The Myths And Truth About Ancestral Or Generational Curses

 One basic principle that determines if something should be considered as “Truth” or not in Bible interpretation, is that it must be “universal” in nature.

That is, if what we have believed and esteemed as “Truth” cannot be applied everywhere and to all persons but changes per individual or geographical location, it simply lacks the quality to be called “The Truth.”

For instance, Man can only be saved by Faith in Christ. This is constant and universal in nature. And so it is the Bible Truth about Salvation.

Whether you are black or white, rich or poor, short or tall, slim or not, you can only be saved through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins. This is the same in America, Africa or any other place on the earth.

If peradventure you travel to Australia for a business meeting and someone approaches you and asked you to pay him some money to get you saved (born again). You ask why you must pay for it when everyone else you’ve ever come across said it’s free and the person says, “well, it is because you are on Australian soil and here Africans pay for it.”

Without anyone telling you, you’d know he’s fake or definitely not talking about the Bible kind of Salvation. Why? Because the Bible is clear that Salvation is simply by Grace through Faith. It has nothing to do with money or any other material thing.

It is the same for everyone everywhere, regardless of race, colour, language or region.

Now when it comes to the issue of ancestral or generational curses, it would interest you to know that we have held lots of beliefs as Africans that are not “universal” in nature and have no deep roots in the Bible. Most of them are simply “Myths”.

For instance in several parts of Africa and Nigeria especially, when a young lady is over 30 and is not married, people begin to see her as someone with a “spiritual” problem. If she happens to have a sister who is also an adult and not yet married, we quickly assume the family must be suffering from generational curses.

If a young man comes from a very poor background and does not “hammer” or “make it” before he is 35, then one of their ancestors must have done something to bring the curse of poverty upon the family and their generations.

We are always very quick to attribute negative circumstances around our lives to be a result of the “evil” actions of our ancestors. Thereby taking no responsibility whatsoever for our own lives.

Some people even believe that the reason Africa as a continent is poor is a result of the evils or idols our forefathers worshipped.

However, when you use the same yardstick to measure America and other Continents, it doesn’t just add up.

If the reason we are facing the challenges we are going through today is as a result of the curse of Witchcraft, Idolatry, Killings and other evils our ancestors did, then how do you explain China advancing economically with all the idols that have been worshipped there from several generations past?

With all the bloodshed Hitler did, his generations and Germany can’t be said to be under the same generational curses we believe are affecting us all as Africans today.

You will be shocked to discover that human sacrifices were not only done in Africa years back, different parts of Europe, Asia and other places, openly practised it. Till today, witchcraft is still practised in some of these places openly.

If the evils done in Africa brought curses on us and the ones done in America haven’t affected today's Americans the same way ours have affected us, then it is time we take a closer look at this thing called generational curses and find out from the Word where we have missed it.

What does the Bible truly say about Ancestral or Generational curses?

Here is what it says:

(Gal 3:13)  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

(Gal 3:14)  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Take a look at the above scriptures one more time. Did you notice it never said, “Christ WILL redeem us from the curse of the Law?” The statement was never a futuristic statement. It was never a promise of what Christ will do.

It was rather a declaration of what Christ has already done. That is why it reads “Christ hath redeemed us..”

The word “redeemed” in that verse is also put in the past tense. To redeem simply means “to buy up", "to ransom” or “to rescue from loss” figuratively.

That is to say that Christ has already paid whatever price the curse of the Law stipulated by His death on the cross so that it would never affect you and me today.

He bore the most horrible kind of punishment for the wrongdoings of all people, for all time. The ones of your forefathers, your own and the ones of generations to come. He bore them all on His body and paid for them via His death.

And by that substitutionary sacrifice, curses whether generational or not, can no longer affect you that has put your faith in Him.

I know you may ask, “if this is so, what about Exodus 20:5, 34:7, Numbers 14:18 and Deuteronomy 5:9 where the Bible says God visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children?”

There is no doubt the Bible actually said that. But do you also know that a few generations after those statements were made, God Himself rendered them null and void? He said:

(Jer 31:29)  In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.

(Jer 31:30)  But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

Again in Ezekiel 18: 1-3, He reiterated this.

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

(Eze 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?

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

After making these promises, God fulfilled them by sending His own Son Jesus to bear the punishment for all sins of all times, thereby ultimately ending the power of anything called curses over the believer.

Having been made free, the believer can still today live as though he were under a curse if he is ignorant of what Christ has done for him.

This is where mind renewal comes in. As his mindset is being renewed by the knowledge of the Word, he understands his place in Christ and uses that to change his world positively.

Now he is able to think up ideas, do business right, give his best in his working place and experience God’s material blessings to the fullest. He invests the time he uses to run around in search of a “special” deliverance from curses to plan, re-plan and execute his ideas in the right way. He walks in the light of the freedom he already has in Christ and sees things differently.

This is the truth about generational curses. The man who has put his faith in Jesus is not under any curse. Because on the cross, Jesus ended the ability of curses to rise against us.

Quit running around looking for how to break out of curses. You are already out of them. Christ has made you free from them. Go utilize this freedom and affect the world positively for God.

Jesus did it all for us.

Glory to God!