Bible Question: My mother in law says that there is a Bible verse that says something to the effect of The Sins of the father shall fall upon his children, I have looked and looked and have not found this, can anyone help me? |
Bible Answer: Hi PINK! The problem with finding things in the Bible is that people usually stay with that particular verse or idea and they refuse to accept the rest of the Bible. True, there was a passage that spoke about the sins of the fathers being revisited upon the children... These were sins against God--when the people of Israel rebelled against God's commandments He warned them that by rejecting God, their sins would be revisited upon their children to the third and forth generation (Exodus 20:5). What they fail to understand is that Yahweh is cautioning them not to reject Him! Just one single verse past the warning Yahweh says that He has mercy onto 1000 generations to those who love Him! Which side of the coin would you or any believer would like to be found? If that is not abundantly clear read Ezekiel 18. This whole chapter addresses this particular issue: ...He will not die because of his father's sins... (18:17) It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father's sins, nor a father because of the sins of his son... (18:20) So in the future, House of Israel, I shall judge each of you by what that person does--declares the Lord Yahweh. Repent, renounce all your crimes, avoid all occasions for guilt. Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone--declares the Lord Yahweh--so repent and live!' (18:30-32) But Israel refused to listen to God; even when the Word was incarnated and brought to them the news about the Kingdom of Heaven, they were steadfast to their contaminated versions of the Law: John 9:2-3. They want Jesus to connect the sins of a child to his/her parents! For at the judgement seat of Christ we are all to be seen for what we are, so that each of us may receive what he has deserved in the body, matched to whatever he has done, good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10) The judgment will not be based on the sins of others or on what others want to lay on us; the judgment will be based on our individual status in the eyes of God! God Bless! Angel |