Will children pay for the sins of their fathers?

**Waqar Daniel** Wed 27 Jun 2007, 6:32 pm

Deut. 5:9 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 fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me...

Deut. 24:16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

Are these two verses contradicting each other? In one God says that He punishes generations and on the other hand God says that we alone bear our sins. So why are they contradicting each other?

They are actually not contradicting each other at all. They are two different Laws given to us. In First, God speaks as a Judge Himself and in the second, God speaks to an earthly judge, how to deal with a crime.

The first law came down, when the Israelities, made a Golden Calf and wroshipped it in place of God and attributed qualities of God with it. In Exodus 34, 5-7, when Moses is called up again by God, God proclaims His name. Here God proclaims that "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation" [Exodus 34:5-7]

In Exodus 34:5-7 and Deuteronomy 5:9, God speaks of forsaking Him and accepting an other god in His place. When we read on Exodus 34:15-16, we what happens to generation in forsaking God and why Fathers are held responsible for the punishment of their children.

Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in that land. When they chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes and sacrifice to them, they may invite you to eat the meat from their sacrifices with them. Then your sons will end up marrying their daughters. When their daughters chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes, they'll lead your sons to do the same thing. [Exodus 34:15-16]

Furthermore, when we read Deuteronomy 5:9 the text says, "those who hate me". The people who hate God and train their children to hate Him too, pass under that judgement. However, God did mention, while proclaiming His name to Moses that He is compassionate, merciful, loving...[Exodus 34:7] therefore, whoever turns to God and forsake their false gods, God forgives them.

In our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Waqar Daniel