As a Pastor for many years there are verses and questions that seem to repeat themselves and one of those questions is regarding "generational curses." You know it is the person who would tell me: the devil made me do it or perhaps the one who says I do such and such a thing and it is because certain behaviors are in our family and there is no way that I can get away from it. Well, do you think we need to be blaming generational curses for the things that happen to us? That we had no choice in the matter it comes with the territory of being human.
Most teaching regarding "generational curses" is based on the following scripture:
You shall not worship [other gods] or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. (Exodus 20:5)
Look, Pastor, it says that the iniquity of the fathers passes on to the children –the third and fourth generations. So it is not my fault. To teach that this verse explains why some "Christians" act the way they do is wrong.
First, you must consider the whole thought, which becomes obvious in the very next verse:
but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:6)
God is saying that the effects of disobedience (in this case, worshiping idols) lasts for a time but the effects of trusting His Messiah's substitutionary death on the cross are far more extensive—to a "thousand" generations. Therefore the "effect" of sin can be broken by faith in God.
Let us define what is an idol
Adrain Rogers has an excellent illustration dealing with making an image or idol or likeness of God for the purpose of worship and prayer. He said:
”Idolatry is wrong because it gives a distorted or false picture of God. An idol is a material thing , and no idol can represent the invisible, spiritual God." Jesus said in John 4:24 that God is Spirit.
His very essence is spirit. Then Jesus says: They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, What possible material thing could possibly represent spirit? God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. There is nowhere where God is not and no material thing can represent Him. There is nothing you can compare God to or with. There is nothing that says this is what God is totally like . We can compare chairs or pianos, etc., but there is only one God. You cannot compare Him to
anything or anyone.
Adrian goes on with his definition and says; Suppose a woman walks into the room and finds her husband embracing another woman. He sees his wife out of the corner of his eye and says: Now wait a minute, honey. Don’t get the wrong idea. let me tell you what I was doing. This woman is so beautiful, she reminded me of you. I was really just thinking of you when I was embracing her. There is not a woman in America who would buy that. And God doesn’t buy it either, when we worship something else and say: Now Lord, wait a minute. Don’t get the wrong idea here. I was only worshiping this thing because it reminds me of You. No you are not really worshiping God. That is what the Second Commandment is all about.”
Maybe you are thinking, Exodus is Old Testament law and we're now under Church Age of grace. Christians are free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). In Christ, all things are new and the OT Law is not in effect. Remember what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. The important thing to remember is that even though we live in the Age of Grace, the Bible is still relevant from the 1st word of Genesis to the last word of Revelation!
I believe that many people tend to confuse "generational curses" or “family curses” with consequences of sin. For example, if a homosexual repents and trusts God, there may still be consequences of their prior activity that will affect them and/or their family in this life. Or if a woman abuses drugs while she is pregnant, even if she realizes her behavior was wrong and repents, there may be physical consequences to her and/or the baby. But that is not the context of what is being taught in Exodus 20.
For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong that he has done, and that without partiality. (Colossians 3:25).
So the wrong view is that the occult powers or curses are passed on a from a parent to a child . They believe that if these curses are not renounced a Christian will be oppressed. But John 17:15 tells us that the only curses which the Bible treats as effective are those uttered by God for He is in control. Curses of all kinds can be uttered over a believer continuously during his entire life, but they cannot impact his life. Christ has prayed that Christians be kept from the evil one.
I want to let it be known and understood that every curse was addressed at the Cross of Calvary (Galatians 3:13-14). As well, Jesus has perfectly kept all the Commandments, and all who trust Him and what He did at
the Cross, are participants of God’s gracious Mercy. Just call on the name of Jesus for every problem in your life.
Most teaching regarding "generational curses" is based on the following scripture:
You shall not worship [other gods] or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. (Exodus 20:5)
Look, Pastor, it says that the iniquity of the fathers passes on to the children –the third and fourth generations. So it is not my fault. To teach that this verse explains why some "Christians" act the way they do is wrong.
First, you must consider the whole thought, which becomes obvious in the very next verse:
but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:6)
God is saying that the effects of disobedience (in this case, worshiping idols) lasts for a time but the effects of trusting His Messiah's substitutionary death on the cross are far more extensive—to a "thousand" generations. Therefore the "effect" of sin can be broken by faith in God.
Let us define what is an idol
Adrain Rogers has an excellent illustration dealing with making an image or idol or likeness of God for the purpose of worship and prayer. He said:
”Idolatry is wrong because it gives a distorted or false picture of God. An idol is a material thing , and no idol can represent the invisible, spiritual God." Jesus said in John 4:24 that God is Spirit.
His very essence is spirit. Then Jesus says: They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, What possible material thing could possibly represent spirit? God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. There is nowhere where God is not and no material thing can represent Him. There is nothing you can compare God to or with. There is nothing that says this is what God is totally like . We can compare chairs or pianos, etc., but there is only one God. You cannot compare Him to
anything or anyone.
Adrian goes on with his definition and says; Suppose a woman walks into the room and finds her husband embracing another woman. He sees his wife out of the corner of his eye and says: Now wait a minute, honey. Don’t get the wrong idea. let me tell you what I was doing. This woman is so beautiful, she reminded me of you. I was really just thinking of you when I was embracing her. There is not a woman in America who would buy that. And God doesn’t buy it either, when we worship something else and say: Now Lord, wait a minute. Don’t get the wrong idea here. I was only worshiping this thing because it reminds me of You. No you are not really worshiping God. That is what the Second Commandment is all about.”
Maybe you are thinking, Exodus is Old Testament law and we're now under Church Age of grace. Christians are free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). In Christ, all things are new and the OT Law is not in effect. Remember what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. The important thing to remember is that even though we live in the Age of Grace, the Bible is still relevant from the 1st word of Genesis to the last word of Revelation!
I believe that many people tend to confuse "generational curses" or “family curses” with consequences of sin. For example, if a homosexual repents and trusts God, there may still be consequences of their prior activity that will affect them and/or their family in this life. Or if a woman abuses drugs while she is pregnant, even if she realizes her behavior was wrong and repents, there may be physical consequences to her and/or the baby. But that is not the context of what is being taught in Exodus 20.
For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong that he has done, and that without partiality. (Colossians 3:25).
So the wrong view is that the occult powers or curses are passed on a from a parent to a child . They believe that if these curses are not renounced a Christian will be oppressed. But John 17:15 tells us that the only curses which the Bible treats as effective are those uttered by God for He is in control. Curses of all kinds can be uttered over a believer continuously during his entire life, but they cannot impact his life. Christ has prayed that Christians be kept from the evil one.
I want to let it be known and understood that every curse was addressed at the Cross of Calvary (Galatians 3:13-14). As well, Jesus has perfectly kept all the Commandments, and all who trust Him and what He did at
the Cross, are participants of God’s gracious Mercy. Just call on the name of Jesus for every problem in your life.
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