# Is the Atonement Unjust? > No. Ezekiel 18:20 and Qur’an 6:164 say guilt is personal. The Son lays down his life himself. That is not a bystander seized by a court. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-the-atonement-unjust - Religions: Christianity, Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: christianity, islam, salvation, cross - Updated: 2026-10-13 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) No. A court that punished an uninvolved bystander would be unjust. Ezekiel 18:20 and Qur’an 6:164 say guilt is personal. The Christian claim is different: the Son is the one sinned against, and he lays down his life of himself. ## Key Points - [Ezekiel 18:2](/bible/ezekiel/18/2) quotes the proverb that the fathers ate sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge. [Ezekiel 18:20](/bible/ezekiel/18/20) [(1)](#ref-1) answers that proverb: the soul that sins shall die, and the son shall not bear the father’s iniquity. - [Deuteronomy 24:16](/bible/deuteronomy/24/16) says fathers are not put to death for children, nor children for fathers. Each person is put to death for his own sin. - [Qur’an 6:164](https://quran.com/6/164) [(9)](#ref-9) says no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. [Qur’an 17:15](https://quran.com/17/15), [Qur’an 35:18](https://quran.com/35/18), and [Qur’an 53:38](https://quran.com/53/38) repeat that formula. - [Isaiah 53:6](/bible/isaiah/53/6) [(3)](#ref-3) says the Lord laid on the servant the iniquity of us all. [Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?](/christianity/who-is-the-suffering-servant-in-isaiah-53) - [2 Corinthians 5:21](/bible/2-corinthians/5/21) says God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. [1 Peter 2:24](/bible/1-peter/2/24) says he bore our sins in his own body on the tree. - [John 10:18](/bible/john/10/18) says no one takes his life from him; he lays it down of himself. [Romans 3:26](/bible/romans/3/26) says God is just, and the justifier of the one who believes in Jesus. - [Qur’an 4:48](https://quran.com/4/48) says God does not forgive association with him, and forgives what is less for whom he wills. [Qur’an 39:53](https://quran.com/39/53) says God forgives all sins. The two sentences sit in the same book. ## The Soul That Sins [Ezekiel 18:20](/bible/ezekiel/18/20), King James Version: > 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. The chapter opens on a proverb the exiles were using. [Ezekiel 18:2](/bible/ezekiel/18/2): “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” The people were saying the children were being punished for the parents’ generation. God’s answer is that he will judge each soul. The son does not inherit the father’s guilt as if the court had the wrong defendant. [Deuteronomy 24:16](/bible/deuteronomy/24/16) is the same rule in Israel’s law: do not execute the father for the child, or the child for the father. That is a real limit. A judge who grabs an uninvolved neighbor and punishes him for someone else’s crime is not just. Christians who skip Ezekiel 18 are not reading the verse the objection is using. ## No Bearer of Burdens [Qur’an 6:164](https://quran.com/6/164), Saheeh International: > Say, "Is it other than Allāh I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." [Qur’an 17:15](https://quran.com/17/15) repeats that no bearer of burdens will bear another’s burden, and that God does not punish until he has sent a messenger. [Qur’an 35:18](https://quran.com/35/18) adds that if a heavily laden soul calls another to carry some of its load, nothing of it will be carried, even by a close relative. [Qur’an 53:38](https://quran.com/53/38) is the same line again. The Qur’an is rejecting a transfer in which one person is loaded with a guilt he did not take. The Gospel’s account is not that transfer. ## He Lays It Down Himself [Isaiah 53:6](/bible/isaiah/53/6): “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The servant is not a random prisoner. The Lord lays the iniquity on him. [Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?](/christianity/who-is-the-suffering-servant-in-isaiah-53) follows that chapter. [1 Peter 2:24](/bible/1-peter/2/24) reads it of Jesus: he himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree. [2 Corinthians 5:21](/bible/2-corinthians/5/21): God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. [John 10:17–18](/bible/john/10) has Jesus say the Father loves him because he lays down his life to take it again, and then: “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.” The cross is not a court seizing a bystander. It is the Son giving his life. [Romans 5:8](/bible/romans/5/8) says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [Romans 3:26](/bible/romans/3/26) says God set him forth so that he might be just, and the justifier of the one who believes in Jesus. The justice is God’s, because the one who bears the sin is God the Son, the one against whom the sin was committed. [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) [What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?](/christianity/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation) [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) is the prior question. [Qur’an 4:157](https://quran.com/an-nisa/157) denies the crucifixion. A death that did not happen cannot be an atonement. The Gospel says the death happened, and that he rose. [The resurrection](/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) ## What the Qur’an Says God Forgives [Qur’an 39:53](https://quran.com/39/53) tells the servants who have transgressed against themselves not to despair of God’s mercy: God forgives all sins. [Qur’an 4:48](https://quran.com/4/48) says God does not forgive association with him, but forgives what is less than that for whom he wills. Both lines are in the Qur’an. Forgiveness, on those pages, is God’s decision about a person’s own sin, not a substitute’s death. [Mark 3:29](/bible/mark/3/29) says whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness. [What Is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?](/christianity/what-is-blasphemy-against-the-holy-spirit) is that warning. It is not a list of ordinary sins left unpaid. The ordinary claim of the Gospel is [Romans 5:8](/bible/romans/5/8): Christ died for sinners. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can Someone Else Pay for My Sins? [Ezekiel 18:20](/bible/ezekiel/18/20) and [Qur’an 6:164](https://quran.com/6/164) say a son, a neighbor, or a close relative is not loaded with a guilt he did not take. [John 10:18](/bible/john/10/18) is not that scene. The Son lays down his own life. [Isaiah 53:6](/bible/isaiah/53/6) says the Lord laid our iniquity on him. ### Does Ezekiel 18:20 Cancel Isaiah 53? Ezekiel 18 answers the proverb of sour grapes. The generation in exile does not get to blame only its parents. Isaiah 53 is a servant who bears the iniquity of the straying people because the Lord lays it on him. Personal responsibility and a willing substitute are both in the Bible. [Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?](/christianity/who-is-the-suffering-servant-in-isaiah-53) ### What Sins Cannot Be Atoned For? [Mark 3:29](/bible/mark/3/29) names blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as never forgiven. [Qur’an 4:48](https://quran.com/4/48) says God does not forgive associating others with him, and may forgive what is less for whom he wills. [Qur’an 39:53](https://quran.com/39/53) says he forgives all sins. The Gospel’s offer to sinners is the death and resurrection of Christ. [What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?](/christianity/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation) ## Keep Reading - [What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?](/christianity/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation) - [Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?](/christianity/who-is-the-suffering-servant-in-isaiah-53) - [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) - [The Resurrection of Jesus](/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) - [My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?](/christianity/my-god-my-god-why-have-you-forsaken-me) - [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Ezekiel 18:2 King James Version. > What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? ### Deuteronomy 24:16 King James Version. > The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. ### Qur’an 17:15 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/17/15) > Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And never would We punish until We sent a messenger. ### Qur’an 35:18 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/35/18) > And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And if a heavily laden soul calls [another] to [carry some of] its load, nothing of it will be carried, even if he should be a close relative. You can only warn those who fear their Lord unseen and have established prayer. And whoever purifies himself only purifies himself for [the benefit of] his soul. And to Allāh is the [final] destination. ### Qur’an 53:38 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/53/38) > That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another ### 2 Corinthians 5:21 King James Version. > For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. ### 1 Peter 2:24 King James Version. > Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. ### John 10:18 King James Version. > No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. ### Romans 3:26 King James Version. > To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. ### Qur’an 4:48 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/4/48) > Indeed, Allāh does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allāh has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin. ### Qur’an 39:53 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/39/53) > Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." ### John 10:17–18 King James Version. > [10:17] Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. [10:18] No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. ### Romans 5:8 King James Version. > But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ### Qur’an 4:157 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/an-nisa/157) > And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. ### Mark 3:29 King James Version. > But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: ### Isaiah 53:5–6 King James Version. > [53:5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [53:6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Book of Ezekiel, 18:20; 18:2](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/ezekiel/18/20). King James Version 2. [Deuteronomy, 24:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/deuteronomy/24/16). King James Version 3. [Book of Isaiah, 53:5–6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/53). King James Version 4. [Second Letter to the Corinthians, 5:21](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/2-corinthians/5/21). King James Version 5. [First Letter of Peter, 2:24](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-peter/2/24). King James Version 6. [Gospel of John, 10:17–18](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/10). King James Version 7. [Letter to the Romans, 3:26; 5:8](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/romans/3/26). King James Version 8. [Gospel of Mark, 3:29](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/mark/3/29). King James Version 9. [Qur'an, 6:164; 17:15; 35:18; 53:38; 4:48; 39:53](https://quran.com/6/164) (Saheeh International, as published on Quran.com. Words in square brackets are part of that translation.) ## See Also - [Did Jesus Abolish the Law?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-jesus-abolish-the-law) — No. Matthew 5:17 says he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. He presses the commands further and ends the temple shadows in himself. - [What Does Son of Man Mean?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-does-son-of-man-mean) — Son of Man names a human being, and it names the figure in Daniel 7 who comes with the clouds and receives everlasting dominion. - [Can a Christian and a Muslim Marry?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-a-christian-and-a-muslim-marry) — Qur’an 5:5 permits marriage to chaste women from the People of the Scripture. Qur’an 2:221 and 60:10 restrict marriage to polytheists and disbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says not to be unequally yoked. - [Can God Have a Son?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-god-have-a-son) — The Qur'an condemns the claim that God has taken a son, especially a son by a consort. Christians deny that picture and still confess the eternal Son. - [Can You Lose Your Salvation? What Each Church Teaches About "Once Saved, Always Saved"](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/once-saved-always-saved) — Can a Christian lose salvation? Official teaching from Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and other churches, with the King James verses each side cites.