Generational Curse?

The phrase “Generational Curse” never appears in Scripture…Old or New Covenant.
This in itself is not sufficient to dismiss the teaching.
The word “Trinity” does not appear in Scripture, but it does accurately reflect the teaching of the Bible.
However, the fact the phrase is not found in the Scriptures should alert discerning Christians that care needs to be exercised in this area.
The full counsel of God needs to be considered.
When done so, the concept of generational curse is foreign to Scripture.

The diagnostic tests, rituals, and prayers recommended by those who teach generational curse cannot be found in Scripture.
No such steps exist in the Bible.
If generational curses were a reality, God would have given appropriate instructions in Scripture regarding how to deal with this problem.

Look again at the words of Moses, whose words are often used to support the doctrine of generational curse:
Exodus 20:5-6 (NLT)
You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

Exodus 34:6-7 (NLT)
The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The Lord!
    The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
    and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
    I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
    I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
    even children in the third and fourth generations.

Numbers 14:18 (NLT)
The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.

Deuteronomy 5:9-10 (NLT)
You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

Those who teach generational curse interpret these Scriptures to mean people inherit and acquire the accumulated guilt of their ancestors. As a result, God sees them as guilty, not only for their own sins, but also for their ancestors’ sins as well. Furthermore, the satan has the right to continue to hold legal claim against Christians who have not effectively dealt with their generational curses.

Taking their teaching to its next logical step, generational curse proponents conclude that Jesus’ blood was shed for the sins of the individual, but an additional step must be taken to remove the guilt a person inherited from his ancestors. This additional step is required for a person to be set free from the bondage that holds him captive to the sins of his forefathers. This procedure involves an elaborate ceremony that consists of listing the sins of one’s ancestors up to four generations, confessing their sins for them, reciting the recommended prayers and declarations, and personally breaking these supposed curses.

Promoters of this teaching usually provide their readers with elaborate diagnostic tests and checklists, and even the exact words to utter during the deliverance ceremony claiming that the Lord will unfold new freedoms in the days that follow.

First, In Exodus 20 and 34, Moses was addressing the children of God who were surrounded by paganism. Pagans believed that those who committed cultic infractions, forgot their god’s birthday, offered the wrong sacrifice, or paid allegiance to another god who offered assistance in some special area (rain, fertility, or war), would die.
(See John Walton, Cultural Background Study Bible: The Great Symbiosis)
Moses is declaring to the superstitious Israelites that their God is different.
Those whose lives are a constant offense to Him will be judged accordingly.
If they persist in rebellion against God and His Word, they risk negatively affecting their immediate descendents—not by any perceived collective, biologically transferred guilt, but by their poor role modeling.

Second, the children who were being judged were exhibiting learned behavior, not inherited guilt and the curses that come with it.
The results/effects of sin are not handed down to descendents genetically or legally. The negative effects of sin are handed down as learned behavior. The phrase “to the fourth generation” refers back to the great-grandfather and indicates that the influence a man has on his son, grandson, and great-grandson only extends as long as he is living. His ability to transmit his ungodly ways to his descendants ceases when he dies. During his life, however, his descendants can choose whether they follow in his wicked ways or turn to the Lord. Therefore, we are neither responsible for our forefathers’ sins nor are we doomed to repeat them. Also, we do not have the legal guilt or the genetic tendency that proponents of generational curse teach.

Third, we need to read the texts used to support generational curse in their entirety. Numerous Bible-believing Old Testament scholars have noted that the judgment of God falls only on members of the second, third, and fourth generations “who hate me” (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9; compare also Deuteronomy 7:10; 32:41).
These specialists note that these words (which appear at the end of the passages cited by proponents of generational curse) further identify those on whom the judgment falls—people who have willingly followed their older, rebellious role models. These words of Scripture explain that God’s judgment is reserved for individuals who persist in rebellion against God by choosing to perpetuate the sins of their ancestors.
Considering all biblical evidence is always an appropriate step to take before concluding any matter of Bible interpretation. Like many other issues, when all of Scripture is considered, little doubt remains regarding the proper conclusion. Moses also wrote that “the fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16, KJV). The consistent and noncontradictory nature of Scripture (Inspiration), along with the time-tested principle of Scripture interprets Scripture, requires that we interpret Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 5:9,10 in light of Moses’ clear statement in chapter 24.

Jesus confronted the same issues.
In John 9:1–3 (NASB) we read:
And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man who sinned nor his parents; but . . . that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Jesus also stated, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).
Jesus’ words suggest that the forgiveness of God is sufficient to accomplish a degree of transformation sufficient to produce a changed life.
Jesus believed that the woman He had just forgiven was free to choose whether she would remain in sin or depart from it. No reference is made to an additional prayer, ceremony, or formulaic renunciation needed to supplement God’s gracious offer of forgiveness.

Paul’s words, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, so that each may receive what has been done through the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10 NTFE) and
“We must all appear before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10 NTFE) clearly assert the priority of individual responsibility.
These passages should be seen as reflecting the unified teaching of Scripture.
We have the witness of Moses, the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles, along with the new covenant, the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit—including the gift of discernment.
Because we have not listened to Jesus nor consulted all of Scripture, we are again afflicted with a magical view of God’s world.
In this world God’s ultimate sacrifice has limited power and effects, and must be supplemented by our own exorcist formulas and human efforts.

The 21st-century church must assert the sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice as unequivocally as did the Early Church.
Paul declared without fear of contradiction: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display [the reference is to the Roman spectacle where conquering emperors and generals would parade the spoils of war and vanquished prisoners through the streets of Rome to demonstrate to citizen and enemy alike the power of the empire] of them, having triumphed over them through Him” (Colossians 2:13–15, NASB).

Paul’s words clearly show that whatever sin-debt we had accrued was effectively canceled as a result of Jesus’ substitutionary death. The death of Jesus accomplished both forgiveness of sin and deliverance from demonic oppression and possession for those who appropriate that sacrifice to themselves.

[This teaching is adapted from Wave Nunnally. See WaveNunally.com for full article.]

- Grace and Peace -