itself. The three additional views are oversimplified interpretations and do not lay any emphasis on the angelic or heavenly nature of  the strange beings that married human women.

Allen Ross outlines a modern interpretation strand that identifies the sons of God as lesser gods in the heavenly pantheon under Canaanite mythology.[4]. This suggestion closely ties to the fallen angels view but its connection with Canaanite mythology weakens its theological standing in Jewish thought. 

Conclusion

It is important to note that none of these interpretations presents a conclusive answer to the question. These are theological views drawn by scholars that have wrestled with the meaning of the biblical phrase from the study of the passage context and related sources. 

Suffice it however to state that the “sons of God” may refer to a species of strange pre-flood beings whose heritage is difficult to establish from Scripture. Secondly, the phrase may have been employed by the writer of Scripture to distinguished a generation of people who were faithful to God as opposed to the wicked men of their day.  The fact that Noah alone was found righteous could partly justify this theory. However, the strange biological description of the offspring and the textual distinction between the sons of God and daughters of men is difficult to reconcile in this context.

Most scholars agree that the identity of the sons of God in vv. 2-4 renders the text of Genesis 6:1-8 as a difficult passage of Scripture. 

The "Fallen Angels" interpretation appears to stand above the rest. This view is consistent with the Old Testament narratives on angelic beings assuming a human form (cf. Genesis 18-19). Besides, 1 Peter 3:19-20 and 2 Peter 2:4-5 appear to relate the rebellion of the disobedient spirits to the days of Noah, suggesting that their transgressions could be theologically connected to the events described in Genesis 6:1-8. 

The mention of "angels who did not keep their proper domain" [Jude 1:6, NKJV] has also been construed by some as evidence of the moral depravity of the fallen angels. Even though Jude's context relates to moral apostasy, his mention of sexual immorality and the illustration of Sodom and Gomorrah in v. 7 appears to tie with the passage context. This reinforces the standing of the "Fallen Angels" interpretation.

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024.

REFERENCES

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[1] William F. Cook, “Who are the Sons of God in Genesis 6?” in The Gospel Coalition, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/who-are-sons-of-god-genesis-6/. Accessed 27 March 2024.

[2] Douglas J D, , Tenney Meril & Silva Moises Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Revised ed. (Grand Rapids: Michigan, Zondervan: Michigan, 2011), p. 1384.

[3] Don Stewart, “Who are the Sons of God and Daughters of Men?” in Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_723.cfm. Accessed 9 April 2024 at 1157 GMT.

[4] Allen Ross, Creation and Blessing (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 1988), p. 178.