A common misinterpretation of this verse denies any generational impact of sin, ignoring biblical examples like familial curses or blessings that can affect descendants through consequences rather than direct guilt; others twist it to reject the doctrine of original sin inherited from Adam, overlooking the passage's focus on personal sins rather than innate human depravity, or use it to promote a purely works-based salvation without grace, missing the broader context of God's call to repentance in the chapter.
Ezekiel 18:20
King James Version (1769)
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Ezekiel 18:20 teaches the principle of individual accountability before God, asserting that sin brings death to the sinner personally, without children bearing the guilt of their parents' sins or parents those of their children; instead, each person's righteousness credits them individually, and their wickedness judges them alone, countering any notion of inherited guilt while upholding divine justice in personal moral choices.