Are we to repent for our ancestors past sins?

[ModestMama]

I am reading a book on spiritual warfare and several times it has stated the need to "repent for the sins of your family and/or ancestors'. Has anyone heard this before and are there are scriptures to back or debunk this idea? I would really love to know.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by ModestMama

I am reading a book on spiritual warfare and several times it has stated the need to "repent for the sins of your family and/or ancestors'. Has anyone heard this before and are there are scriptures to back or debunk this idea? I would really love to know.

Leviticus 26:38-42 And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. (39) And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. (40) If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; (41) And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: (42) Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.

Daniel 9:1-20 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; (2) In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (3) And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: (4) And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; (5) We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: (6) Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. (7) O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. (8) O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. (9) To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; (10) Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. (11) Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. (12) And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. (13) As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. (14) Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. (15) And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. (16) O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. (17) Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. (18) O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. (19) O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. (20) And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

Ezra 9:5-7 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, (6) And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. (7) Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

Nehemiah 9:32-38 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. (33) Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: (34) Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. (35) For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. (36) Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: (37) And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. (38) And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.

Nehemiah 1:5-11 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: (6) Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. (7) We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. (8) Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: (9) But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. (10) Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. (11) O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

2 Chronicles 29:5-11 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. (6) For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. (7) Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. (8) Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. (9) For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. (10) Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. (11) My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

Lamentations 5:1-7 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. (2) Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. (3) We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows. (4) We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us. (5) Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. (6) We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. (7) Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

Psalms 106:4-6 Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation; (5) That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. (6) We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

[Esaias]

Now, having said that, something has to be kept in mind:

Deuteronomy 5:8-10 Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth: (9) Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto 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, (10) And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

Those who love God are blessed, unto thousands of generations. Those who hate God are cursed, even to the third and fourth generation of them that hate God.

Therefore, if you love God, and have repented, and entered His Covenant, then the sins of your ancestors cannot hold you, nor are you being punished for them in any individual sense. Granted, the sins of our ancestors can have detrimental effects on society that even the righteous have to deal with. But personally, you who have been buried with Christ in baptism are DEAD and the Law has no dominion over a dead person. Therefore, you and your ancestor's sins that were hanging over you during your time of opposition to God are buried in the watery grave.

One cannot repent on another's behalf in such a way as to take their place, we must all give account for ourselves. But confessing the sins of your fathers goes a long way towards being honest with God especially when recognising the national scope of iniquity, as it so often is indeed nationwide.

We are called to be priests, the church has a priestly function. And what is the function of a priest?

Hebrews 5:1-3 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: (2) Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. (3) And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

The church has a priestly function, which includes interceding for the lost, and pleading mercy for them from God. And that would include confessing sins on their behalf. Not that we can grant them absolution, or that God wold grant them forgiveness simply because we prayed for them, but that we intercede for them and seek God to bestow mercy upon them so that they can in fact repent and be forgiven. As for those who have gone before (our fathers), confessing their sins and our involvement and continuation of them is a major part of interceding for the NATION and pleading God's mercy on the NATION.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Granted, national blessing requires national repentance. But judgment begins at the house of God.

[Scott Pitta]

We inherit a sinful nature from Adam.

We do not inherit the sins of our ancestors. Nor does the NT suggest we should repent of any sins other than our own.

As a society, we live with the consequences of decisions made by those who came before us.

[jediwill83]

****SPOILER ALERT****


Everybody is only responsible for their OWN sin...not the sins of your ancestors or your descendents.


Here's the Word for it, keep in mind that all the scripture posted here and previously is Old Testament and dealing with the relationship and covenant with God and Israel.


God is speaking of specific consequences and for specific transgressions for those people being written to and about but even then, God says that the soul that sins will die and basically everybody is responsible for their own actions only.


So, even in the OT, God is speaking out against the idea of of the sins of the father carrying over to the son and vice versa.





Ezekiel 18 King James Version (KJV)

18 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,

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?

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

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.

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

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,

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;

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,

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.

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,

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

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,

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.

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,

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,

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,

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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?

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

[Aquila]

Esaias posted some great stuff along with plenty of Scripture. I'm not going to repost the scriptures Esaias posted so as not to be redundant. Esaias makes good points from his vantage point on the issue.

I'll share what I believe about this generational sin or curses.

I believe we repent of generational/ancestral sin by repenting of any sins that appear to run in the family through the influence of parents, grandparents, etc. If alcoholism or gambling runs in a family, a born again believer should repent and refuses to allow themselves to fall prey to alcoholism or gambling addiction. If one repents of the perpetuated sins that run in their family, they have broken the family curse, so to speak.

I believe that some sins my welcome evil spirits into the lives of individuals. These spirits might determine to oppress their children, and their children's children, and so on. These spirits can be cast out.

I believe that it is possible that a family be supernaturally cursed by God over a specific sin, or even by an ungodly source (such as a witch). How can one know if this kind of curse is in play? Well, if there is an uncanny string of similar events, trials, afflictions, etc. that are entirely coincidental in every generation, and not under the control of the individuals involved, it might be this kind of curse. One might see a pattern in a family such as persistent "bad luck", failure to achieve success due to random/coincidental calamities that bring lack, defeat, and failure to attain abundance. Repentance of personal sin and a cry for mercy (if from God) through the blood can bring God to lift His curse. If from the enemy, one can take authority over all the power of the enemy, and breaking the curse through faith by the power and blood of Jesus.

Some curses passed down are more physical in nature, bring physical sickness, disease, and anxieties. This can be due to lifestyle in the family or perhaps inherited traumas (see epigenetics). There is healing power available to heal and restore a family line from such.

[aegsm76]

As stated above, it does appear that some things are passed down, even outside of DNA.
(Epigenetics).
Which I find very interesting given what the Bible has to say about the sins of the fathers.

[Apostolic1ness]

If God fills someone with his Spirit and they are baptized in Jesus name. that means they have repented. They just need to live pleasing to God, no need for past generational repentance.

[Esaias]

Even though we have ample Biblical evidence that in times of national crisis God's people have confessed the sins of their ancestors and of their contemporaries, today's Christians see no need for such things and praise the Lord we ain't a gonna do it!

And just ignore that giant sucking sound all around us...

[Apostolic1ness]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Even though we have ample Biblical evidence that in times of national crisis God's people have confessed the sins of their ancestors and of their contemporaries, today's Christians see no need for such things and praise the Lord we ain't a gonna do it!

And just ignore that giant sucking sound all around us...

Im not sure you will find a people outside of Gods covenant praying for their nation or ancestors I have not looked so you may be able to identify people within covenant asking forgiveness for non covenant nations. Isn't sin on an individual level? I dont see forgiveness/remission of sin outside of covenant.
If we were to confess the sin of our nation does God forgive our nation? Is God in covenant with the USA? Can I also ask God to Forgive my state, or county, or city, or neighborhood, or those that live on the same block or street as me, or even in my own family? Does God forgive sin when the individuals that make up the family, block etc. dont repent for their own sin?