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. – Ezekiel 18:20
Sin and Suffering
Living in a world of sin we are surrounded by much pain and suffering. Like the disciples in John chapter nine verse 20, we want to associates life’s trials with sin. In this case, the disciples specifically wanted to know if a man who was blind since birth was being punished for his own sins or the sins of his parents. I am guessing they were somewhat perplexed when Jesus replied that the man’s blindness was not a consequence of either his own sins or the sins of his parents, but rather was a means by which God would be glorified. While I’m thankful that God can take man’s suffering and use it for His glory, the questions remain. What is the connection between sin and suffering? What is the connection between sin and punishment? If we are punished for sins, for whose sins are we punished? Are we only punished for our own sins or does God indeed punish us for the sins of others?
We know from the Book of Genesis that with the sin of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, death was “introduced” to mankind. With the sin of Adam and Eve, pain and suffering became a part of human existence. Work would now involve toil. Childbearing would be accompanied with great pain. The process of decay was set in motion. Because of the choice of our “parents” in the Garden of Eden, all of us will experience the consequences of sin. Without a doubt we suffer as a consequence of the sins of others. There are too many broken homes and scarred children testifying to the overwhelming amount of abuse and addictions among us. But is that the same as being punished for them? No.
The passage quoted above from Ezekiel states that it is the soul who sins that dies (for his own sins). Son’s will not die for the sin’s of their fathers and fathers will not die for the sins of their sons. Now to be clear, as a consequence of The Fall, both sons and fathers will die in due time. But, as Ezekiel tells us, the guilt of the fathers will not be held against the sons, nor the sons against the fathers. In other words, while we may suffer the consequences of the sins of others, we will not ultimately be punished for them.
What is Punishment?
Cain is the first person in the Bible to use the word punishment. After he killed his brother Abel, God cursed him and drove him from the ground that absorbed the blood of Abel. Accordingly, the ground would no longer produce yield for Cain and he would become a wanderer on the earth. Although guilty of killing his brother, Cain felt his punishment was too harsh.
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me. – Genesis 4:13-14
Notice what Cain says about his punishment. In his lament he says that as part of his punishment, he would be hidden from the face of God and would become a marked man. Although God would put some special mark on Cain to prevent his harm from his fellow man, he was indeed driven from the presence of God. Like his parents, his fellowship with God was compromised because of his disobedience. Like his parents, Cain was warned in advance. God had told Cain that sin was crouching at his door and he must rule over it. But he did not. Instead he let it rule over him and he murdered his brother.
Obviously, punishment is punitive in nature. It’s purpose is retribution. It is the inflicting of a penalty for an offense. Punishment is being condemned for a past action. It implies a code of law and a violation of that code. In the secular realm, those that violate the law must be punished as a means of making them repay the debt they have incurred to those offended by their violation. This is done for the benefit of society at large and more specifically to those offended. Justice demands that whereas good should be rewarded, wrong must be punished. Isn’t that how we define fairness?
In the spiritual realm, the stakes are greater. Whereas governments may have the authority to reward good and punish evil, capital punishment is their most feared punishment. But as Jesus warns us, our greatest fear should not be reserved for those than can “only” kill the body. Rather it is God whom we should fear. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Although governments are God ordained and derive their authority from Him, their abilities to punish are limited. It is God alone who metes out eternal punishment. Final judgement belongs to Him. He is the final Judge. It is He who decides who will be separated from His presence forever. As Jesus warns us, that is the punishment man should fear.
What about Grace?
While we talk about fairness and getting what we deserve, the fact of the matter is we really need mercy. We really need grace. Knowing our needs of such, God gave us His Son.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. – John 3:16-18
These verses tell us that if we put our faith in Christ, not only will we not be punished for the sins of others, but more amazingly, we will not ultimately be punished for our own sins. Why? Because Jesus has already been punished for them. That is how we can be “saved” through Him (v. 17). In His life, Jesus fulfilled the law. Perfectly. By His death on the cross, Jesus bore the penalty for our sins. Once and for all. In His resurrection, Jesus defeated death and eternal separation from God.
Instead of experiencing eternal separation from God, we are offered eternal life. Life that the Gospel of John equates with intimate fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (John 17:3). But in order to experience this fellowship, we must put our faith in the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Completely and exclusively.
Love’s Discipline
Just because we live under grace, doesn’t mean that God ignores our sins. While He may not punish us for our past sins, out of love He will discipline us for our future growth (Hebrews 12:6). As we sin, God, like a loving father, instead of allowing us to wander, will discipline us for our benefit. Unlike punishment that is retributive in nature, the objective of discipline is restoration. It’s motive is love driven not law driven. Instead of being concerned with a past act like punishment, discipline is forward looking. God wants to keep us from straying the path of obedience. He wants to spare us from miseries that would far exceed the discipline He applies.
We recoil from discipline much like we recoil from the thought of punishment. We often mimic Cain’s perspective on punishment; it’s too harsh, I can’t handle it. But a wise person understands the importance of authority. A wise person understands the importance of submission and obedience. Likewise, a wise person understands the need for discipline, even if it is uncomfortable and perhaps even unfashionable or unpopular. But the benefits outweigh the pain.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12:11
Will God punish us for our sins or those of others? NO! Will He discipline us to diminish our propensity towards future sin? Absolutely. In His grace He has spared His children from the punishment of sins. In His mercy, He wants to eliminate unnecessary consequences of sins. Instead, He wants us to yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, as His children He encourages us not to regard His discipline lightly nor to be weary when He reproves us (Hebrews 12:5b). It is the least children can do for a loving Father.
What About These Verses?
Skeptics like to pit Bible verses against one another claiming the Bible contradicts itself. Certainly this topic of sin and punishment is no exception. I don’t pretend to have all of the answers, but I believe in the innerancy of the Bible and I don’t believe it can contradict itself. Since these verses may cause confusion to the honest Bible student I thought it might be helpful to at least address them.
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me – Exodus 20:5 (Repeated in Exodus 34, Deuteronomy 5:9, & Number 14:18)
When God gave the nation of Israel the Ten Commandments, He knew their propensity for idolatry. While this verse does say that God will visit the iniquities of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation, He does qualify it. It is those that hate God who will have the iniquities of their fathers visiting them to the third and fourth generation. In other words, it is those that will continue to repeat the sin of idolatry who will be punished for it. These generations are not being punished for their father’s sins, but rather for repeating the sins of their fathers.
Similarly, we see this in another passage often cited as a contradiction.
10 “And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, 12 and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. 13 Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’ – Jeremiah 16:10-13
Here we see the warning of Exodus becoming reality. When evil comes their way the people ask, “Why?”. What have we done to deserve this punishment? Jeremiah begins his response by telling the people that their fathers forsook God for other gods whom they served and worshiped instead of the true God. By forsaking God for idols their fathers failed to keep the law. But God, through Jeremiah, isn’t done with His explanation. As bad as the iniquities of their fathers were, they had done even worse. As a matter of fact, God charges them with following their own stubborn, evil wills, and refusing to listen to Him (v. 12).
Rather than being a contradiction, this verse is a warning of the dangers of “generational” sins. Like an addiction, certain sins seem difficult for some families to break. Generation after generation continue to repeat the sins of their fathers. But it doesn’t have to be this way. God encourages us to be the generation to break the bondage. Not just for us, but for our offspring. As severe as His justice may be, look at the glimpse He gives of His mercy.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. – Exodus 20:4-6
By stating that He is willing to show his steadfast love to thousands of those who love Him and keep his commandments, God is saying that His mercy knows no limit. It certainly stands in stark contrast to the three or four generations on whom the iniquities will be visited. I believe this is a prelude to what Paul would go on to tell us in Romans chapter five, where sin increases grace abounds all the more (v. 20).
It Is Finished
As a child of God, we have been liberated not only from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14) but the fear of punishment as well. To live in fear of punishment is to doubt the sacrifice of Christ and God’s acceptance of it.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5
Note carefully what the Prophet Isaiah says. We are healed by the wounds of Christ. The chastisement that He took for our sins has brought us peace. Peace with God. By the blood of Christ we have been reconciled to God. He is satisfied with the punishment of Christ. We should be also. God will never punish you for the sins of another person, and if you are His child nor will He punish you for your own. Ever. After nailing our sins to the cross, our Judge laid down the gavel.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:14
As Christians, our lives should be filled with peace not fear. We no longer have to fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Instead, our destiny is an eternity in heaven where our souls will be united with a glorified body. Instead of being separated from God, we will worship Him for all of eternity. God doesn’t want His children fearing His punishment, rather, He wants to perfect us in His love.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. – 1 John 4:18