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The Sins of Parents

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, people have had to struggle with both their own sinfulness and the effects of the sins of others. In a fallen world, the innocent sometimes suffer from the sins of others: “[God] punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation” (Numbers 14:18). Anyone who has come from a family background of a lack of warmth, too much control, alcoholism, substance abuse or any other dysfunction understands that the consequences of parents’ sins are real and are carried forward until dealt with and healed.

When we suffer from the sins of others, we can develop our own difficulties. Perhaps it is a problem trusting others, being dishonest or being confrontational. David described the hurts of others from childhood when he wrote, “plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long” (Psalm 129:3). And in David’s life, his sins did perpetrate pain in the lives of his children (see 2 Samuel 13:1–39).

Through God’s grace we can begin to heal from the sins of others and forgive those who have wounded us. Then we can move forward in life: “though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me” (Psalm 27:10). When we struggle because of wounds we have encountered, we can find healing through involvement in a healthy church or a small group in which people can study the Bible and be vulnerable with each other. A good therapist is also helpful. God wants to help us undo the effects of the sins of others. While sins of parents are naturally felt by children, God offers healing and freedom from those generational patterns when we turn to him to break their effects in our lives.