Can we be punished for the Sins of our Parents?

[MeCajunboy]

What's your take on this topic? Do you believe that man can or should be punished for the sins or generations before us? Why do you think that is? Says a great deal about "demonic power."

[EricH]

What's your take on this topic? Do you believe that man can or should be punished for the sins or generations before us? Why do you think that is? Says a great deal about "demonic power."

No, God does not punish us for the sins of others. We can, however, experience negative consequences because of the sins of others.

[kari21]

Check this out: Are Children Punished For The Sins Of Our Parents?

http://www.gotquestions.org/parents-sin.html

[Jack Anderson]

MeCajunboy,

You ask "Can we be punished for the Sins of our Parents?" My answer to your question would be no; that an individual before God is not punished for the sins of our parents.

This question is not new. Back in the O.T. they asked the same. There was even a proverb pertaining to this question.

In Jeremiah 31:29 we read,

"In those days they will not say again,

'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children's teeth are set on edge.

And in Ezekiel 18:1-2,

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 "What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel saying,

'The fathers eat the sour grapes,

But the children's teeth are set on edge'?

This was a proverb among the exile's children born in Babylon to express that they suffered the evil consequences of their fathers' sin rather than of their own.

There are Christians today that still are essentially saying and teaching the same thing. The Christian community, and the church we attended back in the late 70's, this same question was being asked, along with the teaching it was true, the sins of the fathers, a curse was upon those who suffered.

Examples being cited about people being under a curse who were sick; a city or a town being under a curse because it was named after a non-Christian; stretches of highways under a curse because someone's wife had an accident; parents passing on occult demons to their children; etc.

Where does this type of thinking and teaching come from? Some folks get it from reading the following scriptures.

Exodus 20:1-6

Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 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 third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exodus 34:5-8

And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Deuteronomy 5:9-10

'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, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Numbers 14:18

'The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.'

Lamentations 5:7

Our fathers sinned, and are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities.

But when folks read those Scriptures they need to balance them with the following as well.

Deuteronomy 24:16

"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

Isaiah 3:10-11

Say to the righteous that it will go well with them,

For they will eat the fruit of their actions.

11 Woe to the wicked!

It will go badly with him,

For what he deserves will be done to him.

All of Ezekiel 18, but especially verse 20

"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 for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Jeremiah 31:27-34

"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 "And it will come about that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy, and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the Lord.

29 "In those days they will not say again,

'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children's teeth are set on edge.'

30 "But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. 31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, "declares the Lord. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

One of God's attributes is that He is changeless. He deals with us in our heart attitude of drawing near to Him, or in our rebellion of rejecting Him the same as in past generations and generations to come.

There is much more I would like to say, but this has become too long already. So in ending I would say, no, we are not punished for the sins of our parents regarding our relationship and fellowship with God.

On the one hand there is a cause and effort upon a society, or nation where the sins of the fathers are visited upon it. But whatever penalties and judgments befall communities and nations for connections with the sins of their fathers, the individual who repented and is in right standing with God, in Jesus Christ shall escape His wrath.

God bless,

Jack

Edited August 2, 2007 by Jack Anderson

[HAZARD]

What's your take on this topic? Do you believe that man can or should be punished for the sins or generations before us? Why do you think that is? Says a great deal about "demonic power."

We are not punished for the sins of anyone, especially our parents. But, If say a mother contracted aids, or another serious STD, through sexual sin, then a baby she may have could contract this sickness and suffer for life, even unto death. This is how the child would be inadvertantly punished through no fault of its own.

[MeCajunboy]

What's your take on this topic? Do you believe that man can or should be punished for the sins or generations before us? Why do you think that is? Says a great deal about "demonic power."

No, God does not punish us for the sins of others. We can, however, experience negative consequences because of the sins of others.

Cajunboy::::Really eric, I will ask you to reread Exodus 34:7 and tell me what you think ? The reason I asked this question on this topic Eric, is because I have sensed that I was condemned with the sin of a father and his father on up a few generations. That was the fartherest I could trace the same (sexual) sin of this nature, and it's not a common one, so it's easy to spot if you know how and where to look for it. BUT IT STOPPED WITH ME, Eric. Only by the grace of God was I able to bury my cross before God, and only through God. That's why I'm alive and still here today. I knew it had to be stopped and I was the only one at the time that had the strength and wisdom to do it! Praise God!

Thanks for your input Eric

I noticed you only respond to the more difficult ones, I think?

In God's Love

Cajunboy

[MeCajunboy]

MeCajunboy,

You ask "Can we be punished for the Sins of our Parents?" My answer to your question would be no; that an individual before God is not punished for the sins of our parents.

This question is not new. Back in the O.T. they asked the same. There was even a proverb pertaining to this question.

In Jeremiah 31:29 we read,

"In those days they will not say again,

'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children's teeth are set on edge.

And in Ezekiel 18:1-2,

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 "What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel saying,

'The fathers eat the sour grapes,

But the children's teeth are set on edge'?

This was a proverb among the exile's children born in Babylon to express that they suffered the evil consequences of their fathers' sin rather than of their own.

There are Christians today that still are essentially saying and teaching the same thing. The Christian community, and the church we attended back in the late 70's, this same question was being asked, along with the teaching it was true, the sins of the fathers, a curse was upon those who suffered.

Examples being cited about people being under a curse who were sick; a city or a town being under a curse because it was named after a non-Christian; stretches of highways under a curse because someone's wife had an accident; parents passing on occult demons to their children; etc.

Where does this type of thinking and teaching come from? Some folks get it from reading the following scriptures.

Exodus 20:1-6

Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 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 third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exodus 34:5-8

And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Deuteronomy 5:9-10

'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, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Numbers 14:18

'The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.'

Lamentations 5:7

Our fathers sinned, and are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities.

But when folks read those Scriptures they need to balance them with the following as well.

Deuteronomy 24:16

"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

Isaiah 3:10-11

Say to the righteous that it will go well with them,

For they will eat the fruit of their actions.

11 Woe to the wicked!

It will go badly with him,

For what he deserves will be done to him.

All of Ezekiel 18, but especially verse 20

"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 for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Jeremiah 31:27-34

"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 "And it will come about that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy, and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the Lord.

29 "In those days they will not say again,

'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children's teeth are set on edge.'

30 "But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. 31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, "declares the Lord. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

One of God's attributes is that He is changeless. He deals with us in our heart attitude of drawing near to Him, or in our rebellion of rejecting Him the same as in past generations and generations to come.

There is much more I would like to say, but this has become too long already. So in ending I would say, no, we are not punished for the sins of our parents regarding our relationship and fellowship with God.

On the one hand there is a cause and effort upon a society, or nation where the sins of the fathers are visited upon it. But whatever penalties and judgments befall communities and nations for connections with the sins of their fathers, the individual who repented and is in right standing with God, in Jesus Christ shall escape His wrath.

God bless,

Jack

Cajunboy :::::Thanks Jack but none of these really approach my topic to the exactness I'm searching for. You might want to re-read Exodus 34:7 Jack. I does speak of exactly what you proclaim to not exist. I happen to believe it does, as I'm a survivor of it .....In Jesus' Name

Be Blessed

Cajunboy

[HAZARD]

Exodus 34:7 mentions "visiting" the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children, etc,.

If say a mother contracted aids from her sinning husband, or another serious STD, through his sexual promisquity, then a baby she may have could contract this sickness and suffer for life, even unto death. This is how the child would be inadvertantly punished by the sin of the parent through no fault of its own.

What about wars?

Drugs?

Violent parents bashing a child, burning them with cigaretts, cuting them?

Leaving children with strangers to be baby-sat, and them being interfered with?

Drunken and dangerous driving by a parent where the child is crippled for life in an accident?

There are many sins committed every day by careless parents which cause their sin to be "visited" upon their children.

[MeCajunboy]

Exodus 34:7 mentions "visiting" the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children, etc,.

If say a mother contracted aids from her sinning husband, or another serious STD, through his sexual promisquity, then a baby she may have could contract this sickness and suffer for life, even unto death. This is how the child would be inadvertantly punished by the sin of the parent through no fault of its own.

What about wars?

Drugs?

Violent parents bashing a child, burning them with cigaretts, cuting them?

Leaving children with strangers to be baby-sat, and them being interfered with?

Drunken and dangerous driving by a parent where the child is crippled for life in an accident?

There are many sins committed every day by careless parents which cause their sin to be "visited" upon their children.

Cajunboy::::Really??? So where exactly did you located all of those addictions in our KJV Bible??? I've not located one of those yet! Could you please point me to scripture/verse as I have done for you ???? Actually, My KJV says something quite different in the translation. Also, I have 2 other Bibles of a different format and they each speak of "a parent may pass his sins down as many as four generations" The main reason I asked is because I've seen a similar action in my own family. Three generations that I've been able to trace.....But it stopped with ME! The buck stopped here! But I do appreciate you impression of what you read.

Blessings

Cajunboy

[MeCajunboy]

What's your take on this topic? Do you believe that man can or should be punished for the sins or generations before us? Why do you think that is? Says a great deal about "demonic power."

No, God does not punish us for the sins of others. We can, however, experience negative consequences because of the sins of others.

Cajunboy::::Really eric, I will ask you to reread Exodus 34:7 and tell me what you think ? The reason I asked this question on this topic Eric, is because I have sensed that I was condemned with the sin of a father and his father on up a few generations. That was the fartherest I could trace the same (sexual) sin of this nature, and it's not a common one, so it's easy to spot if you know how and where to look for it. BUT IT STOPPED WITH ME, Eric. Only by the grace of God was I able to bury my cross before God, and only through God. That's why I'm alive and still here today. I knew it had to be stopped and I was the only one at the time that had the strength and wisdom to do it! Praise God!

Thanks for your input Eric

In God's Love

Cajunboy

MCB -

The operative word in this question is "punish."

As both EricH and HAZARD have rightly written, God does not punish us for the sins of others. We can, however, experience negative consequences because of the sins of others. And I too have seen the results of the negative consequences of familial sin passed down through generations.

But don't confuse this with punishment. Biblically speaking, God does not punish His children at all. He corrects and disciplines, but he does not "punish" as we use the word today.

shalom

shlomo

'Cajunboy:::::I thought since I wrote the topic and asked the question, "can sins from our forefathers be passed down to future generations," and since I didn't convey the Operative word here "Punish" that you might respond to my question. I'm very aware that in the scripture/verse of Exedus the term "Punish" is not mentioned. while I feel that my family has experienced this infraction I do not feel as though I was "punished" for it. However, it is extremely evident to me that what I noted in Exedus is very evident in my own personal life......

Prayers

Cajunboy