An MBA graduate's thoughts from a place of prayer, study and waiting on God…
Ezekiel 18:19-20 says that a son shall not bear the guilt of the father because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all God's statutes and observed them. The inverse of this statement is therefore also true that: if the son of a sinful father (or mother indeed) is also living in sin then it is possible for the son to bear the guilt of the father in addition to punishment for the son's own sins.
2 Chr 33 tells the story of King Manasseh, son of faithful King Hezekiah (see previous post). So evil was he that he overturned pretty much all the good acts of his father, acts that had brought Judah so much prosperity. It’s amazing how swiftly the people forgot the goodness of God when life was good and how similarly they lived like pagans in their disobedience to God. This happens time and time again in the Bible, and remains a valid warning for us today when we receive our heart’s desires. That they had an evil ruler also played its part.
Exodus 20:5-6 are the oft quoted verses where God talks about curses on the father flowing through to the children to the third and fourth generation. Indeed there are multiple examples through the Bible where generations after the one that sinned paid the price for historical sins. But limiting our understanding of these verses to this explanation would be inconsistent with the rest of the Bible. Ezekiel 18:20 and Deut 24:16 specifically say that the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father or vice versa. As the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, there’s more to study.
Can a son bear the sins of the father or vice versa? No, every man for himself. What of a wicked person, how is he saved? If he turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all God’s commandments and does what is lawful and right, none of his sins will be remembered against him. 🙌🏾 What of the righteous person who later sins? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered because of his unfaithfulness. But aren’t we now under the new covenant, no longer under the “law”? Aren’t we now saved by grace through faith in God alone?! All these works...🙄 So can’t we expect to make it to heaven by just believing in Jesus even if we aren’t 100% in obedience to His commandments? 🤷🏾♂️😒
The Langford Files 