This question gets to the heart of the gospel and reveals whether we actually believe in justice, in doctrinal clarity, and in the universal reach of what Christ accomplished. The popular answer, of course, is that only those who believe are made spiritually alive, but that answer cannot bear up under biblical scrutiny or basic rational coherence.
Scripture is clear. Christ’s death at Calvary reversed what Adam’s sin brought into the world. Romans 5:18 says:
“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” - NKJV
The parallel here is intentional. Adam’s sin had a universal consequence, and so did Christ’s obedience. The result of Adam’s act was condemnation but not inherited guilt. It was a condition of broken relationship and alienation from God, which is what spiritual death is. In the same way, the result of Christ’s act was the reversal of that condition. Spiritual life was restored to all. The text does not say that all are automatically saved. It says the free gift came to all, resulting in justification of life. That is not personal salvation, but the restoration of the spiritual life Adam lost.
Some object to this by pointing to the word “condemnation” in Romans 5:18. They assume it must mean guilt, but the Greek term Paul uses, katakrima, simply refers to a judgment with a negative outcome. It does not mean personal blame. Indeed, it cannot mean guilt inherited from Adam, because that would directly contradict the plain teaching of Ezekiel 18:20:
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father…”
If that’s not a clear rejection of inherited guilt, then words have no meaning. And this isn’t merely stated in verse 20. Ezekiel spends the entire chapter recording God’s own words to drive this specific point home. There is no inherited guilt. None. And if there is no inherited guilt, then there can be no inherited condemnation in the legal sense. What we inherited from Adam was not guilt, but consequence. We were born into a broken world. We were born subject to mortality, corruption, and spiritual separation from God. Not because God counted us guilty, but because Adam’s sin severed the human race from the source of life and since we are all members of that race, that breach affected us all.
But Christ fixed it!
By His death and resurrection, Christ restored spiritual life to everyone. He undid the consequence of Adam’s sin for the whole human race. That is what makes Ezekiel 18 true! The son does not bear the guilt of the father, because the barrier has been removed. The relationship has been restored. Every person is now born spiritually alive. That is why Paul could say in Romans 7:9,
“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.”
He was not born dead. He was born alive. And he remained alive until he sinned. Then he died. That is what spiritual death is. It is the loss of spiritual life through personal rebellion. That is the biblical pattern. That is how it works.
This is also what makes the idea of an age of accountability not only reasonable, but essential. If we were born spiritually dead, there would be nothing to account for, no transition, no change, no loss of life to mark. But if, as Paul testifies, we are born spiritually alive and only die when we sin, then there must be a point at which that first sin takes place. Until that point, the child is spiritually alive, not guilty, not condemned. The age of accountability is not some arbitrary religious invention. It flows directly from the principle of justice, as does the gospel itself. It is the recognition that each person is held accountable for their own sin, not for Adam’s, and not for anything they are incapable of understanding or choosing.
This was not only true after the cross. It was also true before it. Paul was born alive prior to Calvary and Ezekiel was a prophet of God six centuries before Calvary would take place.
Though Calvary happened at a particular time in history, God applied its effect to people who lived before it. He did this not by pretending, but by planning. Romans 3:25 explains that God “in His forbearance had passed over the sins that were previously committed.” He withheld judgment on personal sins because Christ would pay the full price. In the same way, He withheld the final consequence of Adam’s sin and treated people as spiritually alive from birth, even before the cross, because He knew the cross was coming. God was not ignoring sin, He was simply anticipating the cure.
This is why Ezekiel could write what he did. His declaration in chapter 18 was not just wishful thinking; it was rooted in the truth that God had already made provision. The soul who sins shall die. Not the soul who is born. Not the soul who inherits guilt. The one who sins. That principle was only made possible because Christ’s work was already settled in the mind and plan of God.
So then, to answer the original question directly:
Yes. Christ’s death at Calvary made everyone alive spiritually. That spiritual life is not eternal life. It is the restored condition that makes relationship with God possible. It is what Adam lost and what Christ regained. And it was applied to all, even before the cross, because God knew exactly what He was going to do.
To be clear, eternal life is a separate matter. That gift is given only to those who believe. Spiritual life is restored to all through Christ, but each individual dies again when they sin and all do sin. That’s what happened to Paul and that’s what happens to everyone. We are born alive. We sin. We die. And we need to be made alive again (this time forever) by being joined to Christ.
That is what the gospel is. It is not confusion. It is not injustice. It is righteousness, it is clarity, and it is true.
Scripture is clear. Christ’s death at Calvary reversed what Adam’s sin brought into the world. Romans 5:18 says:
“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” - NKJV
The parallel here is intentional. Adam’s sin had a universal consequence, and so did Christ’s obedience. The result of Adam’s act was condemnation but not inherited guilt. It was a condition of broken relationship and alienation from God, which is what spiritual death is. In the same way, the result of Christ’s act was the reversal of that condition. Spiritual life was restored to all. The text does not say that all are automatically saved. It says the free gift came to all, resulting in justification of life. That is not personal salvation, but the restoration of the spiritual life Adam lost.
Some object to this by pointing to the word “condemnation” in Romans 5:18. They assume it must mean guilt, but the Greek term Paul uses, katakrima, simply refers to a judgment with a negative outcome. It does not mean personal blame. Indeed, it cannot mean guilt inherited from Adam, because that would directly contradict the plain teaching of Ezekiel 18:20:
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father…”
If that’s not a clear rejection of inherited guilt, then words have no meaning. And this isn’t merely stated in verse 20. Ezekiel spends the entire chapter recording God’s own words to drive this specific point home. There is no inherited guilt. None. And if there is no inherited guilt, then there can be no inherited condemnation in the legal sense. What we inherited from Adam was not guilt, but consequence. We were born into a broken world. We were born subject to mortality, corruption, and spiritual separation from God. Not because God counted us guilty, but because Adam’s sin severed the human race from the source of life and since we are all members of that race, that breach affected us all.
But Christ fixed it!
By His death and resurrection, Christ restored spiritual life to everyone. He undid the consequence of Adam’s sin for the whole human race. That is what makes Ezekiel 18 true! The son does not bear the guilt of the father, because the barrier has been removed. The relationship has been restored. Every person is now born spiritually alive. That is why Paul could say in Romans 7:9,
“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.”
He was not born dead. He was born alive. And he remained alive until he sinned. Then he died. That is what spiritual death is. It is the loss of spiritual life through personal rebellion. That is the biblical pattern. That is how it works.
This is also what makes the idea of an age of accountability not only reasonable, but essential. If we were born spiritually dead, there would be nothing to account for, no transition, no change, no loss of life to mark. But if, as Paul testifies, we are born spiritually alive and only die when we sin, then there must be a point at which that first sin takes place. Until that point, the child is spiritually alive, not guilty, not condemned. The age of accountability is not some arbitrary religious invention. It flows directly from the principle of justice, as does the gospel itself. It is the recognition that each person is held accountable for their own sin, not for Adam’s, and not for anything they are incapable of understanding or choosing.
This was not only true after the cross. It was also true before it. Paul was born alive prior to Calvary and Ezekiel was a prophet of God six centuries before Calvary would take place.
Though Calvary happened at a particular time in history, God applied its effect to people who lived before it. He did this not by pretending, but by planning. Romans 3:25 explains that God “in His forbearance had passed over the sins that were previously committed.” He withheld judgment on personal sins because Christ would pay the full price. In the same way, He withheld the final consequence of Adam’s sin and treated people as spiritually alive from birth, even before the cross, because He knew the cross was coming. God was not ignoring sin, He was simply anticipating the cure.
This is why Ezekiel could write what he did. His declaration in chapter 18 was not just wishful thinking; it was rooted in the truth that God had already made provision. The soul who sins shall die. Not the soul who is born. Not the soul who inherits guilt. The one who sins. That principle was only made possible because Christ’s work was already settled in the mind and plan of God.
So then, to answer the original question directly:
Yes. Christ’s death at Calvary made everyone alive spiritually. That spiritual life is not eternal life. It is the restored condition that makes relationship with God possible. It is what Adam lost and what Christ regained. And it was applied to all, even before the cross, because God knew exactly what He was going to do.
To be clear, eternal life is a separate matter. That gift is given only to those who believe. Spiritual life is restored to all through Christ, but each individual dies again when they sin and all do sin. That’s what happened to Paul and that’s what happens to everyone. We are born alive. We sin. We die. And we need to be made alive again (this time forever) by being joined to Christ.
That is what the gospel is. It is not confusion. It is not injustice. It is righteousness, it is clarity, and it is true.