Can someone show me where anyone repented for anyone else's sins in the New Testament?
We are not responsible for anyone's sins except our own.
In one sense that is very true.
However, in another sense, one could ask, how many "sins" are not entirely your own?
For example, if you were raised in a household that was prone to gluttony and overeating, have you continued in that sin? If so, the behaviors of your parents, grandparents, and/or great grandparents have shaped your behaviors, and so, they are not entirely your own. Have you acknowledged that it is more than a personal sin, accepting that it is a sin that has been perpetuated down through your generations? Have you taken it before God and forgiven your ancestors of the sins that they may have introduced to your life? Some believe that spirits often follow families for generations, encouraging, tempting, and pushing to see a given sin perpetuated. Have these spirits been addressed?
Perversion, alcoholism, womanizing, drug abuse, divorce, etc. are all sins that seem to run in families. Once one's personal sins are repented of, it can be cathartic to take the sin's of the family that have been perpetuated down through generations before God and pray that they end with you. Think of the generations that will come after you. Will they pick up where you left off or where grandfather or great grandfather left off? Have these sins been identified for future generations to take special care not to repeat?
It isn't so much about confessing and repenting of another's sins... it is about breaking a cycle that often leaves broken dreams and shattered lives in its wake.
However, in another sense, one could ask, how many "sins" are not entirely your own?
For example, if you were raised in a household that was prone to gluttony and overeating, have you continued in that sin? If so, the behaviors of your parents, grandparents, and/or great grandparents have shaped your behaviors, and so, they are not entirely your own. Have you acknowledged that it is more than a personal sin, accepting that it is a sin that has been perpetuated down through your generations? Have you taken it before God and forgiven your ancestors of the sins that they may have introduced to your life? Some believe that spirits often follow families for generations, encouraging, tempting, and pushing to see a given sin perpetuated. Have these spirits been addressed?
Perversion, alcoholism, womanizing, drug abuse, divorce, etc. are all sins that seem to run in families. Once one's personal sins are repented of, it can be cathartic to take the sin's of the family that have been perpetuated down through generations before God and pray that they end with you. Think of the generations that will come after you. Will they pick up where you left off or where grandfather or great grandfather left off? Have these sins been identified for future generations to take special care not to repeat?
It isn't so much about confessing and repenting of another's sins... it is about breaking a cycle that often leaves broken dreams and shattered lives in its wake.
Hmmmm, breaking the cycle.
That is what happened in Acts chapter 2, I believe.
And I do not see them worried about repenting for anyone's sins but their own.
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If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under - Ronald Reagan
Hmmmm, breaking the cycle.
That is what happened in Acts chapter 2, I believe.
And I do not see them worried about repenting for anyone's sins but their own.
You can't repent for anyone else but yourself.
I can't repent for my ancestor Quitus Titus Calpurnius Siculus Zionistus Judicus.
No matter how much I would like
__________________ “Burn the Boats!!!” — Hernan Cortes
its worth noting that all of those OT passages about confessing the iniquity of the fathers, included sons who walked in their fathers iniquity.
Repentance isn't simply a confession off sin, rather an action that causes a change in course.
repenting for the sins of the father isn't about saying you are sorry for someone elses sin. It is entirely about recognizing why one is what they are and turning from it to walk whole before the Lord.
my own family is proof that yes. we confess the iniquity of the previous generations... for the purpose of walking away from it!
my parents married when my mom was 16 exrpressly to escape the brutal reality of her father.
I grew up in a home that at times had dysfunction. However that dysfunction was part of her struggle to not only escape but insure her family did not experience what she had. She walked with God and sought God and lived/lives her life both with a reality of the abuse in childhood and a continual commitment to insure that what is transmitted to the next generation doesn't look like that.
my children are being raised in a home without dysfunction. (That is no claim to perfection LOL...) We certainly aren't perfect, but my mothers commitment to not walking in the iniquity of the father insured that her grandchildren have no exposure to such awfulness.
While this might for some be an intellectual/doctrinal exercise, for me it is practical living. How many people do you know that continue to fall right back into messed up relathionships? That walk in the sins of their families?
The children of divorce are more likely to divorce. The abused often become abusers. the children of the incarcerated are far more likely to become images of what they despise.
God intended from the beginning positive mental health! that comes from a constant contact with Him and a regular personal review of ones own life (repentance). Repentance is directional. It requires honest conversations with God about our won behavior and actions. AND THEN FOLLOW UP that brings about changes in direction. Course correction.
Freud just thought he was breaking ground. He wasn't. He just came up with a counterfeit for what God intended from the beginning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ferd
I don't think any of the scriptures that deal with the subject suggest we are.
Understanding Your Spiritual Heritage
Recognizing the iniquities of your forefathers
Looking back to our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, we can often trace our physical features, strengths, and weaknesses through the family line. In the same way, we can observe character traits and spiritual influences that span the generations. A Godly heritage offers a sturdy foundation of virtue and faithfulness, but deeds such as anger, lust, and bitterness set destructive patterns that need to be recognized and overcome.
In the Biblical account of Abraham’s family, the iniquity of deception became a stronghold that affected the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s sons. (See Genesis 12:10–20, 20, 26:1–11, 27:1–40, 37:12–36.) On the other hand, the New Testament examples of Lois, Eunice, and Timothy demonstrate the richness of a heritage of faith. (See II Timothy 1:5.)
When we understand how our lives are influenced by our forefathers, we can respond appropriately to that influence. We should appreciate and celebrate the good that has been passed down through our families. Also, we should acknowledge the iniquities of our forefathers, repent of our own sins, and endeavor to overcome the tendencies toward specific sins that we have inherited. While we are not held responsible for the sins of our ancestors, we are susceptible to their areas of weakness and should be alert to these inclinations.
Identify Generational Iniquities
When God gave the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel, He included this description of His character and ways: “. . . 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; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:5–6). God repeats this warning about generational iniquities in Exodus 34:6–7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9–10.
What we do matters to the next generation, because children have a natural tendency to imitate their parents. When parents do something that is wrong, their children are very likely to justify the same action. In fact, they often justify even more destructive attitudes and actions, going beyond what their parents deemed permissible.
The most vivid example of this influence is seen in Adam’s sin. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Because of Adam’s decision in the Garden of Eden to disobey God’s command, each person on earth has inherited a nature of rebellion against God.
An example of how our forefathers’ actions can influence us for good is found in the seventh chapter of Hebrews: “. . . Levi also, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him” (Hebrews 7:9–10). Although Levi was not born until many years after Abraham and Melchisedec met, he is credited with paying tithes because he was a physical part of Abraham when Abraham paid the tithes.
This concept rests at the heart of our inherited strengths and weaknesses. Because we are a physical part of our ancestors, we are deeply influenced by their decisions and the patterns of their lives. We can see this influence clearly in Abraham’s family.
Learn From the Testimony of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Abraham is known as the Friend of God and the “father of all them that believe.” (See James 2:23 and Romans 4:11.) His responses of faith and obedience in the major decisions of his life pleased God. However, when Abraham went down to Egypt as a result of a famine, he adopted a deceptive practice.
And it came to pass, when he [Abraham] was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai [Sarah] his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee (Genesis 12:11–13).
Abraham’s deception put Sarah in moral jeopardy, and Pharaoh soundly rebuked Abraham when the lie was discovered. Years later, Abraham used this lie again when he and Sarah traveled in Gerar. (See Genesis 20.) In both situations, God moved to protect Sarah and others from the sin of adultery, but in the years to come the iniquity of deception played a significant role in the lives of Abraham’s descendants.
Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac followed Abraham’s example and lied about the identity of his wife, Rebekah, when they traveled in Gerar: “And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon” (Genesis 26:7). When the Philistine king, Abimelech, discovered Isaac’s deception, he rebuked Isaac for exposing other men to the possible sin of adultery. (See Genesis 26:9–10.)
In the next generation, the lies were directed toward immediate family members. Rebekah and her son Jacob schemed to deceive Isaac into giving secondborn Jacob the firstborn blessing that rightfully belonged to Esau. Taking advantage of Isaac’s failing eyesight, Jacob deceived his own father: “And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me” (Genesis 27:18–19).
Decades later, Jacob’s sons deceived him concerning the welfare of his son, Joseph. The older brothers, jealous of Joseph’s favor with Jacob, sold Joseph as a slave: “And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat: an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces” (Genesis 37:31–33). Not until years later did Jacob discover the truth of what had happened to Joseph. (See Genesis 45:26.)
In these examples, we can see how the iniquity of deception was taken up by one generation after another, deepening and becoming more desperate through the years.
Acknowledge the Sins of the Forefathers
Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and others understood that God wanted them to agree with Him about the iniquities of their parents and purpose to not continue them. These men of God acknowledged the iniquities of their fathers when they confessed their sins:
•In the days when Nehemiah worked to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Ezra the priest gathered the people together and read to them out of the Law of God. When they realized how far they had strayed from God’s commandments, they repented: “And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers” (Nehemiah 9:2).
•When Jeremiah realized that God’s hand of judgment was upon the land of Judah, he acknowledged the iniquities of their forefathers. He prayed, “We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee” (Jeremiah 14:20).
•When Daniel discerned by the Scriptures that it was time for Israel to be restored to the land, he sought the Lord’s forgiveness through prayer and supplication, with fasting. He prayed, “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” (Daniel 9:16).
Recognize Personal Responsibility
As we acknowledge the sins of our forefathers, we must also accept personal responsibility for our own sins. For example, a son cannot blame his father for his own sin, nor can a father blame his son. God will deal with each person on the merits of his own actions. “In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29–30).
This truth brings clarification to God’s warnings about visiting iniquity on future generations, which Jeremiah repeats in the next chapter: “Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name, great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 32:18–19).
Generational iniquities follow the laws of the harvest: we reap what we sow, we reap where we sow, we reap more than we sow, and we reap in a different season than we sow.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7–8).
Find Freedom in Jesus Christ
When we become aware of the sins of our forefathers, we should respond in the following ways:
•Acknowledge generational sins before God
•Repent of similar sins in our own lives
•Receive cleansing and forgiveness through Christ
•Submit to the Word of God as it relates to the areas of our inherited weaknesses
To repent of something does not mean merely to be sorry or remorseful but to turn away from it, to change, to go in the opposite direction. Understanding our forefathers’ sins provides insight for turning away from those specific attitudes and actions. We must study the Scriptures to learn how we can honor God in these areas. Often we may need to build boundaries in our lives to help protect us from the temptations that are common in our background (for example, temptations to drunkenness, gossip, theft, or immorality). As we set aside activities that present temptations in these areas, our tendency toward generational sin patterns will diminish.
The power to overcome generational sins comes only by Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul encourages us, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:14).
Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:34–36).
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