“Fathers are not to be put to death for their children or children for their fathers; each person will be put to death for his own sin” (24: 16). To insure a higher level of civility among the Hebrews than commonly practiced by their pagan neighbors God instructed that family members not suffer the death sentence because of one member’s sin. This is also a vital principle for spiritual accountability. At a later period in their history God told His people through the lips of Ezekiel, The person who sins is the one who will die” (Ezek. 18: 4, 20). Previously some of God’s people had tended to say that the penalty for sin was exacted on the children for what their fathers had done (Ezek. 18: 1 – 4, 18 – 20). God wanted it abundantly clear that each person was directly accountable for his or her sin. “The person who sins is the one who will die.”
What about the case of Christ? He is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens (Heb. 7: 26). Since He was without sin why did He die? He died, as every believer understands, for our sins and our crimes. Fathers could not be put to death for their children or children for their fathers because both were guilty and could not atone for the other. Since our Christ committed no sin and required no atonement He was positioned to atone for others. He did that at Calvary.
Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished Him for the iniquity of us all (Is. 53: 4 – 6).
He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification (Rom. 4: 25).
He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5: 21)
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God (1 Pet. 3: 18).
Only once did one truly die for another and it was sufficient for all people in all times. It was not for His own sin that He died.