My wife was looking at an old picture of one of our sons a couple of days ago, and she commented on how much his children resembled him when he was young. She was right. We often comment about how we see the parents in their children. If not physically, then we might see the parents through their mannerisms. We have all seen how the characteristics of parents pass on to their kids. You may have a big nose from your granddad or a beautiful smile from your mother. You might be short or tall based on the physical traits of your ancestors, but one thing is sure; much of who you are is influenced by heredity.
Heredity also has an influence on your talents, abilities, traits, and even how you think and behave. We have all heard the phrase, “Like father, like son.” But did you know that it can be just as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the natural? Set theology aside for a moment. Common sense tells us that behavior, just like physical characteristics of height, weight, hair color, and complexion, tend to run in families. In the same way, certain tendencies to sin can be passed from generation to generation. This is particularly true of addictive behaviors such as alcoholism. Similarly, physical and sexual abuse might become ingrained in the psychological legacy of certain families.
A scientific study revealed that not only do we pass along the DNA sequence to our children, but they also discovered that additional information can be inherited and transmitted through generations. In an experiment, researchers trained mice to fear a fruity odor by pairing it with a mild electric shock to the foot. Ten days later, the mice were allowed to mate. Incredibly, their pups feared the odor even without having encountered the smell before. But even more fascinating is that the offspring of those pups, the grandchildren, were born with the same specific memory.
Now, let’s put that under the spiritual microscope for a moment. Suddenly, your habits may have far greater implications for your kids than you ever imagined. If we become addicted, we can pass along to our children gene instructions that may make them more vulnerable to the same addictions. Take pornography addiction for example. According to a recent study, 68 percent of Christian men are addicted to porn. Most likely, they are unaware of the potential hereditary ramifications of not gaining victory over this weakness.
Probably the most devastating consequence is that God says that if you are in some form of bondage to sin and don’t get an effective plan for dealing with it, it can be passed on to your kids. Of course, it is possible to break the curse. You can go either way. You can pass along either positive or negative charactistics, depending on the choices you make in life.
But here’s the big question: If a Christian is set free from his past after being born-again, why are there so many believers who still see the effects of generational curses in their lives? Could it be because we are not applying the power we have in Christ to deal with it? Once we are saved by grace, we can truly have the mind of Christ which transforms our behavior. Suddenly, we are empowered to break the curses, knowing that the blood of Christ covers us. This transformation is physically revealed in the genetic changes in our bodies, but also on the legacy we will be leaving behind.
Don’t think of it as a battle you’re just fighting for yourself. You’re fighting for the very lineage that God will give you. It is not irreversible. Spiritual deliverance is available to everyone who sincerely calls upon the name of the Lord. Generational influences have the ability to bring blessings, or curses, to your life and to those who will follow.
Family is important to God, and it is clear that He does not think merely in terms of individuals but also in terms of generations.
“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.”
Matthew 1:17
When God looks at you, He also sees your family. He sees where you came from. He looks at your ancestors, and He looks at those who will come after you; your children and grandchildren.
When making a covenant with Abraham, God never once said, “I’m going to bless you.” He always said, “I am going to bless you and your descendants.” We read an example of this in the book of Genesis where God said:
“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
Genesis 22:17-18
Abraham obeyed God and was blessed, and his descendants were blessed, too, because blessings tend to run along blood lines. But, curses also run along blood lines. In the Old Testament God warns the children of Israel not to follow false gods, saying, “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; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
Exodus 20:5-6
The word “iniquity” means to be bent toward a certain sin, and we see that the iniquity of the parents is carried on to the children to the third and fourth generations. So, a child can be bent like his or her parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. Although each person has a free will, the child may have an inner inclination toward the same certain sinful habits as their ancestors. Lamentations 5:7 says, “Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.”
In other words, even though they may be dead and in the grave, their iniquity is sticking with you. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 contains fifty-three verses listing generational curses. There you can find everything from poverty to perversion listed in the Scriptures. Each of these can be, but are not always, the result of a generational curse. Most people can identify some of these symptoms that have passed on from generation to generation. When you look at your family tree, do you see a pattern of any of these things? Do these things exist in your life?
Do you struggle with a particular sin and see a history of that sin in past generations? Maybe you’ve been told that the depression or fear you deal with runs in the family or perhaps you struggle with marital infidelity and can identify a pattern of affairs and divorce going back to a parent and grandparent. These could be symptoms of a generational curse. The good news is that generational curses can be stopped through the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:22 tells us, “and almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” It is all about the blood of Jesus Christ.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
Romans 3:23-25
To define “justified” in simple terms, you could say, “I’ve been made just as if I’d never done it, just as if it never happened.” The same is true of deliverance from generational iniquities and curses. These are included in what the Bible calls the “sins that are past,” and just as salvation must be appropriated through faith. Until you personally appropriate Jesus’ sacrifice through faith, it is not effective in your life, and the curse can remain. However, the generational curse will be cancelled when you, through faith, appropriate the blood of Jesus for your deliverance.
We saw previously how God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth of generations, but did you notice the rest of that verse?
“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; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
Exodus 20:5-6
It says that the curse goes to three or four generations. That would likely include several hundred children. But, the blessing goes much further as it is applied to thousands of our children coming in the future. The blessing is always much stronger than the curse! How do we pass this blessing on to future generations? We do it by loving God and obeying His word.
Remember, I am not saying your children will give account of your sin. The Bible says that each person must bear his own guilt. I am only saying that your children may have a tendency to have the same weaknesses that you have if they are not dealt with. Battles that you fight and win may be battles your children never have to fight, but even if they do, they will have your example of victory to follow.
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry over forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries.