Sin's Affect upon Children and Parents

A child is not responsible for a parent's sin. A parent is not responsible for a child's sin. God's punishment rests upon the wrongdoer.

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." (Ezekiel 18:20)

Even so, consequences follow habitual evil. Those consequences often strike the child. Then, the effects of those consequences strike the parent.

God's grace, alone, can intervene.

In the first section of verses below, we see those consequences strike the child. In the second section, we see them strike back at the parent.

If permitted, though, God's grace can stop a parent's habitual sin. God's grace can stop the weakening of spiritual protection around the child—whether one wants to call this a generational curse or something else. God's grace, too, can stop the wrong role modeling.

If the parent refuses to stop habitual sin, grace can still apply to the child who seeks Him. God can give the child the grace to overcome despite the weakened spiritual protection. And God can give the child the ability to become an overcomer despite wrong role modeling.

Parents should not presume, however, upon God's grace. Parental evil places children at serious risk.

A. Sin's Affect upon Children

Numbers 14:18 (iniquity--passed on)

The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

Deut. 5:9b (iniquity--passed on)

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, (See Exodus 20:4-5; Jeremiah 32:18; Exodus 34:7b)

Isaiah 14:21 (iniquity--death)

Prepare slaughter for his [Satan’s] children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

Job 5:4 (fool--sons crushed)

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the *gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

Job 17:5 (flatterer--sons blinded)

He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.

Proverbs 17:13 (evildoer--evil upon home)

Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

Numbers 14:33 (sin of fathers—children suffered)

And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

1 Kings 11:11a,12b (sin of father--descendants suffer)

I will surely rend the kingdom from thee [Solomon], and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

1 Kings 11:39 (sin of father--descendants suffer)

And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

2 Chron. 21:12,14 (sin of father--family suffers)

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods.

1 Kings 21:29 (sin of father--son suffered)

Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Proverbs 3:33,35 (spiritual inheritances)

The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

B. Sin's Affect upon Parents

1 Samuel 4:18a (ungodly child training / iniquity--death)

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he [Eli] fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died.

Proverbs 19:13a (foolishness uncorrected--ruin)

A foolish son is the calamity of his father.

Proverbs 28:7 (uncorrected appetites--shame)

Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.

Proverbs 17:25 (foolishness uncorrected--grief / bitterness)

A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.

Proverbs 17:21 (foolishness uncorrected--sorrow)

He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

Mark 13:12 (ungodly family relationships—death)

Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

Isaiah 3:12 (ungodly family relationships--oppression/ destruction)

As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.