Why I Believe Ezekiel 33:12-13 is Proof of Eternal Security or Perseverance of the Saints
Ezekiel 3 has verses that are used by conditional security proponents to believe that you can lose your salvation. The verses in Ezekiel 3 are as follows:
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
On the surface, it seems that you can lose your salvation. However, we need to read the Bible in its full context. In Ezekiel 33, we read these verses that really start to explain things when Ezekiel is recommissioned as the watchman:
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
You may want to notice the words "if he trusts to his own righteousness". The NIV (which Dan Corner loves to use) also states it as:
12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done.
There is righteousness, humanly speaking. It's like I know some Catholics who aren't just religious but are also living right. They are a far cry from other Catholics I know who are religious and living sinfully. Some Buddhists I know are not just devoted to their parish but also live as rightfully as possible. However, the problem is they are righteous people (humanly speaking) who have turned away from righteousness by practicing idolatry. Sure, they may not be performing human sacrifices, they may be protesting against abortions in contrast to the worshipers of Moloch but they are still into idolatry. God hates idolatry. They may be living their best lives now but they aren't righteous by God's top standards (Romans 3:10-19, James 2:10-11). They are only righteous, humanly speaking, but not still considered wicked in God's eyes. The unsaved good person today is only trusting in their own righteousness. Sure, they may not be arrogant in the sense that they brag about themselves. They are, however, still guilty of pride, without knowing it by believing that they can reach Heaven by themselves. Salvation by works only works in mythology where the gods are far from perfect. However, the God of the Bible is too perfect to accept even one iota of sin.
The other righteousness is of God's. God's standard of righteousness is impossible to reach. I'm not denying that pagans do have an external reformation program. For example, a Buddhist organization may visit prison cells to share Buddhist liturgy with prisoners. A person may stop his substance abuse or alcoholism after converting to Islam without becoming a terrorist. A person who went from atheist to Catholic may have found meaning in life and isn't living in sin. However, none of these things are of any worth as Isaiah 64:6 blasts the fairy tale notion of being humanly good merits Heaven. I don't deny that these people are pleasant to be around because of their attitude. However, I can't deny that these people are only going to let less punishment in Hell but will still go to Hell nonetheless. This is the righteousness that causes good works to spring out as a result of salvation. This is the righteousness, when imputed, changes lives. This is the righteousness in 1 Corinthians 6:11 where such unworthy people got saved from lifestyles that proved they weren't saved This is the righteousness spoken in Ephesians 2:10 and Titus 2:11-14 that says God's grace teaches righteous living. It's a very different motive for doing good works. Christians do good works not out of fear of not being able to make it. Instead, Christians do good works because they are going to make it and the proof is in the good works.
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