Subtitle:
Is it possible for Christians to be “cursed” or be under evil influence because of something their ancestor did in the past? Are family curses truly part of God’s plan for Christians?
Synopsis:
Many Christians believe that we can be held “spiritually accountable” for the acts of our ancestors and that evil things will happen to members of a family through the generations. They also believe we must “break” these curses in order to be free from evil. Not only is this idea not supported by the Bible, but it is exactly the opposite of what we are told about receiving redemption from Christ.
Key Takeaways:
- Family curses are found in the Old Testament, but they only effect those that “hate God”.
- The other ideas about ancestral or generational curses come from the Hindu, Islam, and pagan religions.
- The Bible says that there is no condemnation for those set free by Jesus and that we are set free from sin and death.
- The Bible does NOT say we are set free from our own sin, but we are still slaves to the sins of our ancestors.
The Deep Details For Those That Want To Know:
While the idea of ancestral curses or (or generational curses as it is sometimes referred to in Christian circles) has been around for a very long time, its place as a prominent teaching in the Christian faith is relatively new. A quick search on the Internet will find that generational curses have been blamed for everything from personal problems, bad behavior, family disasters, and even illnesses such as diabetes and allergies.
The main idea behind the concept of the generational curse is that an individual suffers from some spiritual attack(s), such as an illness or some other problems because of something their ancestor did in the past. Some believe these curses can effect devout Christians without them even being aware of it. An example would be a generational curse somehow acquired by a great-grand mother that practiced Spiritualism over 100 years ago. What is taught is that the great-granddaughter now suffers from a “curse” because of her grandmother’s association with the occult. What is further taught is that even if the granddaughter is a saved Christian, she is still bound by this curse until she does something special to remove it. In this chapter we will take a look to see if this concept is supported by scripture and what is taught there.
Some people accept the existence of such curses on Christians without considering the theological implications. This kind of belief presents several problems that are contrary to scripture and what we have been told about salvation. Belief in generational curses produces several serious questions. Does God allow someone or something (like an evil entity) to place this curse on a person? Does God allow the curse or evil influence to remain on His followers, even if they are unaware of it? Does God Himself place the curse on them? Many people accept that this is exactly what happens, but they have not thought through their belief in generational curses enough to realize it.
The following table lists a few of the symptoms that some teachers say are signs that a person is under a generational curse.
| Adultery | Destructive attitude | Fear | Panic attacks |
| Alcoholism | Destructive behaviors | Hereditary disease | Perversion |
| Child abuse | Divorce | Immorality | Poverty |
| Confusion | Domestic violence | Indecision | Sexual abuse |
| Depression | Drug addiction | Mental illness | Suicide |
Before we dig in to the details of generational curses, we should point out that the original fall of man (Adam and Eve’s sin) is not a generational curse in the general sense of this teaching (though some teachers will claim that it should be included). In this chapter we are discussing curses that are supposed to occur much later in a person’s family tree. If a Christian is still bound by Adam’s sin as a curse, then the salvation given to us through Jesus was of no effect. We are told repeatedly in the Bible that our salvation releases us from that. If we are still cursed by the sin of our ancestor Adam, then the many verses found in the Scripture, like John 3:16 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6 are falsehoods.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.(1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV)
Teachings on How to Remove Generational Curses
Those that believe in generational curses also teach that to remove the curse you must pray and repent of the sins of your family. Others teach that you must also speak to the curse by declaring that you are free from it. Some teachers have also developed rituals of certain prayers and include the reciting of specific Bible verses to be free (one example is Psalm 91). These rituals can include that you state aloud that you forgive your past family members, that you ask God to proclaim the curse lifted (those curses that are known and unknown), and that you ask God to remove any words or curses placed on you by Satan or other evil entities. Several of these ideas do not align with scripture and they in essence deny the teaching found there.
Where Did the Idea of Generational Curses Come From?
The idea of the ancestral or generational curse is present in other religions like Hindu, Islam, and ancient Greek mythology. Though the other religions may have influenced Christians through cultural contact, most likely the idea came from reading scripture verses without considering the larger context of what is found in the Bible.
In this section we will present the verses of the Bible where the idea of generational curses may have originated. We will also add commentary that provides the context for interpreting these verses correctly.
There are three places in the Bible where God says he will “visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation”. If we were to stop at only those single verses it would be easy to assume that generational curses from God are something for Christians to be concerned with. It should be pointed out that nowhere in scripture does it say that evil beings can place those curses on humans. The only references in the Bible are of God Himself doing it.
The first place anything like this is mentioned is in the Book of Exodus, when God is giving the Ten Commandments. It is found in part of the first of those commandments.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.(Exodus 20:4-6 ESV)
In this Bible quote, placing “the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation” is clearly reserved for those that worship idols and hate God. In verse 6, God says that He will show love to those that love Him and keep His commandments. The question this poses for us is which holds true under certain circumstances. As Christians are we fall under verse 5 or verse 6? What would happen if the father of a man worshiped idols, but the son was a true believer, loved God and kept His commandments? Would God do both, place the curse on the son and love him, or would His love overcome the punishment? To find the answer we need to keep reading.
The next quote that comes later in the Book of Exodus is similar, but there is a difference. God first proclaims that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin”.
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”(Exodus 34:6-7 ESV)
These two quotes are just a few chapters apart, as if God is making certain that we have a clear understanding. In verse 7 of Exodus 34, He is telling us that He will forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin. This raises the same question we asked after the Exodus 20 quote: which wins out, God’s mercy or the curse?
What is not apparent due to the English translation is that the word thousands. In both of these quotes thousands means to a thousand generations. To better see this we will look at Deuteronomy 7:9.
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,(Deuteronomy 7:9 ESV)
In this quote we see the same language again. For “those that love God and keep his commandments”. But here it restates it more clearly that He keeps covenant and steadfast love to a thousand generations. This poses our question very specifically. What if the thousand generations of forgiving and love overlap with third and fourth generation of iniquity? Here the idea of the generational curse creates a paradox.
But God does not leave us to wonder. He once again restates everything in the book of Numbers and presents His forgiveness as the final word.
18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’
19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”
20 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. (Numbers 14:18 ESV)
What is evident here is that God is quick to forgive and does so when asked. And these scriptures show that while God’s people were still under the Law of Moses that forgiveness was still available. How much more free are we under the Blood of Jesus? To make this clear we will look at Romans 8:1.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,(Romans 8:1 ESV)
While the quote from Romans should put any questions to rest, there is one other place in scripture that some have used to argue for the case of generational curses. This can be found in the opening verses of John 9.
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.(John 9:1-3 ESV)
While this quote many not necessarily refer to a curse that spans several generations (since the disciples are only asking if it was the man that sinned or his parents) some would hold this up as proof of the existence of generational curses. Keep in mind here that the disciples are still thinking in terms of the Law of Moses since Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. In his reply, Jesus corrects them by answering that it was neither the man’s nor the parent’s sin that caused the blindness. Based on the answer Jesus gave, this verse neither supports or refutes the idea of generational curses. One could argue that the fact the disciples asked the question in the first place proves that they believed in generational curses, but there are many other places in the four Gospels where the disciples ask questions out of ignorance. The question to be answered here is if the idea of generational curses aligns with the rest of the Bible and the Atonement through Jesus.
An additional place in scripture that is sometimes cited as a list of generational curses is Deuteronomy 28:15-68. While that section of the Bible does contains a large number of curses, their placement in Deuteronomy is because they are the spoken covenant between God and the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 lists the blessings that will come on the people if they obey God and follow His commandments. Verses 15- 68 are the curses for disobedience. This is the covenant agreement between God and the Israelites before they go into the Promised Land. Nowhere does it say that these are curses that God will place on a saved Christian because of the transgressions of their ancestors.
The Conclusion on Generational Curses
Again, nowhere in scripture does it say that evil spirits or other beings are allowed by God to place generational curses on families. There are examples of individuals being influenced by spirits, but the only mention of cursing multiple generations is by God Himself. The conclusion to draw here is that even if God were to place generational curses on a family, once a member of that family receives Christ, any curses are removed from them as an individual. This is the largest flaw in the entire concept of generational curses. The idea here is that Old Testament curses that may have been part of the Law of Moses are being applied to born-again Christians. Any other conclusion is to deny the power of Christ and what is taught about the Atonement throughout the entire New Testament.
This is best illustrated in the form of a question: Was the salvation and forgiveness provided to us by Jesus only strong enough to redeem us from our own sins, but not powerful enough to cover the sins of our ancestors? As Christians were are clearly taught that Jesus freed us from the law of sin and death.
References
The links below are provided as references and resources for additional study. We do not have any affiliation with these Websites or the organizations that publish them. We do not necessarily agree or disagree with anything on the sites or endorse any of the information found at the links. The links are for additional research on the part of the reader and are based on supporting sources that could be verified through an Internet search. Which links the search produced was more due to ease and dependability of access than church or denominational association.
Biblical References on Generational Curses and Individual Responsibility
Scripture References
Supporting References
- What does the Bible say about breaking generational curses? – GotQuestions.org
- Ezekiel 18 – Bible.org
- The Truth Behind Generational Curses – TGC Africa