BROKEN

I had no intention of blogging today, but the message we had at church provided me with thoughts to share...

Today we just started a series at church called “Out of the Loop,” about breaking “generational cycles” of sin, or detrimental habits that are passed down in families. These are sometimes referred to as “generational curses,” but I have never been comfortable with that terminology (or “theology,” perhaps). As my pastor actually puts it, Jesus Christ became the “curse” for us by dying on the cross, so there is no longer any curse.

Galatians 3:13-14 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are no longer hopelessly destined to repeat the sins of our forefathers. Christ is the answer to overcoming “hand-me-down” sins: there is no other “secret” or mystery to stopping these cycles. When we choose to follow Him wholeheartedly, the sins of our parents, and their parents, will not determine our destiny.

In Joshua 24, Joshua, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, said this to them about how to overcome the sins of their parents:

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (vv. 14-15)

In the familiar story of Joshua and Caleb, after God led the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses sent them and ten other men as spies to survey the occupied land of Canaan that God had promised to the Israelites (Numbers 13). Although the 12 agreed that the land was good, flowing “with milk and honey” (v. 27), except for Joshua and Caleb, the others did not believe that they could overtake the land because of the size and strength of the people living there (vv. 28-33). The Israelites decided to listen to the naysayers rather than Joshua and Caleb, even wanting to stone the two to death (Numbers 14: 1- 10).

As a result of that generation's unbelief, they faced God's punishment as the consequence of their sin:

"Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’ The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone" (Numbers 32: 11-13).

In one generation, two people chose to follow God, lived and experienced His blessing; in the very same generation the others chose not to, died and failed to experience blessing.

Fast forward to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and we have complete freedom to follow God and experience true life. In Galatians 5:1, the Apostle Paul says to the church, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Because Jesus liberated us from sin by becoming that curse for us, we need only choose to live for Him and see any sin cycle of our past broken.

One reason the message of Jesus as the answer to ending generational cycles of sin resonates with me is my own history. I’m not saying that my heritage is all negative – I can think of past decisions that were made which impacted me positively. But, as with many families, there have been sins handed down that I could have inherited – but for the choice that my parents made to end them. Aside from the fact that I am geographically distant from most of my family, I have also seen how my parents’ decision to follow Christ wholeheartedly has detached me and my siblings from the pain and consequences that can come with generational cycles. Through my parents’ example, we were able to learn what it means to follow Jesus for ourselves. Now, God willing, we will have our own posterity that will continue to make the same choice to live in Christ.

As each generation chooses to follow God, He promises this:

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts” (Psalm 103: 17-18).

Some people put a lot of stock in family upbringing or history as the sum of a person’s potential. If a person comes from a “good” family, he or she will be “good”; if a person comes from a “bad” family, they will only make it so far. And some people who have been directly affected by generational cycles feel that they are doomed, or “cursed,” to repeat them.

But, as Scripture shows, in just one generation, things can go from bad to good – or even good to bad. What matters is that, individually, we make the choice to follow Jesus, regardless of our pasts. There may be challenges to breaking generational sin cycles, but because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are able to overcome even the worst of them.

I love testimonies of people in the Body of Christ who are surrounded by familial chaos choosing to break the cycle. I love it when followers of Christ don’t define themselves by the sins of their mother, father, grandparents or great grandparents. I love when we let the truth of God’s Word saturate our minds and fill our hearts, so that we are not conformed to the patterns of our world.

On Resurrection Sunday – and always, let’s remember that Jesus triumphed over sin so that we would not have to wallow in it. There are no familial cycles that have to enslave us. As we choose to break free by the power of the blood that brings light and covers us from all sin when we walk in it, we’ll see even generations after us reap the benefits of freedom in Christ.

You can check out messages from “Out of the Loop” here, or on iTunes, for free (Podcasts > The Bridge DC). There will be a new message of the series each week between now and May 20.

Jesus, thank you for overcoming the grave to give us true life!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." ~ Jesus. (John 10:10, NKJV).