"Generational Curses"

[TK]

I have heard this term tossed about from time to time; quite a bit lately.

Does anyone know what scriptural basis is used, if any, there is for such a thing?

Is this something different that the obvious effects that growing up in a household with ungodly or abusive parents might have?

For example, can something our great great grandparents did who we did not even know, somehow "curse" us?

Thanks in advance for the input.

TK

[SamIam]

If you hear it from "popular Christian" sources or TV preachers, it probably has little Biblical basis. My observation is that the more popular something is, the less likely it is to have substance.

[steve]

Hi TK,

I responded to a questioner on this subject about a year and a half ago at this link: http://www.theos.org/forum/viewtopic.ph ... nal#p35667

[IsaacJ]

This one has come up to me in the last year as well. It was good to read your older response on it Steve.

I've also found helpful this statement from Ezekiel 18:20:

"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."

God holds us each responsible personally for what we do, and while there may be affects of God's judgment still remaining from those that have gone before us, there is no condemnation for those of us in Christ. It seems the only authority the enemy has in a believer's life is what's been invited by our disobedience. If we are in repentance and surrendered to Christ I don't think we need to fear anything from our enemy.

[steve7150]

For example, can something our great great grandparents did who we did not even know, somehow "curse" us?




In Jer 31.29 it says "the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge", but i think when Jesus on the cross drank the sour wine , which comes from sour grapes that if such a thing existed , he swallowed it up for us, so it's gone under the New Covenant.

[TK]

Hi TK,

I responded to a questioner on this subject about a year and a half ago at this link: http://www.theos.org/forum/viewtopic.ph ... nal#p35667

excellent steve-- very helpful.

TK

[IsaacJ]

It's interesting too that the passage about the sour grapes was a proverb the people used that God said He didn't want them to use anymore.

[Paidion]

Yes, Jeremiah said that the proverb will no longer apply to reality (if it ever did):

In those days they shall no longer say:
“‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
But everyone shall die for his own sin. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. Jeremiah 31:29,30 ESV

[Aaron]

In those days they shall no longer say:
“‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
But everyone shall die for his own sin. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. Jeremiah 31:29,30 ESV

Larry Huch -who teaches on generational curses - totally misused this verse in an interview.
He quoted the proverb without quoting the context. He quoted the proverb as if God was teaching that it was a true proverb. He neglected to indicate that God was against the proverb.

You can read this mind-numbing interview here: http://www.thevoicemagazine.com/christi ... urses.html

I've been researching this because my church teaches it - even though our denomination is against it.

After talking with one of my pastors, the confusion on the topic is even more evident.

The workbook our church uses indicates that God still curses Christians for sin - and that we need to break this curse through repentance, etc.

The pastor was of the opinion that God doesn't curse Christians, but that Satan takes advantage of sins to try and convince people that they are cursed - and will try and bring negative pressure into a family line to continue sinning.

It may be that Satan tries to deceive people like this, but that is a separate issue from breaking actual curses that God has issued. People seem to be confused about whether God causes generational curses or Satan does. Can Satan actually curse anyone?