Free Indeed
Some believers understand that believers in Christ can suffer generational curses as a result of the sins of our ancestors. According to this belief, we must go through a process in order to be free from such curses. However, this belief contradicts biblical teachings.
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. – John 8:36
This verse cannot be taken lightly. The word “indeed” from the Greek ontos means: certainly, clean, indeed, of a truth, verily. The word “free” from the Greek eleutheros means: unrestrained (to go at pleasure), that is, (as a citizen) not a slave, or (generally) exempt (from obligation or liability): – free, at liberty. This means that when we are freed by Christ there is no doubt that we are free from any previous spiritual bondage.
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. – Colossians 2:13-15
All spiritual debt, previously acquired due to our life of sin, is paid off when we receive salvation through faith in Jesus’s and his sacrifice on the cross.
Those who believe in generational curses use Exodus 20:5 [repeated in Deuteronomy 5:9 and Numbers 14:18] as the justification for this teaching.
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. – Exodus 20:5-6
First, we must understand that when the law was given the teaching method was through the fathers to their children and future generations. As we know, they did not have the advantage of computers, electronic Bibles or Google. And probably any written copies of the law that might have existed were not available to everyone. The other thing to understand is that this was a patriarchal society. By understanding both points we can realize that the teaching of the patriarch could have had influences while he was alive, which could possibly mean to the fourth generation (or grandchildren). The beliefs of the descendants were defined by the teachings, customs, traditions and ideas of the leader of the tribe (or clan). Therefore, if these descendants were taught to disobey the word of God, if they lived according to these teachings they would suffer the consequences of such acts. There is no mention beyond the fourth generation since at this point the tribe would be under the leadership of another patriarch. Therefore, this is not about a curse but about learned behavior.
In the same book used to support this teaching it is clarified that everyone shall die for own his sin.
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin. – Deuteronomy 24:16
Clearly, it is not God’s intention to blame a person for the sins of their ancestors. Moreover, it is clear that in Christ “we are free indeed.”
In the second part of this study we will see additional references against generational curses.
Comments
Free Indeed — No Comments
HTML tags allowed in your comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>