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Question: Where in the Bible does it talk about generational sin? (The sins of the fathers being passed down to the sons.) If this is in the Old Testament, then is it gone because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sin? I ask this because there are patterns that follow in some families. For example: alcohol, drugs, sexual addictions, and so on. I am confused. Thank you for taking time to answer this.

Answer: The scripture verse to which you are referring is:

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" (Exodus 20:5).

This particular verse is making reference to the previous verse about having idols and serving other gods.

Because God was displeased with the Israelites for breaking this commandment and adopting the ways of the nations around them and worshipping idols, he caused them to be taken captive and made slaves to those other nations. The struggle went on for hundreds of years. Obviously, it wasn't only the adults that were taken into captivity. The children suffered the consequences which came about because of the parent's sins.

As you have mentioned, there are patterns within families. If the parents indulge in sinful behavior, the children will more than likely develop the same behavioral patterns. They will develop an "appetite" or a desire to participate in those things they see their parents doing. Some begin at a young age because they perceive it as being the grown up thing to do.

Does this mean God "MAKES" this happen? No, God does not act in such a manner. By this scripture, God is telling us that this "WILL" happen as a result of sinful living.

On the other side of the picture, blessings are also passed down through the generations. You may have noticed that some families seem to be musical, others seem to be athletic, some have a number of family members involved in government, and so on.

I think this should show us the importance of living right, training children properly, and realizing that we do not live life in a vacuum. Everything we do has some kind of effect on those around us; especially on those living in our own household.

Please remember that no one is responsible for the sins of another person. Everyone must make his or her own choices. We ALL have an inborn tendency to sin which came down the generational line from Adam. The choice is whether we are going to give in to those sinful tendencies, or whether we are going to fight them. Christ gave His life and suffered the penalty for all sins. ALL curses of any kind can be broken through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. A person does not need to be bound by ANY type of sin or curse. We cannot use the excuse that our father did it, our grandfather did it, our great-grandfather did it, so there is no hope for us. The GREAT NEWS IS: Even though we have these sinful tendencies running back to our earliest ancestors, we don't need to be bound by them. We can BREAK the curse! We can OVERCOME! There is FREEDOM THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!

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