Ezekiel 33:13

13 "When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he ¹commits iniquity, none * of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die.

Ezekiel 33:13 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 33:13

When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live,
&c.] A happy life, here and hereafter; an eternal life, and not die the second death: this must be understood, should he appear a truly righteous person; one that does not trust to his own righteousness, but to the righteousness of Christ, and lives by faith on that; looking for the hope of righteousness through it, and behaving agreeably to his character: but if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity;
as he will by trusting to it; if he trusts to it for acceptance with God, and justification in his sight, and thinks himself proof against all temptation to sin on account of it; and that he has righteousness enough to make amends for sins committed, or for other sins he may commit; and which he may venture upon through this false notion, and so be led on to an open course of sinning, and series of committing iniquity: all his righteousness shall not be remembered;
God will take no notice of it; it shall be of no avail to justify him from sin, and secure him from wrath; it will be as if it never had been: but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it;
an eternal death, which is the just wages of sin; from which a man's own righteousness can never deliver him, though the righteousness of Christ does deliver from it; see ( Proverbs 10:2 ) ( 11:4 ) .

Ezekiel 33:13 In-Context

11 "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'

12 "And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, 'The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.'

13 "When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die.

14 "But when I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness,

15 if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 18:26; Hebrews 10:38; 2 Peter 2:20, 21