What Is Your Question?
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You ask a hard question and I'm going to try to help. God judges us on what we do. We will all stand before God and give an account. For some it will be unto judgement. For those who have already passed from death to life, it will be a recounting for rewards or lack there of.
And yet it can still seem as though we suffer difficulty in this life because of circumstances and relationships beyond our control. And this seems unfair to us. We understand consequences for our own behavior, but why do hardship and suffering come to us without malfeasance on our part?
In the past, when I've answered this question, even going through explaining using biblical texts, I've found that people desired someone to offer words of comfort rather than words of truth. Words of comfort offer an immediate emotional relief but doesn't last without an undergirding truth that offers freedom and life.
So I'll offer 2 things that have helped me personally:
1. Nothing you are suffering is directly related to another's sin. Believe it or not, the disciples asked this question of Jesus in John 9:1-3 of a blind man. Jesus answer is quite telling. He said what happened was done that the works of God may be manifest in him.
And so it is with us. It's a hard question but one that we all need to answer: can I suffer long and joyfully that God might be made known through me?
When things weren't going as he thought they should, John the Baptist sent disciples to inquire of Jesus. Jesus answer served to refocus John on God and not himself. And Jesus ended with an unusual statement: Blessed is he, whosoever is not offended in me. Jesus was saying we are blessed when we accept the way He chooses to do things. Our response to God's choices for us always reveals our degree of submission to Him.
2. This leads to my second point. It is a surrendered life that is the key to blessing. Matthew 11:28-30 are widely known and little employed verses. We tend to relish in what they offer but seldom truly meet their conditions. Few people get up each day and say to God: here's my life, do as you will. When difficulty comes, we tend to throw off the yolk and fend for ourselves. In doing so, we have little trusted God and missed out on great blessings. How would the story of the 3 Hebrew children in the furnace have turned out if they had done so? Or how about the children of Israel at the Red Sea if they had plunged into the water before God separated it? Or what would life be like if Jesus hadn't gone to the cross but, instead, chosen another course?
There is much more to understand about suffering but I hope as you reflect upon these things, that God will make Himself known to you in a deeper and more intimate way.
And yet it can still seem as though we suffer difficulty in this life because of circumstances and relationships beyond our control. And this seems unfair to us. We understand consequences for our own behavior, but why do hardship and suffering come to us without malfeasance on our part?
In the past, when I've answered this question, even going through explaining using biblical texts, I've found that people desired someone to offer words of comfort rather than words of truth. Words of comfort offer an immediate emotional relief but doesn't last without an undergirding truth that offers freedom and life.
So I'll offer 2 things that have helped me personally:
1. Nothing you are suffering is directly related to another's sin. Believe it or not, the disciples asked this question of Jesus in John 9:1-3 of a blind man. Jesus answer is quite telling. He said what happened was done that the works of God may be manifest in him.
And so it is with us. It's a hard question but one that we all need to answer: can I suffer long and joyfully that God might be made known through me?
When things weren't going as he thought they should, John the Baptist sent disciples to inquire of Jesus. Jesus answer served to refocus John on God and not himself. And Jesus ended with an unusual statement: Blessed is he, whosoever is not offended in me. Jesus was saying we are blessed when we accept the way He chooses to do things. Our response to God's choices for us always reveals our degree of submission to Him.
2. This leads to my second point. It is a surrendered life that is the key to blessing. Matthew 11:28-30 are widely known and little employed verses. We tend to relish in what they offer but seldom truly meet their conditions. Few people get up each day and say to God: here's my life, do as you will. When difficulty comes, we tend to throw off the yolk and fend for ourselves. In doing so, we have little trusted God and missed out on great blessings. How would the story of the 3 Hebrew children in the furnace have turned out if they had done so? Or how about the children of Israel at the Red Sea if they had plunged into the water before God separated it? Or what would life be like if Jesus hadn't gone to the cross but, instead, chosen another course?
There is much more to understand about suffering but I hope as you reflect upon these things, that God will make Himself known to you in a deeper and more intimate way.
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I do not believe YHWH “punishes” children for the sins of their fathers, ever. Never has; never will.
There are several well-known Bible translations that make that accusation, but here are an equal number that correctly translate the original Hebrew passage as “visiting the inequity” onto the 3rd or 4th generations, not the punishment. This includes the KJV among others.
The sin (inequity) of the father is passed to his children, not the punishment. But even then, the children of old had an escape. In a well-known and oft practiced process called salach, the children could go to God in repentance, ask for forgiveness and pass the sin to someone else who was innocent; in this case their own children. Sin was then passed from generation to generation until finally one came whose blood could cover all sins. God’s holiness was maintained and every sin covered by the sacrifice of Christ’s blood.
To be sure the children suffered for their father’s inequity, but that was the result of the father’s actions not YHWH. A sinful father may well teach sinful actions to his children. Absent repentance, these behaviors may well pass through several generations, we see this all the time. This is not God’s will; he calls us to repentance.
Praise God, through Yeshua we can now directly seek forgiveness.
There are several well-known Bible translations that make that accusation, but here are an equal number that correctly translate the original Hebrew passage as “visiting the inequity” onto the 3rd or 4th generations, not the punishment. This includes the KJV among others.
The sin (inequity) of the father is passed to his children, not the punishment. But even then, the children of old had an escape. In a well-known and oft practiced process called salach, the children could go to God in repentance, ask for forgiveness and pass the sin to someone else who was innocent; in this case their own children. Sin was then passed from generation to generation until finally one came whose blood could cover all sins. God’s holiness was maintained and every sin covered by the sacrifice of Christ’s blood.
To be sure the children suffered for their father’s inequity, but that was the result of the father’s actions not YHWH. A sinful father may well teach sinful actions to his children. Absent repentance, these behaviors may well pass through several generations, we see this all the time. This is not God’s will; he calls us to repentance.
Praise God, through Yeshua we can now directly seek forgiveness.
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Along this current stream of thought on sin being passed down, it is likely more along the lines of "children learn what they live " or "like father, like son". Many things we say and do, and even many of our mannerisms, we learned by parroting our parents. It's not a stretch that our sinful habits would also be copied.
Consider the case of Abraham who lied concerning his full relationship to Sarah. Later, Isaac lied concerning his relationship with Rebecca. And then there is Jacob, whose very name means deceiver, and who dealt unfairly with Esau and lied to Isaac to get the blessing.
It seems not only are sins copied, but they appear to grow progressively worse. I believe it is in this manner that the sins of the father are visited upon his offspring.
Consider the case of Abraham who lied concerning his full relationship to Sarah. Later, Isaac lied concerning his relationship with Rebecca. And then there is Jacob, whose very name means deceiver, and who dealt unfairly with Esau and lied to Isaac to get the blessing.
It seems not only are sins copied, but they appear to grow progressively worse. I believe it is in this manner that the sins of the father are visited upon his offspring.
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It's a very good question. And ultimately we can't know because we cannot look upon another's heart. But though we can't make final judgments, we can make functional judgments and are encouraged to do so...1 Corinthians 2:15...but he who is spiritual judges all things...
So what should we be looking for?
We are told that the Spirit will lead us into all truth so while we all hold some truth in error, we should be getting closer and closer to the truth. And scripture tells us we were created unto good works so these should attend our walk. But works, too, can be misleading because Jesus told many to depart who had quite the works resume. I've personally found the most accurate indicator to be the work of the Holy Spirit in creating the reality of spiritual growth. As the Spirit works a person should become more loving, experience more peace and joy, extend greater longsuffering and kindness, exercise increased gentleness, etc. In short, we should actually become more like Jesus.
Hope this proves helpful.
So what should we be looking for?
We are told that the Spirit will lead us into all truth so while we all hold some truth in error, we should be getting closer and closer to the truth. And scripture tells us we were created unto good works so these should attend our walk. But works, too, can be misleading because Jesus told many to depart who had quite the works resume. I've personally found the most accurate indicator to be the work of the Holy Spirit in creating the reality of spiritual growth. As the Spirit works a person should become more loving, experience more peace and joy, extend greater longsuffering and kindness, exercise increased gentleness, etc. In short, we should actually become more like Jesus.
Hope this proves helpful.
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