Confusing bible passages

[lostintheabyss]

Hello,

My question is about sin. I came across these passages as I was reading the bible and became distraught by what i was reading.

In Ezekiel chapter 18 it talks about how a man is not to be punished for another man's sin but to be punished only by his own sin should his actions cause such an event. Then in Deuteronomy with the 10 commandments in chapter 5, it says in the 2nd commandment that god would punish the children of the sinner to the 3rd and 4th generation for breaking his law.

My question is how can god contradict himself so blatantly if he is the true one god? how can he claim opposing commandments and expect people to be not only saved but sane?

I've asked other christians this question and they say that god is referring to the consequences of the actions instead of actually punishing the children.

My question is: isn't that the same thing?

And also in Revelations 22:18, it says not to add to the words of god's bible, yet isn't that what christians are doing by assuming the text said consequence instead of punishment?

 

[kwikphilly]

Blessings lost

     Welcome to Worthy,I'm not sure how you see a contradiction .....in Duet 10:5 we see the LAW given to man,God is making this covenant with man,giving hi 10 Commandments to abide by

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Deuteronomy 10:5New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now.

THe 2nd VERSE is not the 2nd Commandment

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² Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;

so,I think that may be where the confusion lies,correct me if I am not understanding what you are asking.....the 2nd of the 10 Commandments is...

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“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments”

I do believe got questions explained this part pretty well....perhaps this will help'

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This commandment also contains a warning for future generations. God is saying that, if we don’t deal with idolatry in our generation, we will pass it down to our children and to their children. Children learn to handle life by watching their parents. When children observe mom and dad running to a bottle, a pill, another romance, or a shopping spree to make them feel good about themselves, they follow that pattern. When children watch their parents spend time, money and energy on worldly pursuits, they naturally copy those values and will raise their own children to do the same.

                                                                                                    https://gotquestions.org/second-commandment.html

 

I think you were given a poor answer by others & I can understand why you would think it made little sense.....

    As far as your question about "adding" to the Word of God,I agree with you.....when anyone assumes what the Scriptures mean by leaning on their OWN understanding they can easily mis-interpret,mis-understand & mis-apply....that is why we must seek God & pray Holy Spirit to Reveal Gods Truth to us ....just as Omegaman has said also

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King James Bible   Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Spiritual Wisdom

1 Cor2:9Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.…

Berean Study Bible

                                                                                                                               With love-in Christ,Kwik

[Omegaman 3.0]

Your questions sound simple, but they are not as simple as you make them sound. Sorry, but I am going to need to be a bit long winded to even touch on a decent answer.

On the passage concerning punishing future generations, here is the problem. One translation says one thing, another says another. It is not Christians assuming something other than the text says, it has to do with difficulties of translating a language, that was active different thousands of years ago, to modern English. Just as in English, words in Hebrew can have more that one meaning. It is the task of the translator, to bring out the original meaning, to the best of his or her ability, and at times, there are limitations or uncertainties. In the case of this verse, the basic Hebrew word is "paqad". I am not a Hebrew scholar, and I doubt that anyone here on worthy is, though some may read a bit of Hebrew. Reading is one thing, but being a scholar with a thorough knowledge of an ancient language, and all of the nucances, exegetical ability etc, is more than just reading.

That word is used, for example, in Exo 4:31, Ruth 1:6, 1 Sam 2:21, 1 Chr 21:6, 2 Chr 36:23, Ezr 1:2, Job 34:13, Job 36:23, and Zec 10:3. If you look those verses up, you will see it used in different ways. If you check in different versions, you will find different translators, also render it differently. Keep in mind, that when there are several meanings of a word in a language, that there are also different words in the language that one translates to. 

For Example, suppose a word in an original language, is translated into the English word "run". The English reader, now has the task of wondering: "Which of the 25 or more meanings of the English word "run" is appropriate?"'

So, it is not always as simple as it seems, and it is not a matter of there being only one way of understanding something. It is not like math, where 25 means 25, not 24 and not 26, and not negative 25, or 25.1! So, what are we to do?

What we do not do, is assume that something is a contradiction, just because we fail to understand it. We give an author the benefit of a doubt, and assume he knows what he means, even when we do not or are not certain. Therefore, if one way of understanding a sentence is more agreeable with something else said, and a second way is, go with the understanding that is most compatable, in the contexts of the meanings of the sentences in question.

I should also point out, that the verse you spoke of, if I remember correctly, doesn't only say the 3rd and 4th generations, is has another qualifier. Forgive me if I am mistaken in this, but I am thinking that it said "of those who hate God" or words to that general effect.

As to the one in the book of Revelation, about not adding  . . . it speaks to adding to the prophecy of this book. That warning is pretty specific. It regards the prophecy, not necessarily the whole book. More than that, the word book here (biblion in the Greek) is not a book like you and I think of it. The word can mean just a simple page, like "let him give here a certificate of divorce". More to the point though, a book in those days, generally means a scroll, or a collection of scrolls that amount to one writing. In this sense, this larger sense, this would likely apply the the book of Revelation, not the entire Bible. The Bible is not one book. The Bible as we know it, is a collection of 66 books, gathered together into one binding, but that was not the case, when the book of Revelation was written. Again, we take the context, and we do not want to read into a passage, what was never intended, nor do we want to miss, what was intended.

The Bible can be read and understood, by ordinary people, but those not yet accustomed to it, are wise to seek help, from those who are. I have been reading it seriously, for almost 40 years, and I am still in the state of discovery about it. It is not intended to be read like a novel, it is intened to be read as what it is, the most important writing in the history of the world, with serious consequences for failing to take it seriously, and great rewards, for those who do take it seriously, and embrace it's teachings.