My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge... Hosea 4:6, (Generational Curses)

*[i]Moderator edit ~ The content of this post has been edited and removed.[/i]

http://crossofchristministries.org

Jarona,

Truly I have no intention of argueing with you about whether this article is true. But I can't say I agree. I believe that mindsets and bondages can be passed down through generations because of their environment (son seeing Dad acting a certain way or doing certain behaviors, etc..) but not that they are 'cursed'.

If this article is true, then why is my oldest daughter (17) a set apart young lady who was called at a very young age to serve the Lord and to have a love for missionary work-- even though she was conceived out of wedlock? My husband (her Father) have now been married almost 18 yrs. We brought her up in a lukewarm christian setting until she was about 12- when the Lord brought personal revival to my own life. This personal revival and hunger for the Lord rubbed off on her, but even before this you could just tell by her fruit that she was set apart for Him. She has a passion for spreading the message of modesty and purity to girls. Greg and Mike on this forum know her and I'm sure will attest to her peculiar love for the things of the Lord at such a young age.

Now i do admit that my own strongholds in my life that i have dealt with over the years, some of that behavior has influenced her life (caring too much about appearance, etc....) but those were not curses but just exposure to my own sinful behavior.

In light of this article, why would she turn out this way and not be cursed instead?

In His grace, Chanin

Hi He Reigns,

How is it heresy when it's found in the Bible? Also, how does that example you gave counter that verse in Hosea? I'm not sure I'm following your train of thought, so if you'd explain it more I'd appreciate it. :-D

Jordan

Here is a couple.

[url=http://www.apostolic.net/biblicalstudies/curse.htm]The Cursed Doctrine of "Generational Curses" [/url]

This,[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=0&topic_id=9019&forum=35&post_id=&refresh=Go] My friend believes in "Generational curse and sins."[/url] from an earlier discussion, might want to fast forward to Philologo's thought's there, it also expresses in part why in my discernment the original article was edited out.

Want to make a distinction as to why this was done. For the concerns of this site, it is out of place as a 'teaching', there are any number of things that will not see the light of day here. A great part of the article would fall under this subtext from [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=0&topic_id=14144&forum=13&post_id=&refresh=Go]MUST READ: SermonIndex Forum Disclaimer / Community Rules[/url] , even if it is just by way of association;

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Please do not post personal prayers in a explicit matter to God in a posting or reply. We would not have anyone not leaving a comment or exhortation; I.E. "May the Lord bless you richly" and the like is perfectly acceptable. But do not post long, extraneously worded prayers in the forum. [b]Do not[/b] post "rebukes to the devil" or "coming against every foul demon ..." worded pronouncements in the forum.

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There is also the matter of decency, tact ... Sadly lacking in measure in the article, the contagion of near association ...

Left the link if others must peer into these things but will give my personal two bits and urge a caution. It is one thing to dispute or challenge a notion, to discuss the validity of such an idea or construct as is this one of 'generational curses' but this 'article' well could lead to it's own bondage and unfounded fears, it is quite problematic and difficult to even know where to start, frankly am disinterested in even getting into the whole matter. The premise is off from the get go and the idea of dismantling a questionable notion to begin with with even more methodical 'how to' steps of deliverance ... 'say this', 'reverse that', 'repeat in similar fashion for so many days' is more superstition than scriptural warrant. My suggestion would be to ignore it, but if not be forewarned, this is very bad theology.

This personal revival and hunger for the Lord rubbed off on her, but even before this you could just tell by her fruit that she was set apart for Him. She has a passion for spreading the message of modesty and purity to girls. Greg and Mike on this forum know her and I'm sure will attest to her peculiar love for the things of the Lord at such a young age.

I most certainly can attest to this. Chanin's daughter proved herself wise beyond years at an age that would shame some three times her own and with as much spiritual understanding or perhaps better 'scriptural knowledge'. It was spelled out by her character and honest love for the Lord.

There is so much fodder for confusion and ramifications with this sort of thing, creating a 'what if' scenario and extrapolating off of it. Chanin's is but one example, what to say to this for someone adopted with no knowledge of biological parents, such as myself? Are we to rebuke and 'forsake' every know sin under the sun ... just in case? It is difficult not to be indignant at just how much damage can be done by some with their penchant for creating doctrines.

God forgive me if I have posted falsely. And forgive me brothers and sisters if I have posted something I wasn't supposed to on SI. Perhaps some of my views I should keep to myself to avoid confrontation; as I believe in the legality of Satan, and other things other people do not believe. I still want wisdom concerning these matters. If we choose life we can live, He became a curse for us.

Hi jarona,

The article and those things already mentioned were the matter, the topic itself is still worth discussing ...

I still want wisdom concerning these matters.

Have you studied this out for yourself? What I mean is the primary scripture that is used in Deut. the context and where these ideas that some hold to are in fact scriptural, warranted?

Hi Jeannette,

Your post did help and it was very good, I thank you for it.

I was thinking about this as I was getting ready for church and the thought came to mind that you may be inclined to the sins of you parents before coming to Christ, but you're not doomed to repeat them. However, Christ breaks the bonds of sin when you come to Him in repentance. This is basically what you said. :-)

Jordan

Generational curses....there is a lot of apparent evidence out these to suggest there are. However....what does the NT teach about this? Jeannette shared scriptures detailing that once we are in Christ, we are become new...

I am in the process of looking at this issue differently...used to believe there must be something to this, then say, "no there is not". So how can you explain sins that 'appear' to run in families? In taking a more indepth look at this I am discovering realities of which I was ignorant.

Consider these:
1. Temperments.
2. Hidden sins.
3. Childhood teachings.
4. Family culture.

All of these combined work to produce a behaviour that [i]can[/i] be interpreted as generational curses because of childhood training, family culture, all intertwined.

This is the conclusion I have come to when I have witnessed or became aware of sinful behaviours in both sides of my family who share little DNA (might be 4th cousins). When you have hidden, unconfessed sins in your background, this will cause you to behave in certain ways. And if your temperments are similar you will see a pattern.

When I counseled at CPC, seeing strangers, I noticed there were about 4/5 different kinds of clients. Each kind responded a certain way peculiar to their situation. Their responses were similar and predictable. My conclusion is that sin and its aftermath is predictible, that is why the similarity exists AND why some may want to say it is generational. What certainly is generational is the sinful nature. Beyond that it is up to the individual to allow God to change that.

My opinion based on my experience...

ginnyrose

After I posted this, I was reading another thread and there was quoted a scripture which has also taught me lot about this issue. I will post it here for your edification:

God Deals Justly with Individuals -Exe. 18: 1-32 (NASB)
1Then 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'?

3"As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

4"Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine The soul who sins will die.

5"But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness,

6 and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period--

7 if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing,

8 if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man,

9if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully--he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD.

10"Then he may have a violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a brother

11(though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and defiles his neighbor's wife,

12oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits abomination,

13he lends money on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has committed all these abominations, he will surely be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

14"Now behold, he has a son who has observed all his father's sins which he committed, and observing does not do likewise.

15 "He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife,

16 or oppress anyone, or retain a pledge, or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing,

17 he keeps his hand from the poor, does not take interest or increase, but executes My ordinances, and walks in My statutes; he will not die for his father's iniquity, he will surely live.

18 "As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity.

19"Yet you say, 'Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity?' When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has observed all My statutes and done them, he shall surely live.

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.

21"But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

22"All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.

23"Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

24"But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.

25"Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not right ' Hear now, O house of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right?

26"When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die.

27"Again, when a wicked man turns away (AO)from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life.

28"Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

29"But the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?

30"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.

31"Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?

32"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live."

These sentiments are repeated in Jeremiah 31:27-37:
A New Covenant
27 "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"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,

32not 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 "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will 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."
35 Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for light by day
And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
The LORD of hosts is His name:
36 "If this fixed order departs
From before Me," declares the LORD,
"Then the offspring of Israel also will cease
From being a nation before Me forever."

37 Thus says the LORD,
"If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel
For all that they have done," declares the LORD.

This should give us a lot of hope, do you not think?

ginnyrose

Have you studied this out for yourself? What I mean is the primary scripture that is used in Deut. the context and where these ideas that some hold to are in fact scriptural, warranted?

My understanding is of the context of the scripture in Deut. is that the convenant was renewed and this was obviously spoken to the Jews as was the ten commandments, etc. I personally don't think I belive in everything I first posted but think it is a topic worth addressing. One thing that I am rather certain of and I don't think any article or any human can convince me otherwise (my own view) is that I believe in generational spirits. That is spirits (demons) that have followed family lines for many yrs. even decades, and centuries. Because one family member gave into this demons' temptation then this evil spirit has a legal right to influence this family. That is my view. I base this off of things I have looked into, heard, and my spiritual understanding concerning families and there behaviours that I look at; Certain behaviours I see as a spiritual bondage more so than a genetic thing. And things have lead me to believe in generational spirits. He gets angry like his dad, etc. Things many of us may have heard.

Anyways, I plan on reading the article

The Cursed Doctrine of "Generational Curses"

And I may let you know what I think about it. Instead of perhaps going on a bit more about what my view I may read that later on and get back to you about it.

I agree with certain things that were stated in the article.

This considerably got to me. Or made me think some:

"The third point to consider is that God is the active agent behind these curses. This is in contradistinction to most interpretations of these passages in which it is assumed that God does not want us being cursed. Whereas the common interpretation assumes the origin of the curse is Satan, or even man himself, the text is clear that the origin of the curse is God. Why would God break the curse that He is responsible for giving? After all, He wouldn't have said He was going to curse the third and fourth generations if He did not want the sinner's third and fourth generations to be cursed. To invoke God's help in breaking His curse is to ask God to will something other than what He expressly wills. That is contradictory and absurd. This undermines all those ministries that attempt to break generational curses, for they are found to be fighting against God."

That is something I personally would like to address with this man who in my own discernment seems to love righteousness dearly.