什么是 "父亲的罪"？了解世代的后果
什么是 "父亲的罪孽"？了解世代的后果
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-does-the-sins-of-the-father-mean-in-the-bible.html
迈克尔-A-米尔顿博士
作者
2020
2月13日
什么是 "父亲的罪"？了解世代的后果
"父亲的罪 "这个短语源于《圣经》。但 "父亲的罪 "也出现在古代的一些作品中。这句话本身以及罪的后果从一代传到另一代的概念在英国文学、电影、甚至流行音乐中都可以找到。
圣经》中提到 "父亲的罪 "的地方
"父亲的罪 "这一短语出现在《申命记》和《出埃及记》的十诫中。这句话也出现在民数记和耶利米书中。因此，这句话与遵守诫命和罪的后果世代相传有关。但这句话也是一个被遵守的概念；罪确实有后果。那些犯罪的人的孩子事实上确实继承了罪的种子和罪性。此外，某些罪会带来代代相传的后果。人们会想到虐待、酗酒和其他人身攻击的罪，侵犯了神在人身上的形象。让我们研究一下圣经中的引文。
"你不可向他们跪拜，也不可拜他们；因为我耶和华你的神是忌邪的神，要为父母的罪刑罚儿女，直到恨我的人的三代、四代"（出埃及记20:5）。
"耶和华恒久忍耐，有大慈悲，赦免不义和过犯，决不赦免有罪的人，将父亲的罪孽归到儿子身上，直到第三、四代"（民数记14：18）。
"你不可向他们屈服，也不可事奉他们。因为我耶和华你的神是忌邪的神，将父亲的罪孽加在儿子身上，直到恨我的人的三代、四代，又怜悯那爱我、守我诫命的人的千千万万个"（申命记5：9-10）。
"啊，尊贵的主，你用你的大能和伸出的手臂创造了天和地。对你来说，没有什么是太难的。你向成千上万的人展示了爱，却把对父母罪孽的惩罚带到他们之后的孩子身上。伟大而全能的神，他的名字是全能的耶和华"（耶利米书32:17-18）。
古代参考文献和起源
外邦哲学家观察到上帝的法则在创造中发挥作用的现实，这并不奇怪。因此，我们拥有《圣经》外使用父亲之罪的例子。
欧里庇得斯（约公元前485-406年）Phrixus："诸神将父亲的罪孽降临到孩子身上。"
贺拉斯，《颂歌》。"为了你们父辈的罪孽，你们虽然无罪，但必须受苦。"
莎士比亚，《威尼斯商人》。"父亲的罪孽要归到孩子身上。"
父亲的罪孽 "并不意味着什么
这句话未经审视，导致一些人愚蠢地指责全能者具有反复无常的性质。有些人甚至会认为《圣经》中明显存在决定论的哲学。没有什么比这更离谱的了。上帝不会让人类遭受痛苦。上帝在他所有的道路上都是公正和正义的。决定论是一种异教哲学。这种对上帝和他的宇宙的看法与宿命的教义或上帝的主权毫无关系。
上帝完全可以自由地管理他的宇宙。没有任何东西是在他的主权意志之外的。但是，上帝把自由机构授予他的受造物。我们是有道德的人，可以做出选择。我们的本性是被束缚在罪中的。一个人的性情是有罪的，就会很自然地遵循这种本性的 "北极星"。相反，一个因神的儿子我们的救主耶稣基督的恩典而被救赎出来的人，有机会选择什么是好的，什么是正确的。
重要的是要记住这些重叠的教义真理，在我们思考这段经文的含义时，要将经文与经文进行比较。
父的罪 "到底是什么意思？
从所给的经文中，我们可能有三种反应。
出埃及记和申命记的十诫中出现的 "父亲的罪 "这句话提醒我们，神的律法在建立时有祝福，也有审判。一个人的生活以违反上帝的律法为特征，这的确是一件很严重的事情。一个人不能在违反神的诫命的情况下生活，而期望他最亲近的人不会受到他的罪的影响。这一现实应该促使我们忠于上帝的话语。我们也应该认识到我们需要一位救主，并转向主耶稣基督。一个一生都生活在罪中的人，通过对耶稣基督的信仰忏悔，可以对下一代产生强大的影响。即使这样的忏悔是在一个人一生都故意不服从上帝的律法之后发生的，一些后果也会自然而然地随之而来，但其遗产不会是罪。任何转向耶稣基督的人的遗产都是基督的十字架的力量的遗产。
例如，在《民数记》中，人们注意到上帝的审判，包括 "父亲的罪"，有时是对生命的 "自然秩序 "中罪的多代后果的观察。"父亲的罪 "代表了创造中固有的神圣的司法现实。在这个意义上，"父亲的罪 "这个短语是描述性的，也是普遍存在的。牧师以及家庭顾问有时会画一张 "图"，以更好地辨别家庭中罪恶行为的 "病毒"。然后，通过以诚实的方式说出的家庭记忆，人们可能会看到罪恶的痛苦循环如何感染连续几代人。一代人的叛逆本性会对下一代甚至后一代人产生不变的影响。罪就像一种感染，会蔓延到整个身体。它可以扩散到整个家庭系统。这可能发生在一个家庭单位，也可能发生在一个更大的家庭，如一个国家。
申命记》和《耶利米书》中的经文非常重要。细心的圣经学生会读到故事的其余部分。神的恩典之约的全部含义是，虽然第二代或第三代可能会经历 "父亲的罪"，但神的怜悯和恩典不是延伸到一代或两代，而是延伸到一千代。我们知道，一千在圣经中意味着 "很长的时间"。这段经文是多么恩典和美丽的经文。
"因为我耶和华你的神是忌邪的神，把祖宗的罪孽临到儿女身上，直到恨我的人的三代、四代，但对爱我、守我诫命的人，却施恩给千百人"（申命记5：9-10）。
圣经》确实教导我们罪有应得的后果
这些可悲的后果会世代相传。然而，福音书中荣耀的好消息是，这是一个可以被打破的链条。耶稣基督的血证明了上帝为世人的罪所做的牺牲。耶稣基督的公义成就了我们无法实现的生命。每当我们信靠耶稣基督，罪的后果的链条，可悲和肮脏的 "祖先的罪"，通过上帝在耶稣基督里的力量，就像人们折断树枝一样容易折断。
我确信今天读到这些话的一些人已经经历了另一代人的罪的后果和影响。也许你在与你父亲或你祖父挣扎的同样的瘾中挣扎。也许未悔改的罪的遗产使你处于某种生活的贫困之中。
我亲爱的朋友，在上帝的福音中我们有好消息。上帝的怜悯和恩典比我们所有的罪都大。不要让人觉得他们是被过去的枷锁所害，被无情的、非人的命运之力所锁住。上帝爱你。因为在耶稣基督里，总是有新的一天和新的明天的希望。而不是一代又一代的犯罪模式，上帝建立了一个新的生活模式。正是在这个意义上，我们可以为那些在我们之后的人祈祷：希望他们可以得到保护，不受任何我们罪性的遗留影响，并且在我们神和救主耶稣基督的荣耀福音中，他们被我们的祈祷所覆盖。
恩典之约告诉我们，耶稣活出了我们永远无法活出的生命，死掉了本应属于我们的死亡。这个伟大的交换--我们得到他的生命，他得到我们的惩罚--使我们从罪的循环和它的悲哀中解脱出来。因此，我们可以满怀期待地祈祷，当耶稣再来时，会有众多的家庭成员安全地躺在他的怀里。
父亲的罪 "比不上儿子的公义和牺牲。
What Are "Sins of the Father"? Understanding Generational Consequences
The phrase, “the sins of the father,” is of Biblical origin. But “sins of the father” also appears in select works of antiquity. The phrase itself and the concept of the consequences of sin passing from one generation to another are found throughout English literature, film, and even popular music.
Where the Bible Mentions "Sins of the Father"
The phrase, "sins of the fathers" appears in the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy and Exodus. The phrase also appears in the book of Numbers and in Jeremiah. So, the phrase is linked to the keeping of the commandments and the consequences of sin passing through the generations. But the phrase is also a concept that is observed; sin does have consequences. The children of those who sin do in fact inherit the seed of sin and the sin nature. Moreover, certain sins carry intergenerational consequences. One thinks of abuse, alcoholism, and other sins of personal assault, violations of the image of God in the human being. Let's examine the quotes from Scripture:
“You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:5).
“The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation” (Numbers 14:18).
“You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and doing mercy to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:9-10)
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty” (Jeremiah 32:17-18).
Ancient References and Origin
It is not surprising that Gentile philosophers observe the reality of God's law at work in creation. Thus, we possess examples of extra-Biblical usage of father's sins:
Euripides (c. 485-406 B.C.) Phrixus: "The gods visit the sins of the fathers upon the children."
Horace, Odes: "For the sins of your fathers you, though guiltless, must suffer."
Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: "The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children."
What "Sins of the Father" Does NOT Mean
The phrase, unexamined, has led some to foolishly charge the Almighty with a capricious nature. Some might even be led to think that a philosophy of determinism is evident in the Bible. Nothing could be further from the truth. God does not will suffering upon human beings. God is just and righteous in all of his ways. Determinism is a pagan philosophy. Such a view of God and His universe has nothing to do with the doctrine of predestination or the sovereignty of God.
God is completely free to govern his universe. There is nothing that is outside of his sovereign will. But God grants free agency to his creatures. We are moral beings given choices to make. It is our nature that is bound in sin. One whose disposition is sinful will, quite naturally, follow the “north star” of such a nature. Conversely, one who has been redeemed from sin by the grace of God in His Son our Savior Jesus Christ has the opportunity to choose what is good and what is right.
It is important to remember these overlapping doctrinal truths, and to compare Scripture with Scripture as we think about this passage in its meaning.
What "Sins of the Father" DOES Mean
There are three responses we might have from the Scriptures that are given.
The phrase, “the sins of the father," as they occur in the Decalogue in Exodus and Deuteronomy remind us that God's law has been established with blessings, as well as judgment. It is a serious matter, indeed, to have one's life characterized by the violation of God's laws. One cannot live in violation of God’s commandments and expect those closest to him to experience no effect from his sin. This reality should stir us to fidelity to God’s word. We should also recognize our need of a Savior and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. A person who has lived in sin all their lives can have a powerful influence on the next generation by the confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Even when such a confession comes after one has lived an entire life of willful disobedience to God's law, some consequences will naturally follow, but the legacy will not be of sin. The legacy of anyone who turns to Jesus Christ is the legacy of the power of the cross of Christ.
In Numbers, for instance, one notes that God’s judgments, including “the sins of the father,” are sometimes the observation of sin’s multi-generational consequences in the “natural order” of life. “The sins of the father” represent an inherent divine judicial reality in Creation. In this sense, the phrase, “sins of the father,” is descriptive and pervasive. Pastors, as well as family counselors, will sometimes draw a “diagram” to better discern the “virus” of sinful behavior in a family. Then, through family memory that is spoken in honesty, one may see how sinful cycles of pain can infect successive generations. The rebellious nature of one generation will have an invariable effect upon the following generation and even the generation after that. Sin is like an infection that spreads throughout the whole body. It can spread throughout the family system. This can happen in a single-family unit or it can happen in a larger family such as a nation.
The passages in Deuteronomy and Jeremiah are very important. The careful student of the Bible will read the rest of the story. The full implication of the covenant of God's grace is that while a second or third generation may experience "the sins of the father," God's mercy and grace extends — not to one or two generations — but to a thousand generations. We know that a thousand in the Bible means "a very long time." What a gracious and beautiful Scripture is this:
“For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:9-10).
The Bible Does, Indeed, Teach That Sin Has Consequences
Those sad consequences are transmitted through the generations. However, the glorious good news of the gospel is that this is a chain that can be broken. The blood of Jesus Christ demonstrates the sacrifice of God for the sins of the world. The righteousness of Jesus Christ fulfills the life that we cannot live. Whenever we trust in Jesus Christ the chain of sin's consequences, the sad and sordid "sins of the fathers" is, through the power of God in Jesus Christ, snapped as easily as one snaps a twig.
I am certain that some reading these words today have experienced the consequences and effects of sin from another generation. Perhaps you struggle with the same addictions your father or your grandfather struggled with. Perhaps a legacy of unrepented sin has left you in some kind of poverty of life.
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