'The Wages Sin Pays is Death'
September 25th, 2017
Jehovah's Witnesses argue that any and all sins warrant physical or literal death, the cessation of biologic life, as their eternal or final punishment. Further, they understand Physical Death as going out of existence, which is to say annihilation, utter non-existence. However, is this view correct?
Here are three relevant proof-texts Witnesses appeal to in order to support this view:
Here are three relevant proof-texts Witnesses appeal to in order to support this view:
Ezekiel 18:4 - Look! All the souls—to me they belong. As the soul of the father so also the soul of the son—to me they belong. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
Romans 6:7 - For the one who has died has been acquitted from his sin.
Romans 6:23 - For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.
I used to accept that these showed just what Witnesses claim, however, I came to disagree with their interpretation of them - here's why:
The context of Ezekiel 18:4 is God justifying his punishment of Judah with the Babylonians and their exile - not a treatise on the nature of eternal punishment. The Jews complained that he was punishing them for the errors of their father, saying, "Fathers have eaten sour grapes, but the teeth of the sons are set on edge."[1] (Ezekiel 18:2) God's response, drawn from the Mosaic Law, is: nope, you're being punished for your own errors. (Deuteronomy 24:16) Much of that chapter is his elaboration on this point, summarized again in verse 20. He's not discussing the eternal or final punishment of those who sin.
Likewise, the context of Romans 6:7 also thwarts the Witness interpretation of that verse. What does it mean for one to 'have died?' In this case, it means to have one's sinful nature put to death: 'died with reference to sin' (v. 2); baptized into Christ's death (vv. 3-6); 'consider yourselves to be death with reference to sin' (v. 11). It's untenable to suppose that Paul goes from talking about spiritual death to physical death and back again without even the slightest indication that he was doing so. Instead, his point is that whoever dies to sin is released from its domination and acquitted of their guilt. (See v. 18)
Unsurprisingly, then, the context of Romans 6:23 also argues against taking "death" in Romans 6:23 as physical death. However, "death" doesn't mean the same thing as it does in verse 7. Instead it means the opposite: spiritual death. Just as to be free from sin (dead to sin) is to be a slave to righteousness (living toward God), to be free of righteousness (dead toward God) is to be a slave to sin (living to sin). Sin works death in us, and if we don't repent of it by living toward Christ, when the final judgment comes, we will receive the fullness of spiritual death. Physical death isn't in view here.
There are various other passages in the Bible to show that the 'death' we fear as punishment isn't physical death, but spiritual death and the resulting separation from God, and that conversely that the life we hope for isn't just perpetual existence, but perfect union with God. However, I'll leave it to a later post to demonstrate this. For now, let's note where the Scriptures teach that the eternal or ultimate punishment due the wicked is something worse (and thus other) than physical death (which, in Witness thought just is annihilation), and that one is punished for sins committed during this duration of life - something Witnesses deny.
Keeping in mind how Witnesses view physical death, we note again that the severest penalty under the Mosaic Law is death. But does it follow that this is the severest penalty that he wicked will receive? On the contrary, Hebrews 10:27-31 shows that this is not so. Specifically, verses 28 and 29 say, "Anyone who has disregarded the Law of Moses dies without compassion on the testimony of two or three. How much greater punishment do you think a person will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God and who has regarded as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt?" Thus, the Witness view clashes with the plain teaching of Scripture.
Witnesses maintain that the final judgment will not be based on one's actions during this duration of life. This quote is representative:
Will the judgment of resurrected ones be based on what they did before their death? No. The Bible teaches that “he who has died has been acquitted from his sin.” (Romans 6:7) So, like those who survive the end of this system, those resurrected to life on earth will be judged “according to their deeds” during Judgment Day. (Revelation 20:12, 13) Depending on the final outcome of their actions, this will turn out to be either a resurrection that results in everlasting life or a resurrection that results in destruction. - Awake! (January 2010; p. 11)
To the extent that this view depends on their interpretation of Romans 6:7, or the other two passages discussed above, it fails. Moreover, to the extent that it conflicts with Scripture explicitly says, it likewise fails - which is to say totally.
We've been in Romans for most of this post, so why not return? Romans 2:3-10 is relevant here. Specifically, verse 5 and 6: "But according to your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and of the revealing of God’s righteous judgment. And he will pay back to each one according to his works." Here, the wicked man, because he is presently sinning and refraining from repenting is storing up God's wrath.
And when will this wrath (in its fullness, anyway) be poured out on him? "On the day of wrath and of the revealing of God's righteous judgment." Has this yet occurred? No. But the sinful of Paul's day have already physically died. Thus, we have another demonstration that physical death doesn't satisfy God's justice. (Keeping in mind that physical death, to Witnesses, just is annihilation.)
Still, it might be said that annihilationism is true, and that physical death is something else. I agree with the latter - physical death is not annihilation. For one thing, if it was, it would be logically impossible for God to resurrect the dead (omnipotence doesn't mean that God can do the logically impossible, such as create a round circle): see this post; for another, it is contrary to what the Scriptures teach: see this post. However, I disagree with annihilation: see here, here and here.
[1] Evidently based on a (self-serving) misunderstanding of the second commandment.
[10/13/2017: A friend of mine has a post on this topic as well - here]
[10/21/2017: A question comes to mind, namely, aside from other scriptural considerations, would it suffice for a Witness to say: eternal non-existence is considerably worse than non-existence for centuries, so as to undercut the argument I make from Hebrews 10:27-31? Perhaps, though, I think Scripture shows that the 'far greater punishment' will be worse than that, but it is hard to see how anything in the context of Hebrews 10:27-31 can show that.
