What is a generational curse?
The sins, or consequences of sins, that we inherit from our parents are known as a generational curse. In other words, we children may be practicing a sin that has come to us as a spiritual bondage, or that we are suffering the effects of a sin as an inheritance from our parents. These consequences can also come in the forms of addictions and various diseases.
A section of the church that emphasizes this issue often encourages believers to look back and investigate the sins of their parents. They teach that this may be the reason a sin or sinful pattern persists in their lives. They also teach that constant problems, frequent illnesses, and ongoing financial crises can be expressions of a generational curse.
In simple words, a generational curse points to the consequences that we may be paying for the sins of an ancestor.
If that is the case, then the believer will not be able to get rid of that condition unless deliverance is practiced. That is, a prayer session, laying on of hands and even a confession by the person affected to break the bond. In some cases, these deliverances, which can last several hours, take place in temples at the end of Sunday services, in spiritual retreats, or in homes as part of counseling.
Where does this teaching come from?
The most widely used biblical text as support for this teaching is found in Exodus 20, as part of the 10 Commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai: “You shall not worship or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, who punishes the iniquity of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me” (Ex. 20:5). The same warning is repeated later in Deuteronomy 5:1-11.
For this reason, let us make the effort to observe the teaching of this passage, in order to understand how it concerns us believers today.
Better understanding Exodus 20:4-5
It is clear that the consequences of the sin of idolatry were terrible, and the Lord wanted to create this awareness in the people. So what does it mean that God will visit the wickedness of the parents on the children down to the third and fourth generation?
What we must understand from this text is that it is a principle, and not an irreversible condition. That is to say, this should not be understood as a final sentence that hopelessly condemned children of sinful parents. The principle is that there would be consequences for wrongdoing, and those consequences will also affect the children. But this was not an absolute, in the sense that the sins of the parents will be irreversible conditions for the children.
To understand this text I will describe two scenarios that well illustrate these consequences.
If a man steals, that sin affects not only the thief, but also in a very real sense the children, because if that man is found and tried, he will no longer be able to stand by his family. Furthermore, if stealing is that person’s lifestyle, there is a high probability that the children will also be inclined and moved to the same.
Another example: Let’s say a parent is an alcoholic. Sooner or later, his addiction to alcohol can have consequences for him and his family. For example, if the drunk does indecent things, or loses his job, or gets into a lawsuit with others, or gets sick, it will have terrible consequences for his family members. It is in this sense that the evil of a father affects the children. And this without considering that a child can grow up predisposed to alcohol and even become an alcoholic himself, since that is what he saw as a normal pattern of behavior.
The fact that God visits the wickedness of the parents on the children is rather a principle of consequences and not necessarily an absolute sentence that leaves the children without the possibility of redemption. Nor should it be understood as a generational curse or a spiritual bondage from which we must free ourselves.
This is the necessary conclusion that is also described in the same Pentateuch. Because in the book of Deuteronomy, we are told that “Fathers will not die for their children, nor will children die for their parents; each one will die for his own sin ”(Deut. 24:16). Pay attention: “each one will die for his sin”.
That is to say, in the Old Testament the principle of individual responsibility was already established, discarding any notion of a curse or generational bond. In other words, no child will pay for the sins of the parents, but each one will pay the consequences of his own sins. And although our children may be affected by our decisions, or may suffer from the same disease as an ancestor, as science has proven, we should not interpret it as a spiritual force behind it. Once again, the consequences we suffer should not be understood as generational curses.
To a lesser extent, another text that is used to teach generational curses is found in Proverbs:
Like the sparrow in its wandering and the swallow in its flight. Thus the curse does not come without cause (Prov. 26:2).
But basing the teaching of generational ties on this verse is a poor exegetical exercise. First, because in this passage we are not talking about the consequences that children receive for the sins of their parents. Rather, the author’s line of thought is oriented towards the foolishness of the fool. Second, because the original text of Proverbs 26:2 says:
As the sparrow in its wandering and the swallow in its flight, a curse that has no cause does not alight (Prov. 26:2).
What this proverb means is more or less this: don’t worry if someone curses you through no fault of your own, such a curse will have no effect. The curse that someone proffers with his mouth against an innocent has no power to harm him, in the same way that a bird does not harm anyone when it flies. This text is teaching absolutely nothing about generational ties or curses.
an old mistake
The fact of blaming others for our misfortunes is something as old as the creation story. Failing to take individual responsibility is precisely what Adam did by blaming Eve when he was confronted by God. And that is also what Eve did by blaming the serpent, when she was confronted by her creator (Gen. 3). But at the time when the Jews were deported to Babylon, this same attitude flourished in the form of a well-known saying:
Parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge (Ez. 18:2).
The people of Israel are captive in Babylon. There is sadness, and bitterness among the Israelites. Ezekiel is the prophet chosen by God to speak to the people. Among the Jews there is a hope that this will end soon and then they will return home. But hope is vain. God is punishing his people for his sins. God has handed them over to the Chaldeans in this second deportation and yet another deportation is on the way. This attitude was confronted by the prophet. The message underlying this saying is clear: we are suffering for the sin of our parents. That is why the Lord tells them the same thing:
“As I live,” declares the Lord God, “they will use this proverb no more in Israel. All souls are Mine; both the soul of the father and the soul of the son are Mine. The soul that sins will die (Ez. 18:3-4).
Here once again God corrects the fatalistic notion that children will be victims of an irreversible sentence because of the parents.
This idea is also assumed by the disciples in the Gospel of John. They asked Jesus if a man’s blindness was the result of an ancestor’s sin. To the concern of the disciples, he replied:
“Neither this one sinned, nor his parents; but he is blind so that the works of God may be manifested in him. (John 9:3).
Once again, this excessive (and even unhealthy) inclination to interpret people’s misfortunes as a consequence of the sins of an ancestor is confronted by Jesus, who tells them that this blindness only serves to glorify God.
That emphasis on generational curses almost always robs the believer of personal responsibility. And what is more delicate: it does not motivate him to seek repentance for his own sins.
The damage this causes
Many and unfortunate are the consequences that the teaching of ties or generational curses have brought to the church. Some of God’s people are eager to seek someone to practice a liberation session for them, because they believe that this bondage only loses its power with this practice. In other cases, the believer who feels innocent will shirk his personal responsibility and will not seek repentance. But there are also those who have been disappointed by the implications of this teaching. Those who have been delivered and whose sin or the consequences of sin have resurfaced over time experience disappointment with the gospel or the Scriptures. Others may resolve it by periodically undergoing these releases.
Therefore, in accordance with biblical teaching we must conclude that the doctrine of generational curses is theologically deficient and in practice is very harmful for the believer and the church in general.
The Biblical Alternative
But then, what to do if in daily life it seems that we are inclined to practice the same sins as our ancestors? How to get rid of that influence?
To begin by answering this legitimate question, I must establish that men are born dead in our crimes and sins (Eph. 2:1), and that our hearts are always and only inclined towards evil (Gen. 6:5). Only by the sovereign intervention of God, men are regenerated and receive a new heart. In other words, God causes us to be born again (Jn. 3:3). When man repents of his sins, he turns from his evil ways and turns to Christ in obedience, he is giving the glorious evidence of his new birth. That is why the apostle John said: “No one who is born of God practices sin, because the seed of God abides in him. He cannot sin, because he is born of God ”(1 Jn. 3: 9). This means that when a person is born again, repents, and forsakes his sins, he will not display a sinful pattern of behavior. The believer sins, but he does not practice sin as a lifestyle. Taking John’s words as a reference, we conclude that the open and permanent practice of a sin, in most cases is evidence that that person was not born again, and that he never repented of his sins. If that is your case, then you must recognize your need for salvation, repent of your wickedness, and place your trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins. The Bible teaches that everyone who comes to Christ, He does not cast out. He runs to the Lord and He will receive you and give you rest (Jn. 6:37 & Mt. 11:28-29).
Nevertheless,…