Christians: Does God punish you for the sins of your fathers or not?

Question

•Exodus 20:5 "For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." (Repeated in Deuteronomy 5:9)

vs.

Deuteronomy 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin."

Answer 1

for goodness sake...the old testament is the Jewish law. you should direct the question to the Jews...not the Christians.

no, if i sin, i bring the consequences upon myself.

Answer 2

Good question. No. Only if we engage in our Fathers sin.

I think that Exodus 20:5 has been written poorly in some translations.

God visits the iniquities onto the Fathers children who hate God. So the child needs to choose the Fathers idol over God.  Because the blessings go on to the 1000s Generations who love God... So? Perhaps one parent hated God & had an iniquity of idolatry. While the other parent loved the Lord with all of her heart mind soul & strength.  So? That child has the choice to love or hate God at the age of accountability.

And the iniquity is passed on depending on the child's choice at the age of accountability.

But I have heard that it is worse stronghold of iniquity each generation. That maybe the reason why it only goes to the 4th generation is because they die off.  While the blessings go on to the 1000s generations. So the blessings is a result of choosing life.

The good news is that Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law also.  So? Even if this curse has been a part of our life since when; then when we are born of Gods Spirit, we can take authority over every generational curse that attacks us. By speaking against it by the Power of Jesus Name & pleading His redeeming blood over us & ours.

Answer 3

It is immoral to do that.

Answer 4

no.

Christ died for our sins.

Answer 5

We are not under the Old Testament Laws any longer since the coming of Christ, our Savior... He sacrificed His life so that we could obtain eternal life. plus... death as spoken of before is SPIRITUAL... not physical...  

Answer 6

No. One of the ways to know what the Bible is saying is to read the verses before the verse you are looking at, to see what was going on at that point in time.

Answer 7

He disciplines us for the sins of our fathers IF we choose to follow their example and engage in them. Jesus was punished for our sins but God disciplines us when we sin in order that we may be conformed to His image and choose life.

Answer 8

someone can be cursed and not die...

EDIT:

to put this answer in more detail....

Deuteronomy 24:16 is saying if someone should get the death penalty no one can legally die in his/her place while Exodus 20:5 is talking about cursing a family for multiple generations which doesn't have to resault in death.. for example if he says "you and your decendants will not be able to farm the land" now that would be a curse... but its not a death sentence as you can get food from hunting and trade for vegitables...

Answer 9

God allows us to choose to sin.  Those sins mess up our lives and the lives of our children.

You are quoting the Old Testament in each of these scriptures.  They were for the Israelites.  Not for us.  You must decipher who, what, why and when when reading God's written Word, the Bible.

Answer 10

Exodus 20:5 and Deuteronomy 5:9 are regarding unrepentant sin.

As to the children being punished to the third and fourth generation. Sin has a physical effect on our bodies and that physical effect can effect our children. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Crack Babies are just two extreme examples. God does not protect us from sin but will forgive it, we still have to live with the consequences.

Answer 11

God did do that before, but not anymore.  Deut.says it and also in the New Testament it says that.  If you want to look up scripture on any subject go to Biblegateway.com.

Answer 12

     No.  God punishes you for your own sins.  The sins of the Father are those which pertain to vain rituals, which are still done today in the churches of the world.

     When one learns of God, through God, then they learn all rituals of man are wrong, and can make a decision of which path to follow.  God, or the world.

     Upon finding God, I left the churches of man to follow God and since then have learned much more than any pastor or priest I've me.   The vain rituals which man still do are such things as tithings, baptisms, sacrements, and confessions.

     When one truly learns of God, they learn that the only baptisam seen by God is of the Holy Ghost.  All other rituals of man are wrong in the eyes of God.

    So, each one who says, they follow God and go to church they are following men instead of God.  Each will be judged on his or her own investigation of God, by asking God.  If you feel that I'm wrong.  Read Ezekiel 14; 7-11.  See what God thinks of those who ask men about God.   We are to learn from God not man.

     One more truth.  Read Matthews 5; 17,18. especially 18.  Now read the ten commandments  Exodus 20;  4,5.  4.  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.    5.  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of he fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

     Upon reading this ask yourself;   Where did Jesus go, upon his death and resurrection?   In heaven.

     As Moses's words were used against his own people so shall the words in Matthews 5; 17,18 of Jesus's words be used against those who worship him over the Father, or bow down to a cross with his image upon it.

      Jesus Christ is the Holy Ghost.   Jesus's calling was to become the Holy Ghost, which is a truth taught only by Christ himself.  Upon his return, then shall he become the ruler of this world, but until then, he is still giving all his glories to the Father.  I follow God, but use Jesus Christ as an example of how we are to treat others and try to live our lives righteously in the eyes of God.

    Think about what I revealed to you.  Look up the scriptures.  Ask God if I'm right.  Don't take my word on anything.  When I face God, I don't want God to say that I'm a hypocrite and a follower of men.

Answer 13

Why did you put a full stop halfway through the first sentence you quoted when it goes on to say, "of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."?  The qualification of who receives God's punishment is that they hate Him. The children of those who do not hate God are not punished. The children of those who love God are blessed to a thousand generations. Are you calling that unfair?

Also, bear in mind that the bit before your quote states, "You shall not bow down to them or worship them". This warning applies to idolaters. It is appallingly deceptive to miss out the start of a sentence, omit the end of it, and only present the bit in the middle that appears to support your claim. Had you quoted the full sentence in Ex. 20:5, you would have had the answer to your question in that very sentence!

Your second quotation shows that death will not be the punishment. God can, and does, punish in other ways but He will not kill anyone for the sins of another. Ezekiel 18 confirms this: "He will not die for his father's sin; his father will die for his own sin... The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son.... Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"