“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”
(Ezekiel 18:20 NKJV)

sin is not inherited

This is not the first verse that affirms individual accountability for sin. “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin” — Deuteronomy 24:16. Every just and honorable nation observes this principle. Several forced conclusions spring from this verse.

1. Sinners will be punished. “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
2. The death associated with sin is spiritual and eternal. All die physically (Hebrews 9:27). The death referenced in Ezekiel 18 is the penalty for sin. (James 5:19-20)
3. Sin is not inherited. The son cannot bear the guilt of the father or suffer punishment for something his father did. Nor can the father bear the punishment of a sinful child (Ezekiel 18:20).
4. The context illustrates the principle: a just man will surely live (Ezekiel 18:4-9). If this just man has a son who sins, he will die for his own sin (Ezekiel 18:10-13). If this wicked son begets a son who turns to God, he will surely live (Ezekiel 18:14-18).
5. Those who teach the doctrine of inherited depravity try to avoid these passages. Ironically, they sin by denying the plain teaching of God’s word. Remember: death follows sin.

– Rick Duggin