So what do you think about the idea of generational sins? Do you believe sins and punishments are passed down from parents to children? In Exodus and Deuteronomy, we find similar passages:
“6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the childrenās children, to the third and the fourth generation.” – Exodus 34
But in Ezekiel 18:20 we find the opposite:
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”
Thoughts?
Todd
i hope this isn’t what sparked your question but would rather be an answer. i love Jeff Mangum and i think he clears it up.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/generational-sin-genesis/id187431330?i=92092041
I think generational sin DOES occur because of the lessons NOT learned by the parents and passing it down to the children. For example, alcohol abuse: Some parents will, in front of their kids no less, drink in excess, act a fool and then think nothing about it. Kids emulate behavior constantly, from parents, peers, etc, and actively look for behavior models.
Also generational sin occurs in that parents do not “church” their kids, so they are forced to develop the moral system of man, which, of course, only leads to eternal seperation.
Hey brother! This is a great subject that may best be approached contextually. I believe that the Exodus 34 reference reveals the Lord’s divine chastening of His people for their disobedience. We see this happen again and again throughout the OT; David, Solomon, etc.
More importantly, we can see that even within this context God is willing to show mercy and provide a path toward repentance and restoration.
This is what we observe in Ezekiel 18. In this passage, God is providing His people with a path that leads them back to Him. Therefore, allowing anyone at any point within the generational tree to discontinue the familial trend, which would spare them from God’s justified wrath.
Good question, Todd!
On one hand, we do pass on our sins to our children in that they are a part of us. They carry parts of our personalities and sinful tendencies with them. They are also affected and taught by our example. What sin we allow to go unchecked in our own lives tend to show up in our children’s and often more pronounced – apart from the grace of God.
On the other hand, God doesn’t punish us as our sins deserve. Each individual answers to God for his sin or turns from his sin to God. God would never refuse a child into his kingdom because of the sins of his father or mother. While I do believe in the covenant of family and church and I believe God works normally through the family and church, he still deals with us individually.
So, I guess I would say the answer is yes and no. Our sins affect everyone around us. And many times our children suffer because of our sins, but God does not judge children by their parents sins.
That’s my two-cents worth. š Hope it made sense.
I was never a big believer in generational sin until recently. In dealing with my own addictions and life struggles it has become very apparent to me the things that have been passed down from generations. My prayer is that these sins will not be passed along to my boys!
I believe that we all struggle with temptation. If we are going to win over temptation . . . we MUST stay in His Word each day. Even then we will fall because we are human and our flesh is weak. But . . . our children are watching us CLOSELY. They are watching to see how we handle different circumstances that come up. If we are loving God and loving others . . . they will learn that from us! If we are honest with our children and tell them about our struggles . . . they will understand that temptation is a normal part of each day, sometimes each moment!
I went through a HORRIBLE temptation a few years ago that I never IMAGINED I would go through! None of my friends and family could BELIEVE I was struggling like I was. My 25 year old daughter watched me go through it. I talked to her about it every day. Finally I told her that even though I didn’t “FEEL” like God knew what He was talking about in my situation . . . I had 100% faith in Him that if He SAID I would be blessed if I did the right thing, that I WOULD be blessed! My daugher watched me as I turned away each day from my temptation. She saw how faithful God was in loving me and helping me through it all. And I have been blessed more than I could ever have imagined!
She has told me that my faith has made her faith much stronger. She understands the temptations out there and knows that she will face them too. She ALSO knows that if she has faith that God ALWAYS knows what is best for her . . . her life will be happier and more fulfilling than if she gives in to temptation.
So, I believe that, “iniquity of the fathers on the children and the childrenās children, to the third and the fourth generationā, means that our faith or lack of faith is passed down to our children and their children. We MUST stay connected to God and His Word and we MUST teach our children to do the same as we love and cherish them . . . and teach them to love and cherish others . . . unconditionally.
In the study I’ve done on these passages, it seems the primary issue in the Exodus passage is the consequence of idolatry–loving something else more than God–rather than a specific sin. The passage is referring to Exodus 20:4-6 where God issues a command NOT to bow down or serve any other god. He gives a promise and a warning: “I will show mercy to thousands who love me” and “I will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the 3rd and 4th generations of those who hate me.” The “3rd and 4th generations” could also refer to a particular household or a family living under the same roof, as was customary during that time. If the head of the family practiced idolatry, the rest of the family would follow his lead of “hating” God.
In contrast, Moses made it clear in Deut. 24:16 (confirmed in Ezek. 18:20) that children would NOT be made to pay for the specific sins of their parents which were punishable by death, and vice-versa. If that were the case, at some point there would be no more people left alive. However, there is no question that the effect of sin goes from generation to generation (addiction, violence, crime) where children either suffer from direct effects of their parents’ choices and/or continue the cycle of dysfunction with their future families.
After contrasting these passages, I don’t think sins and punishments are passed down from generation to generation, but the painful consequences are definitely felt.
It is a sobering thought that the spiritual health of generations to come are affected by whether or not their parents choose to love and obey God or not. The terrible legacy and consequence to generations who deny God is spiritual death. Of course, God’s mercy and lovingkindness can always break that death cycle and change direction in an individual life which would then impact the next generation.
Yes I do believe in generational curses and but once someone becomes a believer all that is washed away by the blood of Jesus… There can however be a bent towards certain sins in our lives as believers that could be attributed to something our parents or grandparents etc struggled with but we can no longer call them a generational curse bc as believers we can have complete victory over them through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross where as a non-believer could never truly have victory therefore making it a curse for them.
I don’t believe Exodus 34 refers to a punishment upon generations for a father’s sin. I believe it refers to the natural course of suffering that comes from sin. “…who will by no means clear the guilty…”; God doesn’t remove the consequences of sin and therefore the children will suffer.
Example: My father was a drug addict when I was a child. Our family suffered greatly through this. If I had a child in my 20’s, they would have also suffered the effects of my father’s drug addiction through my inability to move past what my father did. Then they would have grown up inflicting this inability to move past the effects of my suffering onto their own children.
The good news: God healed me – so the cycle is broken and when I do have children, they will have no need to suffer the pain I carried through my 20’s.
If this is the meaning of Exodus 34 – then Ezekiel is actually referring to something different – confirming that we each live or die by our own sin (apart from Christ).
I could be wrong, of course, but it makes perfect sense to me.
I definitely believe sin can be passed down because sin is often a practiced behaviour that through poor parenting is ingrained in the child which ultimately gets recreated and perpetuated. I know this is not always the case as I know some whom have done a very diligent job of parenting and unfortunately have seen their children become grossly sinful due to outside the family influences. Consider this though, in our church currently an elderly parental unit that hates anything modern in worship has seen his son become an Elder. Once in position this Elder has used his friendship with two other Elders to write into the by-laws that percussion is sinful and banished all but stringed instruments from the building, also following the parents wishes has removed ay women from having any input into any conversation pertaining to the operation of the church. On top of that they have told a college age group of kids that if they did not stop meeting for a bible study without handed down curriculum they could no longer be members. Is this agenda being put into action by the son while honoring his father not sinning against the church since it is putting a personal opinion before the well being of he congregation? This is a veryinteresting topic and indeed multifaceted.
This is an article that I have written on my facebook page. I hope you enjoy it.
Generational Curses: How to Overcome
Have you ever seen a family where the father has a problem with uncontrollable anger, his son seems to have been ‘handed it’, and the grandpa had the same problem? Or have you noticed that not only do you suffer from something such as persistent irrational fears or depression, but your mother and her father also suffered from it as well? There are many people today who are living under bondage that the sins of their forefathers has brought them under.
Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.
This is beyond learned behavior; many children learn to be messy if their parents are messy. This is a spiritual bondage that is passed down from one generation to another. Some symptoms of a generational curse is a continual negative pattern of something being handed down from generation to generation. Often people who are adopted end up with the same characteristics as their birth parents, not because they were around their birth parents to learn how they behaved, but because they inherited their spiritual bondage. Some common symptoms of generational curses are family illnesses that seem to just walk from one person down to the next (cancer is a common physical manifestation of a spiritual bondage), continual financial difficulties (they continually hit roadblocks in their finances), mental problems, persistent irrational fears and depression. Anything that seems to be a persistent struggle or problem that was handed down from one generation to another may very well be a generational curse.
But how can I break the generational curse that has my family bound? Even though I have given my heart to God and try to live the way that He wants me to, I still struggle with these curses. What can I do to break the chain?
Depression has been a problem for me every since I can remember. I have fought with suicidal thoughts off and on all my life. And it wasn’t actually until I truely gave my life to God that I was able to break free from this curse. God delivered me. I laid it at the alter and I told him that I am sick and tired of always fighting with these feelings of depression. And I prayed and prayed for God to move upon this matter. And it was as if God reached down on night and wrapped me in His arms and filled me with His Joy. By me being diligent, with my prayers, and believing for my deliverance, God came through for me. Depression for me is no problem any more. I have learned to encourage myself in His Word…..building up my faith by digging into His Word,
Giving it to the Lord is the key, being able to lay it down at His feet and not pick it back up. Finiancal difficulties, before you do anything else with your check or income, take out for your tithing and offerings, Give to God what’s rightfully His and not what’s left over. Trust in Him and he’ll take care of you. You may not know or understand how you’re going to make it, but be rest assured God said he will not see his seed begging bread. And He keeps every one of his promises.
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you
Psalms 37:24 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Turn away from these generational curses, give them to God, humble yourself and repent from them and He will forgive you from this sin and pardon you from this curse. And if by chance these curses has already been passed to your children, help and guide them into repentance and help them break this curse before it is passed to their children.
Ezekiel 18:20 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.
We have the tendencies of our generational curses, but it is up to us as to whether or not we partake of the sin. Say for instance my dad was an alcoholic as was his dad and the most part of the family, but I didn’t partake of that sin, because I was strong enough to break that generational curse that was passed to me, I will not be judged for that sin. I understand this verse is saying the soul that sinneth shall die, and the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, it was the fathers sin, not mine because I didn’t partake of it. and vise versa…It is up to us to take the steps of breaking the Generational curses as in the article I posted above. And we have that power to break those curses through the Blood of Christ.
I do believe there are generational curses. Everyday we see children suffering the consequences of their parent’s sins. Look at babies born hooked on crack (with health issues their whole lives as a result), abused children who become abusive adults, etc.,
Exodus is expounding on consequences. Does this mean a baby born blind is the result of his or her parent’s sin? Maybe – if there is drug abuse or an STD, for example, that caused the defect, but some people are just born blind because of a genetic flaw and I don’t think this is necessarily God punishing anyone or passing on a curse. I can’t substantiate it, but I think Jesus referenced something like this when asked if the man was blind because of the sins of the parents.
Ezekial is talking about something different, and that is for each and every person (soul), the wages of sin is death, and each of us has a death sentense for our own sins, not for the sins of others. We cannot die for others nor can we save others. It is the reason for Messiah coming.
When Paul preached Messiah, people who knew their old testament had great understanding because it was not really a new message, just that salvation had finally come!
I think Exodus is physical/tangible consequences, and Ezekial is spiritual accountability.
Generational sins/curses do exist. However they do not apply to believers. Sin stops at the cross.
I have suffered from generational sin but I came to understand the whole picture a little better. We have iniquity, which is the desire to commit a specific sin…and this is what is passed down from generation to generation. It is in essence a demon, and it uses a person’s body to gratify its desire eg. lust. When the body is wasted, it may no longer have the strength to gratify these desires, so the aforementioned demon moves to the firstborn in the family.
So basically, the kid starts off at a disadvantage because they have a beyond-natural inclination to commit a specific sin. But thanks be to our Heavenly Father, who gives each one of us a chance to receive redemption. If “the kid” should ever choose Christ as the way, the truth and the life, then the grace of God helps them overcome the sin and since light cannot coexist with darkness, the demon leaves on condition that God reigns in this person’s life.
I absolutely believe that generational sin and punishment does exsist bc as we see from the verses you posted the Bible says it does… However once we become believers the punishment is gone bc of our faith in what Jesus did for us at the cross… His blood atoned for all sin past, present, future… However we are not perfect and we can still have struggles with different sins as believers and some of them might be the same thing our father or mother struggled with however this does not mean that we can’t, as believers, have victory over that sin… We may have received victory over certain sins the second we accepted Jesus into our heart but then others we are still struggling with… We need to treat those sins we are still struggling with as we did the sins that we achieved victory over in the moment of salvation go to the savior and ask for forgiveness not bc you need to get saved all over again or something no once you are saved you are instantly justified but you are asking for forgiveness to give the Holy Spirit the latitude to change you… You may not get the victory the first time you go to the Lord with it or maybe not even the second, third, or fourth time but one day you will wake up and realize that you don’t struggle w that sin anymore…
I SEE IT AS A TEST OF FAITH
WHO DO YOU TRUST – CHRIST AND HOLD TO HIS MERCY
ANY CYCLE OF HURT CAN BE BROKEN AWAY FROM
WITH THE POWER OF THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
TOTAL TRUST IN JESUS . . .
HIS IS MY LORD AND MY DESTINY.
I let this bother me so much that I finally asked my pastor….. who assured me it ends with Jesus! I hope he is right. I hate to think of my kids being cursed for my actions!