Are generational curses biblical? How do we break them?

There is so much confusion in our world today that false teachings get easily infiltrated in our thoughts.  Our source to all truth is the Bible and anything that comes to us, has to be verified with the Bible.  Otherwise we will be easily led to unbiblical beliefs.

Are generational curses biblical?  Those who believe they are use texts like the second commandment: Ex 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [ generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.” NIV  (see also Deut 5:8-10)

Does this text talk about generational curse?  It might appear so at first, but if you pay close attention to the text, you discover that the promised punishment is not generational related, as it specifies punishment towards “those who hate” God.  Those who love God. God shows “love to a thousand generations!  Basically this text is telling us that there are two groups of people in God’s eyes: 1. “them that love me” and 2. “those who hate me”.

Those that love God are free from any punishment from God Ex 34:6-7

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,  maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” NIV

The guilty are the ones who will suffer the consequences.  If your grandfather was a sex addict and your dad was one too, and you decide to follow in their footsteps, you will have to face God one day and suffer the consequences!  However if you decide not to be influenced by your grandfather’s and dad’s influence, and you decide to obey God instead, no condemnation will be held against you!

Rom 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” NIV

The most powerful text that proves that generational curses are not Biblical, is found in Ezek 18:2-3. But first some background information about this text.  The Jews used to have a saying that if fathers ate sour grapes, the children’s teeth were set on edge.  This meant that if a father did something wrong, it would be held against the children.  What is God’s reaction concerning this saying?  Let us read in Ezek 18:2-3

“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.” NIV

God did not agree at all with that saying!  Read a bit further in Ezek 18:19-20

“”Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live.  The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” NIV

This makes it clear that generational curses are not Biblical!  You are judged by your actions, not by the actions of your dad, not by the actions of your forefathers, but by your own actions.

My friend, if you are living in bondage of sin, may it be sex, drugs, or anything else, God can free you.  Jesus promised John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” NIV  Don’t blame your behaviour on your dad or your grandfather, or your great grandfather.  You and you only are responsible for your actions.

The good news is that forgiveness and deliverance is possible. Zech 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” NIV You can be set free through the power of God’s Holy Spirit!

Jesus made it possible for you to be freed from your addiction.  He paid the ultimate price on Golgotha so you could be freed and be a “new creation”. 2 Cor 5:17-19 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” NIV

Would you like to be free my friend?  It is still not too late.  Why don’t you invite Jesus in your heart right now.  Come to The Saviour’s Call and answer His call of deliverance.

Rob Chaffart

___________________________________________________

“Are generational curses Biblical”?

No, I do not believe so. Here a couple of passages often cited to support this doctrine:

Deuteronomy 28:16   “Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17   Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 18   Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 19   Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 20   The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.” (KJV)

Deuteronomy 30:19   “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” (KJV)

Here, God is telling the Israelites to keep the commandments He has given to them. If they don’t keep His commandments, their actions will have consequences. Of course, these consequences could affect future generations. I don’t believe that this is in any way a threat of a generational curse.

Here is what I think is one of Scripture’s strongest cases against generational curses:

Ezekiel 18:3   “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. 4   Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (KJV)

Scripture is very clear that only the person who sins will be punished. While a person’s sins may have consequences that affect their parents or children, this should not be seen as a curse. To believe in a generaltional curse, IMO, is to believe in punishing people for the sins of their ancestors, who is a contradiction of Scripture and against the mercy of God.

“How can we break those?”

The only “curse” that needs to be feared is spending eternity apart from God:

Romans 6:23   “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (KJV)

What must a person do to “get right with God”? Romans 10:9″…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (KJV)

If you’re not living a life that is pleasing to God, and need prayers or guidance, please feel free to visit The Savior’s Call: http://www.answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html God Bless.
             

In His love from your sister in Christ,

AJ Demers 

___________________________________________________

This particular theology seems to be very popular nowadays; seems like I hear at every turn that someone is praying to break these strongholds over someone or something! I have to return to my old tried-and-true scriptures to refute this teaching. Or, if the “curses” be true, for the unbeliever, then the following scriptures will certainly free him/her up.

“Jesus said to them, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” John 14: 6 (No curse can co-exist where Jesus is.)

“Jesus answered him, ‘If a man loves Me, he will keep My word and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'” John 14: 23 (Can a generational curse, or any kind of curse, last where the Trinity is in residence?)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1 (no explanation needed; this is “plain-speak”).

“As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions.” Romans 14: 1 (Paul’s advice)

“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die. If a man is righteous and does what is lawful and right…(gives a whole list of things that are righteous; and remember that we who are in Christ are accounted as righteous as this person described here in Ezekiel) …he shall surely live,” says the Lord God.

“If he begets a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood….(many more transgressions listed)..he shall not live. He has done all these abominable things; he shall surely die; HIS BLOOD SHALL BE UPON HIMSELF……. The son shall not suffer for the initquity 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 pn himself.”…..Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel (and we gentiles are “grafted into the house of Israel if we are in Christ Jesus) every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. Ezekiel, chapter 18 4 to the end of the chapter.

He says at the beginning of the chapter, “What do you mean by repeating this proverb, The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge (sin from one generation affecting the next). As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb SHALL NO MORE BE USED BY YOU IN ISRAEL.”

So I would answer, if there are “generational curses”, then the blood of Jesus (which is now essentially my own blood, too, since He is living in me and is my life [and the life is in the blood!]) and my application of that blood to the doorposts of my mind, soul and body and heart, has rendered them all null and void in my life (besides of course, what the Lord says to us clearly through His prophet Ezekiel), and the point extremely MOOT! God has always told us that He has no grandchildren, only First Generation sons and daughters, of whom Jesus Christ is the First One born!!! Hallelujah and amen!!!!!!

Yours in Jesus, Sharon Warden 

___________________________________________________

In Numbers 14:18 God states that He will visit the sins of the father’s unto the son’s 3 and 4 generations. BUT, in other verses God states that we are not to put to death the sons for the father’s sins.

What Numbers 14:18 means is that the sins of the father may affect the behavior or emotional well being of the 3rd and 4th generations. When someone sins, it can effect many many people and continue on down throughout generations.

Any act that invites demons into the family or dedicated the family to a false god or Satan can bring forth a generational curse that unless broken will continue to jump from parent to child. For instance, if a parent practiced and taught devil worship, the child of that parent would have a tremendously tough time trying to rid themselves of these beliefs. They would have a very hard time trying to understand the gospel and come to the Lord. It could affect their mental health, they could become immoral, or possibly couldn’t even function socially. These ARE curses. Whether or not that child was actually worshiping the devil, the curse of it is still within them. It’s NOT a curse like the pagans and wicca teach, and it’s not voodoo dolls and all that ridiculous rubbish! It simply may affect generations to come with something as simple as embarrassment.

Exodus 20:5,6 says: You shall not worship them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children on the 3rd and 4th generations of those who hate me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. This scripture is telling you right here that if you love the Lord and keep His commandments, He will show nothing but loving kindness.

Ezekiel 18:20 says: The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment of the son’s iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. This scripture cannot spell it out any more clear.

People mistake the word ‘CURSE’ for what old tales meant by the word. People are cursed in actuality because of themselves. They let the sins of their fathers affect their lives sometimes. They need to just let go of the past. It’s gone. It’s done. It cannot be changed. Most curses are nothing more than guilt over a forefathers past. Guilt can ruin ones life if they let it. Now to me, this is a curse! As long as one loves the Lord with all their heart and soul and pray to Him as their savior, NO ‘curse’ will have anything to do with them. Give it all to the Lord. He has forgiven you, so forgive yourself, and do not let guilt and things that your forefathers did affect your relationship with your heavenly Father. MAY ALL BE BLESSED.

Love And Blessings DeeDee