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Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

http://sulekha.com/chpost.asp?for...ilosophy&show=0&cid=86115

My most valued reader has posed an important question regarding the
biblical passage of Exodus 20:5

"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;" (Exodus 20:5).

This is a complex question. Certainly our environment (and
environmental issues) are something which we inheret from our
ancestors and their decisions or lack of decisiveness regarding
environmental issues.

Certainly our form of government is something which we do not choose.
We are born into a certain society and culture, and we inherit what
has been created by our forefathers, for better or worse.

Even those characteristics and tendencies of ours dictated by our
genetic codes are products of our forefathers and a tradition which
is imposed upon us, whether we like it or not. Only if we one day
possess a powerful technology of genetic engineering and choose to
deploy it, shall we reshape the destiny of future generations for
good or for evil.

As individuals, we possess total ability, through the exercise of our
free will choice, to transform ourselves at any moment for the better
or for the worse.

The old saying "It is never too late to become what you might have
been." applies to the despot as much as it does to the saint.

Yes, as individuals, we have such power over our own lives, but as
members of a society, we are very much at the mercy of all that has
gone before us, "the sins of our forefathers" as well as their
virtues.

Pelagius and Augustine debated over original sin. Pelagius rejected
the notion of original sin as well as the notion of saving grace.
Pelagius felt that each human being naturally possesses the free will
and ability to reject sin, and achieve a state of purity. Pelagius
objected that if the sin of one man, Adam, could defile all future
generations, even those who are IGNORANT of the history of Adam, then
it would be possible for the substitutional atonement of Christ's
crucifixion to SAVE all future generations, including those who were
ignorant of Christ, or who were unwilling to accept that atonement.
Certainly those who feel they are tainted by Adam's original sin are
UNWILLING to be tainted, so willingness to accept damnation or
redemption should not be a deciding factor.

As we consider this concept of "generational sin" and "original sin"
and the above verse from Exodus, we must also keep in mind the
passage from Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 18:2: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the
children's teeth are set on edge."

We should not view the Exodus passage as an error, but rather
peoples' proverbial misunderstanding of it as an error.

The prophet Ezekiel speaks at length of this erroneous idea and of
the misleading proverb it had engendered over the years.

Ezekiel 18:20 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.

Here are the two most important passages from the Old Testament which
refute those denominations which boast that "they are saved." Even
Jesus says, regarding the Judgement:

In that day, there shall come before me those who say 'Lord, Lord, we
have worked miracles in your Name,' and I shall say, I NEVER KNEW YE,
and to others, I will say, I WAS NAKED AND YOU CLOTHED ME, I WAS
HUNGRY AND YOU FED ME, and they will say, Lord, when did we do these
things, I shall say, 'When you did these to the least among you, you
did them for me.

We clearly see how those at the Judgement who presumed they were
ALREADY saved were sadly mistaken, while those who were justified
were quite surprised at what was for them, obviously, an unexpected
verdict.

http://www.christianity-
links.com/People_Saints_J_Saint_John_Climacus.html

St. John Climacus (of the Ladder) wrote: (circa 6th century):

Ye shall know the righteous at the Judgement, for their heads shall
hang low and they shall say: "we have done nothing worthy."

http://www.orthodox.net/greatlent/john-climacus-philaret.html

When we throw a stone up, it ascends until the moment when the
propelling force ceases to be effectual. So long as this force acts,
the stone travels higher and higher in its ascent, overcoming the
force of the earth's gravity. But when this force is spent and ceases
to act, then, as you know, the stone does not remain suspended in the
air. Immediately, it begins to fall, and the further it falls the
greater the speed of its fall. This, solely according to the physical
laws of terrestrial gravity.

Now, if the Christian, who is ascending upon this ladder of spiritual
perfection by his struggles and ascetic labours, ceases from this
work and ascetic toil, his soul will not remain in its former
condition; but, like the stone, it will fall to the earth. More and
more quickly will it drop until, finally, if the man does not come to
his senses, it will cast him down into the very abyss of Hell.

Ezekiel 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his
iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

Ezekiel 18:21-22 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that
he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is
lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his
transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned
unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

What these passages from Ezekiel say, in a nutshell, is if you have
led a life of righteousness but in your last days you turn to
iniquity, then all of your righteousness shall be counted for
nothing. But if you life a life of iniquity, and in your last days
turn to righteousness, and die in that estate, then all of your
iniquity shall be counted for nothing.

Even Jesus says, "you shall be saved IF you persevere until the end."

This is why St. Paul speaks of the business of faith as a RACE or
contest, which must be WON. No one ever hands out trophies at the
starting line (and what sort of contest or struggle would that be!),
but only at the finish line.

Let us look at a passage from Ecclesiastes 11:3:

If the tree fall toward the south, or towards the north, in the place
where the tree falleth, there is shall be.

Such a brief passage about a tree would not seem to hold a wealth of
theological significance. Yet, a wise abbot of a Greek monastery
once based his entire sermon upon this very verse. The estate of
the fallen tree is a metaphor for our spiritual estate at the moment
of our death. Ecclesiastes 11:3 goes hand in hand with Ezekiel
18:21-26

Jesus counsels in several parable to "labor while it is light" (i.e.
while you are alive, you must struggle and strive towards what is
good) for when night comes (i.e. death) then no one shall labor
(i.e. you will remain in your final estate, like the fallen tree in
Ecclesiastes.)

St. John Chrysostom (4th century), in one of his homilies, states
(paraphrased):

The REASON why, in the parable of "The Wheat and The Tares," the
master commands that the tares (weeds) be left undisturbed, side by
side with the wheat, until the day of harvest (cutting down), is
that, mystically, until the time of death, tares may BECOME wheat,
AND wheat may become TARES (weeds).

Now, in real-life horticulture, weeds can do harm to the crop, and
must be removed. But spiritually, metaphorically, it is the good crop
which may transform the weed (through sanga, association,
fellowship), and make it fruitful.

In Tulsidas' Ramayan, the out of caste devotee, Shabari, when she
finally meets Lord Ram, asks him to teach her about the methods and
means of devotional excellence. Ram smiles and says, "you already
know them well," but then He proceeds to honor her request, and lists
SANGHA (association, fellowship) as FIRST.

Yet we must always remember that the society into which we are born
is a product of the choices and actions (or inaction) of our
forefathers, and determines how easy or difficult it will be for us
to make spiritual progress.

Remember how Abraham bargains with God to preserve the city of Sodom.
At first God requires that 50 righteous men be found in order to
spare the city. Finally, Abraham, through intercession, lowers that
requirement to 10 (which is a minyan or qurorum in Judaism.)

Now, if God is all-knowing, and knew before-hand that ten righteous
men could not be found, then in a sense, God is "stacking the deck"
against Abraham, and God is acting in poor faith, striking a bargain
which God KNOWS may never be fulfilled. BUT, if what Ezekiel says is
true, that we may at any given time turn from iniquity towards
righteousness, and be counted among the righteous, and IF man truly
has the gift of autonomous free will, THEN, even though in one sense,
God foresees that no one in Somom shall choose to reform, YET God's
foreknowledge of that future fact in no way ROBS any individual from
his exercising his free will, so that potentiality always exists and
is totally in human control. And WERE there to be a quorum of then,
then in theory the entire city of Sodom might be transformed from
tares into wheat.

There are so many ways to understand any given passage of scripture.

As I began to research in preparation for my response, I came across
one Jewish author who interprets this verse to mean that more than
one soul (nefish) may incarnate into a body at one time.

http://www.thirtysevenbooks.com/ShaarGilgul/Chap05Sec02.htm

Certainly, in my (Sitaram's) own understanding, reincarnation,
especially the Buddhist notion of reincarnation, as well as modern
genetics, plays a role in the character as well as the "curses and
blessings" of suceeding generations of people.

It is important for us to try and understand what such notions mean
for various denominations of Jews and Christians before we attempt to
explore what such notions might mean in our own understanding.

Being Jewish involves matrilineal discent. That is, if your mother
was Jewish and her mother was Jewish, then you are considered to be
Jewish (even if you have never practiced Judaism.) Jewish prayers
constantly refer to "our God and the God of our fathers" and "the God
of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob." Certainly the Jewish notion of God
and being Jewish is something involving "tradition" (from the
Latin, "to hand down") and is something which comes from "ones
forefathers."

http://www.mcauley.acu.edu.au/~yuri/VB/module_5.htm

Two hundred years ago, the question of identity was nonexistent,
because Jews were those people who practiced traditional Judaism.
Now, however, Jewish identity is no longer so easy to ascertain.
Although Orthodox Judaism holds that a person is born a Jew if his or
her mother is Jewish, this does not address the matter of practice,
and today there are many nonobservant Jews. A person may also convert
to Judaism, although some Orthodox rabbis have refused to accept
conversions to non-Orthodox branches of Judaism. Judaism is certainly
a religion, but there is great disagreement about the essentials of
belief and practice, and many people consider themselves Jews even
though they do not practice the religion.

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/03-Torah-Halacha/section-56.html

Moses Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, usually referred to in
Hebrew by the acronym "Rambam") was one of the towering figures in
medieval intellectual and religious life. In addition to his law
code,
he excelled in the fields of philosophy, science, medicine,
exegesis
and communal leadership. Though born in Spain, in his youth his
family
fled religious persecution, settling in Egypt. Maimonides' literary
output includes: a work on philosophical logic; an Arabic
commentary
to the Mishnah; an enumeration of the 613 precepts of the Torah;
the
Mishneh Torah law code; the Arabic philosophical treatise The
Guide of
the Perplexed; and many letters and responsa addressed to various
Jewish communities.

One of the Rambam's legacies is what has been come to be called the
"13 principles of faith". These are not related to any particular
observance; rather, they are intended to map out the borders
between
Judaism and other belief systems (such as Christianity and Islam).
Why
is this necessary? There are certain laws that apply to our
relationships with "apikursim" (from the Greek "epicurean"), minim
(heretics), kofrim (deniers) and mumarim (non observant). The first
three are defined by belief, so Maimonides wanted to outline the
borders between acceptable belief systems, and people in these
three
classes. According to Maimonides (see Laws of Repentence 3:6-9),
these
people, while members of the Jewish nation, aren't believers in
Judaism. This has halachic (legal) import, such as whether they
can be counted
toward a quorum (minyan) for prayer; whether one can share their
wine,
etc. It also has metaphysical import: believers in Judaism
(including
non-Jews who observe the Noachide covenant) are guaranteed a world
to
come; these people are not. A min (a term also used in the Talmud
to
refer to early Christians) is one who diverges on the basics of
theology: polytheists, deists, atheists, those who believe one
should
worship G-d via demigods (middle-men), and those who say that god
has
a body. [According to the Rambam's Guide, the latter is a form of
polytheism. He sees it as just a verbal difference between talking
about one god who has parts and one pantheon of multiple gods.] The
word apikoreis is the Aramaic for Epicurean, as in "eat, drink and
be
merry for tomorrow we may die" and "nothing exists but atoms and
the
void". Looking at Maimonides' code, he defines "apikoreis" as one
who
holds any of the following:

1. There is no prophecy

2. Moses' didn't have a special kind of prophecy (since it was
Moses
who actually conveyed the rules of behavior, both ours and
Noachide); or

3. G-d doesn't know what people do.

Note that these are related to whether G-d's existance imposes
requirements on human behavior (which is why the word relates to
Epicurus). Kofrim are those who deny the divine origin of even a
single verse of the Torah, or deny the origin of the Oral Torah,
and
those who say that some part of the Torah was later superceded.
So, in
summary: the wrong view of G-d makes one a min, the wrong view of
how
G-d relates to human behavior makes one an apikoreis, and
disbelieving
part of the Torah makes one a kofeir. Maimonides took these rules
and
to compose his 13 articles. So, the point of the articles is to
give a
rational basis to believing that Jewish observance was actually
given
to us by G-d.

The RAMBAM's 13 principles, as expressed in the Artscroll Siddur
(pages 178-180) are as follows:
1. G-d's Existence
2. G-d is a complete and total unity
3. G-d is not physical
4. G-d is eternal and the First Source
5. Prayers should be directed to G-d
6. G-d communicates with man
7. Moses' prophecy is unique
8. The entire Torah is G-d-given
9. The Torah is unchangeable
10. G-d knows man's thoughts and deeds
11. Reward and punishment
12. The Messiah will come
13. The dead will live again

=================

(Sitaram continues):

Lot and his two daughters escaped the destruction of Sodom and dwelt
in the wilderness. His daughters secretly lamented to one another
that there was no man in the wilderness to be their husband and give
them children, so they made their father drunk with wine and
conceived by him.

The following URL has an interesting painting by LUCAS van Leyden
(16th century) depicting the story of Lot and his daughters

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-
bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?
searchString=&searchField=&collectionName=&workNumber=NG3459

Lot and his daughters hid in the mountains after the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah. Fearing to die without children the women got Lot
drunk, and tricked him into getting them pregnant. Their children
founded the tribes of Moabites and Ammonites. (Genesis 19). In the
background, Lot's wife as a pillar of salt; left, the flames of
Sodom.

Now the very first mitzvah (commandment) which Judaism recognizes
among the 613 mitzvahs of the Torah is in the very beginning of
Genesis "be fruitful and multiply."

The daughters of Lot were well meaning in their concern for
offspring, but misguided in their methods of achieving their desired
goal.

We may observe that Abraham and Sarah were impatient and possibly
misguided in their desire for offspring, in resorting to the Egyptian
handmaid, Hagar, who gave birth to Ishmael (that wild ass of a man).
Perhaps to this very present day we are paying the price of Islamic
terrorism from the imprudence of Abraham and Sarah's action (i.e.
from the "sins of our forefathers")

The offspring (future generations of Lot's daughters) came to be two
separate nations; the Moabites and the Ammonites.

The ban on Moabite & Ammonite converts "until the 10th generation" as
being a euphemism for "forever"; i.e. (male) Moabites & Ammonites can
never convert to Judaism (see the whole text of Deuteronomy 23:4).

Jewish Sages teach that the Moabites & Ammonites, as descendants of
Abraham's nephew Lot, inherited sparks of Abraham's holiness, that,
in the fullness of time, had to be reunited with Abraham's
descendants. The spark of holiness in Moab reunited with Abraham's
descendants via Ruth; the spark of holiness in Ammon reunited with
Abraham's descendants via Na'ama (see I Kings 14:21 and II Chronicles
12:13). (How was Na'ama different from all of King Solomon's other
foreign wives? Our Sages relate the tradition that whereas all of
King Solomon's other foreign wives married him at the height of his
power & glory, in order to obtain a piece of that power & glory,
Na'ama married him when God had already begun to punish him; she
alone of all his foreign wives converted to Judaism. Thus she merited
being the mother of Rehoboam and the ancestress of the Messiah.

The Book of Ruth is read in synagogue during the major holyday of
Shavuot

http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayc.htm .

See

http://www.ou.org/chagim/shavuot/ruth.htm for a traditional Jewish
overview of the Book of Ruth.

We should not assume that something which is important must occupy
a lot of time and space. We cannot judge the importance of something
based on its immediate obvious value.

An example of this occurs in the story of Noah, who sent a raven out
of his ark to search for dry land (8:7). According to the Midrash,
the raven asked Noah: "Why me? Why not send one of the many other
creatures here?" "Well," answered Noah "you do not have much purpose
in the world -- you are not kosher, you cannot be brought as a
sacrifice, you do not sing sweetly -- so it will not be a big loss to
the world if you don't survive." Be that as it may, the raven did
survive, and his descendants later had an important function in
helping Elijah survive in the desert by bringing him food (I Kings
17:6).

The Greek Orthodox see the ravens feeding Prophet Elijah as a
metaphor for the sacrament of the Eucharist. The raven is an unclean
scavanger. Food touched by a scavanger is not kosher. Yet a holy
prophet could eat the food from these ravens. The teaching of this
metaphor is that the personal sinfulness of the priestly celebrant of
the Eucharist cannot corrupt or taint or defile the sacrament.

Jaroslav Pelikan and others observe that the faith or purity of the
priest or minister has no effect upon the taking of communion, BUT,
the faith and purity and spiritual estate of the COMMUNICANT has
everything to do with the results of the sacramental act.

So Noah was wrong about the apparent uselessness of ravens in the
scheme of things; and that is the point -- we can all be wrong when
we try to judge the importance of something or someone in G-d's plan.

Another example is given when Moses, commanded by God to wage war
against the Midianites, decided that he should also wage war against
the Moabites, since (he felt) they were worse -- the Midianites had
only aided them in their attacks on the Jews. But he was wrong here,
and God commanded him not to attack the Moabites. With hindsight, we
can see why: from the Moabites came Ruth, from whom came the house of
David. Hence it was important in the scheme of things that the
Moabites be permitted to survive -- many generations of a whole
nation, who were unfriendly to the Jews, so that ultimately Ruth
might emerge.

Thus even Moses could misjudge the importance of a nation, and
certainly any of us is incapable of judging the value of any nation,
or group, or individual. We are incapable of making such a judgment,
without having God's vision of the world as a whole, which means that
we are simply incapable of making such a judgment.

The first chapter to Brugemann's "The Land", mentions that part of
the essence of faith is leaving one's home and sojurning, and that
part of the problem the Israelite's had in Egypt was that they did
not sojourn their, rather they dwelt there éùá. Consider the opening
verses of the Book of Ruth, who was a Moabite. Remember that Ruth is
part of the lineage of Jesus. Since Boaz was her kinsman-redeemer and
she became part of the Davidic line (Ruth was David's great-
grandmother....), and hence, the human genealogy of Christ himself.

We are dealling with the "days the judges judged", thus a period when
everyone did what was right in their own eyes"

There was a famine in the land--famines are NEVER ecological events
in the Bible after the Sinaitic Covenant, they are ALWAYS covenantal
curses. They show that the story of Ruth is set when the Israelites
had all gone after foreign gods.

Elimelech, was decidely faithless, as he left the promised land, then
he went to Moab, and notice that he did not sojurn their he....dwelt
there.

Next, look who he gave his sons to Moabites. The law specifically
stipulated that Moabites could not enter into the community upto the
10th Generation.

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-hebrew/2000-March/007095.html

Exod 20:5 speaks of two groups, those who hate God and those who love
Him. There is a contrast between the third and fourth generation of
the former on one hand, and the thousandth generation of the latter
on the other. See Deut 7:9, where L:)ELEP DWOR ("to a thousand of
generation") is equivalent to the phrase in Exod 20:5: LA):ALFPIYM
("to thousands"). Yet my bifurcation of people into these two groups
may oversimplify the issue in Num 14:18. For Exod 34:7 shows God
forgiving wickedness; it also continues by saying that He punishes
wickedness.

The reality may be that in Exod 34:6-7, and thus Num 14:18, God
mentions His punishment of the sin of those who hate Him to the sons
of the fourth generation as an extreme example of the reality of His
punishment. To return to Exod 20:5-6, verse 5 would express the
severity of God's punishment to the wicked, and verse 6 the greatness
of His kindness to the obedient. These would be two poles of
treatment. In Num 14:18 Moses is praying for the forgiveness of the
people (the ten spies incident). He already has seen God forgive them
while still punishing (the golden calf incident). God hears Moses'
prayer and forgives the people (v. 20); yet He punishes them by not
permitting them to enter the promised land (v. 23).

For more detail on the contrast between the 3th and 4th versus the
1000th in Exod 20:5, see C. F. Keil, The Pentateuch, 2:116-17, in
Keil and Delitzsch, A Commentary on the Old Testament.

http://misslink.org/chapel/askaminister/practical/gencurses.html

Question:

Where in the Bible does it talk about generational sin? (The sins of
the fathers being passed down to the sons.) If this is in the Old
Testament, then is it gone because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross
for our sin? I ask this because there are patterns that follow in
some families. For example: alcohol, drugs, sexual addictions, and so
on. I am confused. Thank you for taking time to answer this.

Answer: The scripture verse to which you are referring is:

"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 the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate me;" (Exodus 20:5).

This particular verse is making reference to the previous verse about
having idols and serving other gods.

Because God was displeased with the Israelites for breaking this
commandment and adopting the ways of the nations around them and
worshipping idols, he caused them to be taken captive and made slaves
to those other nations. The struggle went on for hundreds of years.
Obviously, it wasn't only the adults that were taken into captivity.
The children suffered the consequences which came about because of
the parent's sins.

As you have mentioned, there are patterns within families. If the
parents indulge in sinful behavior, the children will more than
likely develop the same behavioral patterns. They will develop
an "appetite" or a desire to participate in those things they see
their parents doing. Some begin at a young age because they perceive
it as being the grown up thing to do.

Does this mean God "MAKES" this happen? No, God does not act in such
a manner. By this scripture, God is telling us that this "WILL"
happen as a result of sinful living.

On the other side of the picture, blessings are also passed down
through the generations. You may have noticed that some families seem
to be musical, others seem to be athletic, some have a number of
family members involved in government, and so on.

I think this should show us the importance of living right, training
children properly, and realizing that we do not live life in a
vacuum. Everything we do has some kind of effect on those around us;
especially on those living in our own household.

Please remember that no one is responsible for the sins of another
person. Everyone must make his or her own choices. We ALL have an
inborn tendency to sin which came down the generational line from
Adam. The choice is whether we are going to give in to those sinful
tendencies, or whether we are going to fight them. Christ gave His
life and suffered the penalty for all sins. ALL curses of any kind
can be broken through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. A
person does not need to be bound by ANY type of sin or curse. We
cannot use the excuse that our father did it, our grandfather did it,
our great-grandfather did it, so there is no hope for us.

http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.showResource/CT/BQA
/k/10

In stating their convictions in those terms, they betrayed their lack
of understanding of God's law, for they based their statement on the
incorrect belief that God punishes children for their parents' sins.
The prophet Ezekiel speaks at length of this erroneous idea and of
the misleading proverb it had engendered over the years. He quotes
the false proverb in Ezekiel 18:2: "The fathers have eaten sour
grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."

18:1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,

18:2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of
Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the
children's teeth are set on edge?

18:3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any
more to use this proverb in Israel.

18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also
the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

18:5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

18:6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up
his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled
his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,

18:7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his
pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the
hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

18:8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any
increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed
true judgment between man and man,

18:9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal
truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

18:10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and
that doeth the like to any one of these things,

18:11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten
upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,

18:12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence,
hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the
idols, hath committed abomination,

18:13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he
then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he
shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

18:14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins
which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

18:15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up
his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his
neighbour's wife,

18:16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge,
neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the
hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

18:17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not
received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked
in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he
shall surely live.

18:18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his
brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people,
lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the
father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and
hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

18:20 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.

18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath
committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and
right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

18:22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not
be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he
shall live.

18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith
the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness,
and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations
that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that
he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath
trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

18:25 Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O
house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and
committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath
done shall he die.

18:27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness
that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he
shall save his soul alive.

18:28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his
transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall
not die.

18:29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the LORD is not
equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways
unequal?

18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one
according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn
yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be
your ruin.

18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have
transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will
ye die, O house of Israel?

18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith
the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

http://bibletools.org//index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/20852/
eVerseID/20852

http://www.geocities.com/Bob_Hunter/csch6.htm

When a person reads texts like Exodus 34:7 and others, a first glance
and quick reading might seem to support the teachings of generational
curses. To some the text might seem quite plain, "visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth
generations of those who hate Me"(51) How can the text mean anything
but what Cleansing Stream and others teach? The answer begins with
Ezekiel 18:1 ff.. Ezekiel 18:2 introduces a proverb that was being
spoken by the Israelites, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the
children's teeth are set on edge." God is deeply concerned about this
proverb and the attitude that it reveals. He commands that this
proverb is no longer to be used in Israel. In the next verses the
Prophet Ezekiel refutes the false understanding that the Israelites
had regarding the ancestral sin. It seems that at some point in
Israel's history they had made a false inference from the verses like
Exodus 20:5. They believed that the judgement that they were facing
from God was a result of the sins of their parents and thus the
proverb about the sour grapes. But God refutes this and states
clearly that it is the soul that sins that shall die.(52) Ezekiel
puts forth the story of three generations of Israelites and
demonstrates that the only the wicked son, not the father or the
grandson, is guilty before God. Clearly God is correcting their false
inference.

The truth that God sets forth in His refutation of the false proverb
is the same truth that was really being spoken in Exodus 20:5 and
Exodus 34:7. The sin and guilt and iniquity that one faces is only
because of the sin of the individual. When one is following in the
sin of their fathers then one is liable to experience the punishment
that befalls the fathers. If a person turns from hating God and to
loving God then that person falls under the blessings of God to the
thousands of generations. Ezekiel 18:19 is excellent at this
point, "Yet you say, 'Why should the son not bear the guilt of the
father?' Because the son has done what is lawful and right" Here is
the proper understanding of generational sin. If a man follows his
father's sin then he will also experience the visiting of iniquity of
the father's sin. The fundamental reality of Christian life is that
believers have turned from sin and Satan to God! Believers are made
righteous in Christ and share no part in the visitation of iniquity
for sin. The believer's regeneration and justification ensure that
there will be no retribution for sin because all their sins past,
present, and future are forgiven in Christ. God laid on Christ the
iniquity of us all. Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God that was due
believers. Therefore, we stand holy before Him based on the merits of
Christ and His righteousness.(53)

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