Generational Curses and the Bible.
By Rev. John Cuthbert, in England.
John Cuthbert holds credentials with the
Elim Pentecostal Church, UK. John’s
preaching and teaching have taken him to
many parts of the world, including Brazil,
Africa, USA, and Europe. His specialised
subject is “Apologetics - defence of the
Faith”. This includes equipping Christians
with knowledge and understanding of the
major cults, so that they can effectively
witness to those held captive by false religion.
He has studied Mormonism in Salt
Lake City, and regularly witnesses to cult
members representing the major cults. In
recent years, John has been very concerned
with what he calls “back door deception”
influencing Pentecostal and charismatic churches.
More and more Christian publications,
conferences and television programmes
are presenting the subject of generational
curses and how they can be broken.
Preachers, some famous, have recently
warned Christian audiences of the possibility
of a curse being attached to their
family because of the evil committed by
an ancestor – perhaps centuries ago.
The curse, we are told, can show itself in
recurring illness, addiction, poverty,
depression, anger, and much more.
This teaching does offer consolation
and excuses to those struggling with
such problems. It’s not their fault. They
are the victims of an unwanted inherited
family curse.
Parents and Grandparents can affect
children in the family by their example
and attitudes. This can help or hinder in
later life. Paul’s epistles to Timothy
reveal a young man who was emotionally
scarred by his upbringing in a divided
home. Why would Timothy’s mother,
a Jewess who believed in one God,
break a commandment and marry a
Greek whose religion was polytheistic?
We are not told, but the repercussions
touched the life of their son. His lack of
assurance and confidence, often
addressed in Paul’s letters to him, suggest
this. Notice that the Apostle never
referred to this emotional frailty as the
result of a curse.
Where did the generational curses
teaching come from? Those who believe
it and preach it often cite Old
Testament verses that tell of sons being
cursed because of their fathers’ sins.
Usually the devil gets the blame for promoting
this bondage affecting generation
after generation of innocent victims
right up to the present day. Should
we be worried about this warning of a
demonic contagion of evil planted by
those related to us, recently or in the
distant past? Can a curse ride the centuries
and land on you? What does the
Bible say?
It was the God of Israel who promised
retribution to succeeding generations of
those who hated him, the guilty ones.
No one was condemned merely because
of the family connection; they were all
God-haters and rebels.
It was a divine decree and promise of
judgment.
See: Exodus 20:4-6; 34:5-7. If it was
God who placed a curse on these people
who rejected and opposed him, how
could any anointed prophet or national
leader in Israel question that pronouncement
and break the curse? They
didn’t.
However, God’s merciful promise was
that all judgement and condemnation
would end immediately if a son repented
and renounced the sinful lifestyle
that had been a feature of his family
line.
Bible references, and the Bible is our
final authority, indicate that sin and its
consequences were not automatically
transferred from father to son. Every
individual was held personally accountable
to God. Evidently, some people in
the Old Testament expected sons to be
punished for the sins of their fathers
and said so. They were corrected by God
himself.
See: Ezekiel 18:19, 20 The Living Bible.
“‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn't the son pay
for his father's sins?’ No! For if the son
does what is right and keeps my laws, he
shall surely live.
The one who sins is the one who dies.
The son shall not be punished for his
father's sins, nor the father for his
son's. The righteous person will be
rewarded for his own goodness and the
wicked person for his wickedness.
See: Ezekiel 18:1-4;14-22; Jeremiah
31:29-32.
Every true Christian is a new creation,
the old has gone and the new has come
(2 Corinthians 5:17). A New Covenant
is operative.
Our “citizenship” is in heaven – we are
registered! (Philippians 3:20).
The followers of Jesus Christ have a new
family and genealogy – the “seed of
Abraham”. Amazingly, the Bible teaches
that every Christian; Jew or Gentile,
rich or poor, black or white – or any
other colour, has a faith ancestry that
traces back to Abraham, the father of
the faithful. See: Romans 4:16-17;
Romans 9:8; Galatians 3:28-29.
We read Church history and feel an
affinity and family tie with all followers
of Jesus throughout the centuries. We
are “all one in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians
3:28).
Some of our great hymns were written
hundreds of years ago.
When we sing them today we sense a
family bond with the writers and their
declared love for the Christ of the
Cross. We read the last recorded testimony
of a Christian martyr as he stood
by the execution stake and declared his
faith in Jesus, and we know he is our
brother. His God is our God; His
Saviour is our Saviour; His New Birth
experience is the same as ours; His eternal
Home is where we belong too. We
are all in the family of God. For two
thousand years Christians all over the
world have prayed the prayer that Jesus
taught His disciples, the Lord’s Prayer. It
is addressed to “Our Father”. This term
acknowledges not only The Father, our
God, but also our brothers and sisters in
the Christian family.
What did the New Testament Apostles
teach about generational curses?
The answer is: Nothing! Absolutely
nothing! So be encouraged. Enjoy
belonging to God’s worldwide eternal
family. This family is blessed and protected
by God – forever!