Lot's Escape

Read Genesis 20:1-18

Cycles of sin, generational sin, are interesting topics. These sins that seem to follow us our entire lives, we are never wholly done with them, the temptation remains throughout our lives and we continue to fall back into over and over again. Even in some families you can see that particular sin being passed down from parents to children.

Now generational curses in the New Testament are tentative at best, I’m talking here about specific curses that seem to plague families. But a habitual tendency towards, say over consumption of alcohol, that may pass down from father to son is much more in line with the kind of generational sin we see. It is learned from our parents or other relatives, not simply forced upon by some malicious spiritual being.

Does this story here remind you of any earlier stories in Genesis? Abraham did this in Egypt in chapter 12, then Isaac, his son, does it in Genesis 26, and though Jacob doesn’t have a similar story, his name literally means deceiver. Which he becomes quite well-known for by stealing the birthright from Esau.

All of this to show, we learn much from upbringing, our parents inform our sinful patterns, either positively or negatively. Steering us away from the mistakes they made, or encouraging us to join in it with them. 

We must be aware of the enormous effect, we have upon children especially considering Jesus’ warning 

Mark 9:42
⁴² “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

It is a grave warning, and many of us likely feel the effects of our upbringing and how it has harmed us in our walk with God. But I want to offer some encouragement.

Go to the first chapter of Matthew and read Jesus’ genealogy. In it you will find murder, adultery, polygamy, drunkards, pagans. Was he defined by his ancestors? In good ways he was, but their sins did not define him.

John 1:12 (ESV)
¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, We need no longer be defined and enslaved by our family and their ways, we are part of a new family, the family of God. And in this family we are freed up to be exactly who we were meant to be, like God.

Questions:

What might be some ways my upbringing has affected my Christian walk?

Has your upbringing affected your Christian walk, for the most part, positively or negatively?