Neil Anderson is one of the more popular teachers propagating some really bad teaching on the topic. On pages 201-207 of Bondage Breakers, Anderson cites Ex 20.4-6 (Dt 5.9-10) as support for demonic activity in the life of a believer based on ancestral sin. There are other Scriptures that could be added, Ex 34.6-7 and Nu 14.17-18. But his conclusions break down on several levels.
First the context. While God's wrath is to the third and fourth generation, His mercy is visited on thousands of generations. These passages are more about God's mercy than His wrath. They also speak to His justice.
Then note who is the object of the cursing - it is on those that hate the Lord, not some innocent bystander or believer.
Then there is the literalistic difficulty of the passages. If one is three generations from someone that hated God but twenty from someone that loved God, would that person receive wrath or mercy? What if three generations away there are two people that love God but four that hate him, will the person receive wrath then? See the dilemma? An unnecessary one at that.
More importantly, the agent behind both the blessing or cursing is God. Anderson teaches that to deal with Satan he must be "bond". If God is the agent of the curse, then this will fail. If God is not the direct agent but rather employing Satan, than it is still His will and what will the "binding" action accomplish?
Scripture is replete with examples of children not paying for the sins of their fathers, David and Solomon, or conversely Hezekiah and Manasseh who was oddly followed by Josiah.
In Jn 9.3, Jesus models our proper action when confronted with this kind of question. He is more focussed on what God wants to do in the situation for His glory then whether it was the man or his parents that sinned.
And finally, Ez 18.1-5 counters this whole concept and provides a foreshadowing of Christ's work for us.
The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right ..."
Ezekiel expands on this idea in the verses that follow in much more detail, declaring that if the son of an evil man does not repeat His father's sins (which contradicts the interpretation of the "generational curses" passages that the children are destined to repeat their fathers' sins) he will not be punished, but only the father. The same goes for the corollary in which a righteous man's son commits evil. The father will be blessed, but the son will be punished. His summary is clear (Ez 18.20-21).
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die."
To close the topic, Jesus bore our curses by being made a curse for us (Ga 3.13)! Praise God! We are new creations in Christ and He is now about reconciliation not imputation of trespasses (2 Co 5:17-19).
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1 comment:
Thanks for this answer to the topic- it was something I had picked up thrid hand or so- hadn't read Anderson or anyone else. I am not sure you have answered all the levels this sort of teaching would bring into mind, but certainly the spiritual reality! In the same way we are healed by the stripes of Jesus, but there is a place of application and reality of the spiritual in the physical plane.
We have God's blessing, but what part is played in the body of Christ ministering that blessing? I have a feeling as I look at this that there are more than the one application. Is part of it involved in the renewing of our minds? As we think differently, in line with the mind of Christ within us, conformed to His Word through study, etc wouldn't we experience more of the blessing manifested?
"He is more focussed on what God wants to do in the situation for His glory then whether it was the man or his parents that sinned."
I really liked when you said this- it puts the right perspective on all this for me. I could probably work out all my questions, eventually, based upon this one core truth.
I'll try to focus more on this, like Jesus taught. Thanks, Rick:)
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