Ezekiel’s Proverb & Hereditary Guilt, Part 2

The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel.

Ezekiel 18:1–3 ESV

Was this proverb repeated in Israel ever good theology?

I ask this because, when I was taking a Bible course at a Christian college, it was suggested that this was a declaration of a new way of God dealing with humanity. At some point before his message to Ezekiel, it was metaphorically accurate to say, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” but not anymore.

But if you believe the Bible is reliable as God’s word, then you can’t make Deuteronomy later than Ezekiel. Moses clearly prohibited punishing the sons for the sins of the father. There is nothing new in what God says here.

Then why did God address the issue?

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Hereditary Guilt & the Bible, Part 1

So this has become a topic among Evangelicals (though, to be honest, I’m not sure that term is meaningful any more). I thought I should address it.

The Bible teaches that the sin of our first father condemned the entire human race. That is why the Bible can be interpreted of teaching some form of “hereditary guilt.” So I need to comment on what the Bible says about that. I plan to do so in these posts.

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The Peril & Promise of Self-Awareness, Self-Consciousness

Awhile back I preached a sermon and said the following:

 When Proverbs 17:22 says that “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” it’s not simply describing two states that people find themselves in. “Medicine” is an intervention you bring into someone’s life to end sickness and encourage health. Solomon is encouraging you to pursue a joyful heart and experience blessings from it rather than cultivate a crushed spirit and suffer the problems that it brings. A parallel text is Proverbs 14:30, “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” The point is to not nurture a crushed spirit, but to do something about it that demonstrates your faith in Jesus.  

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