Ezekiel 18:26,27
When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
Ezekiel 18:20 (see Romans 8:13)
The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Ezekiel 18:20-24 (see Romans 8:13)
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. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Ezekiel 33:13
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
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This is more interesting, as we have a greater context to look at, the "Old Testament". The Law and the Prophets.
God made a covenant with Israel at Mt. Horeb:
Exodus 19:3-6 KJV
3) And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4) Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
If you will obey my voice.
Leviticus 18:1-5 KJV
1) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.
3) After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4) Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
5) Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.
If you obey God, you will live in that obedience. This was God's covenant with His chosen nation, Israel. In that covenant, the righteous will live by their works.
Romans 1:16-18 KJV
16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Romans 10:1-5 KJV
1) Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2) For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3) For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5) For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
The Old Covenant was based on your obedience giving you life, and your disobedience being covered by continued animal sacrifices.
Jesus has, by one sacrifice,
Hebrews 10:1-10 KJV
1) For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2) For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3) But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
5) Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6) In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7) Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8) Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9) Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10) By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The first is removed, and the second is established.
Under the covenant made between God and Israel at Mt. Horeb, man's obedience determined his standing with God Under the new covenant, our standing with God is not by our works, but in Christ.
We aren't even given opportunity to establish "righteousness through works",
1 Corinthians 1:27-31 KJV
27) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28) And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29) That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30) But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31) That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Romans 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (see 2 Corinthians 5:15 says….Jesus died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.)
Romans 8:5-14 KJV
5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Flesh . . . mind the things of flesh, being fleshy minded is death, the fleshy mind is always God's enemy, and cannot obey or please God, if you live after the flesh you die.
Spirit . . . mind the things of the Spirit, is life and peace, you are in the Spirit if the Spirit lives in you, the Spirit gives life, the Spirit will raise you by His Spirit living in you, we don't have to live after the flesh, but if we kill the deeds of the body we live.
This is a continuing series of contrasts, flesh and spirit, death and life, giving information about each of these. Is this to signify a return to the OT Law and Prophets? No, it is not. Is this to signify a return from Spirit to flesh? No. This passage is telling us, death is in the flesh, life is in the Spirit.
Romans 8:2 KJV
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Much love!