5 Things We Should Know about Generational Curses

There is one curse that has been passed down through every generation. That curse is the curse of sin. When Adam ate the fruit and disobeyed God, sin entered the world. This affects all of us, and we can’t escape it. In fact, it is with us from the time we are conceived:

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:5

While this is true of every person ever born, the challenge occurs when we try to apply this to other areas. If we go back to the example I used earlier, where if dad was abusive and I am abusive, that is considered a generational curse. Does that really apply and, more importantly, is that true of you as a believer? I believe this is where the teachings of generational curses often get misguided.

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Once you get past Adam’s sin, do we pay the price for our parents' sins? Does God punish us for what our parents did? The answer is no, especially if you are in Christ. The sins your parents commit don’t fall on you in the sense that because they committed those sins, you will too. I know plenty of people who grew up in terrible home situations who are not repeating the sins of their parents. 

However, though we may not fall under the curse of their sins, we may fall under the consequences of their sins. This can be negative or positive. If your father was a notorious criminal and you carry his name, people may judge you differently. That is a consequence of your father’s actions. However, if your father was a successful business person and you carry his name, then the expectation to be equally successful may fall on you as well. These are not curses but consequences of their behavior.

If you think logically, it is not unusual for children to repeat the behavior of their parents. Children often do what they see their parents do. However, this is not some curse that is automatically passed down to your children. Just because your parents did it does not mean you have to.

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When you consider the New Testament, there is no mention of generational curses. That’s because we are all responsible for our own actions. While we can be influenced in our behavior from the things happening around us, if we engage in them, that is by our own choosing. If your mom had a pattern of sinful behavior and you repeat those behaviors, you cannot say, "I am sinning because my mom sinned." While she may have influenced you, the choice to engage in that behavior is solely yours. This is even more true of Christians, which I am about to explain in a moment. 

Generational consequences result from unrepentant sin. God is not cursing you for your parent’s sin. He is allowing the consequence of unrepentant sin to run its course. I guess you could make the argument that that is a curse unto itself. Ultimately, in God’s design, we are responsible for our own sinful behavior and will be judged accordingly. I believe this verse really settles this issue on the idea of generational curses:

“Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them. Ezekiel 18:19-20

It is quite possible you may have to confront the effects of the unrepentant sinful behavior of your parents. Even so, you are still responsible for your own choices and decisions. They might have had an impact on the actions you take, but it is crucial to acknowledge that you are the one responsible for making those choices.

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"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

If you are in Christ, you must immediately stop tying anything that happens in your life to a generational curse. It simply does not exist in your life any longer. The moment you came to Christ, he made you into a brand-new person. This means the slate has been cleaned, and whatever happened before has no power over you. 

There is, and always will be, an obvious line of demarcation between who you used to be before Christ and who you are after Christ. Take, for example, Paul's letter to the church in Corinth. I want to break this into two parts. First, Paul identifies some of the sinful lifestyles those in the Corinthian church used to engage in:

"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

After saying this, he clearly states this is what you used to be. As you read this verse pay attention to why he could say that:

"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11 (emphasis added)

Every believer in Jesus Christ has been washed, meaning the stains of your sins have all been removed. You have been sanctified, which means you have been set apart for God’s holy purpose. Finally, you have been justified, meaning you stand before God just as if you have never sinned. Please tell me where in these verses there is any room for a generational curse.

Is it even possible or logical that Jesus can break the curse of sin and death we were subject to before we came to him, but somehow a generational curse based on someone else’s actions would remain? It is just not so. As Christians, you are no longer under any curse. Not the curse of sin and death, and certainly not any generational curse. Please stop telling yourself that. You are a brand-new creation in Christ and everything, and I mean everything, that happened in your life prior to you coming to Christ has been broken off you. Yes, you still may be affected by the behaviors of your parents, but you are not cursed by them.

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Holding on to the idea of a generational curse does not set you free. On the contrary, it keeps you trapped. In fact, it can cause you to pass the responsibility of your actions on to someone else instead of taking accountability for what you have done. Claiming a generational curse in your life causes you to forget that Christ has set you free. Even though there may be some things you must do to walk out that freedom, you are still free indeed. Remember, Paul told the Corinthians that is what they were, not what they are. Even if you find yourself repeating patterns of sinful behavior, that is what you were. You are no longer under a curse, so don’t allow yourself to fall back into what Christ has set you free from. 

From this day forward, please know there is no generational curse on your life. That is because you are in Christ. Here is my charge for you: By the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, walk in the newness of life that Christ has given you. In Christ, you are victorious and there is no curse that is being held over you because Jesus broke them all on the cross. You are free. Now go live like it.

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