The Myth of the Ancestral Curse

Part Two

by G A N James

This is the second part of a two-part series of messages on the ancestral curse doctrine entitled The Myth of the Ancestral Curse. These messages are intended to dispel the myth of the misleading doctrine of the ancestral curse and to show that the doctrine has no foundation in the Word of God. In the first part we looked at (1) what is the ancestral curse doctrine; (2) do the Scriptures support the ancestral curse doctrine; and (3) God’s rejection of the idea of ancestral curse. We noted that whereas the Bible refers to the curse of sin or the curse of the Law which has affected all mankind from generation to generation because all have sinned, there is no support in the Bible for a so-called ancestral curse which is supposed to be inherited by certain families from their ancestors. We concluded that the misleading ancestral curse doctrine is an affront to God’s character of mercy and Divine justice and is denounced by God.

In the second part of the series we will discuss (1) the removal of the curse of sin under the New Covenant of grace; (2) the blessings of all believers in Christ under the New Covenant of grace; and (3) in conclusion, the ancestral curse doctrine is a myth.

The New Covenant of Grace Removes the Curse of Sin

The concept of an ancestral curse has absolutely no place under the New Covenant of grace in which all believers in Christ stand in the righteousness of God. Jeremiah proclaims this truth in this way in Jer 31:29-34: “In those days they will not say again, 'the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

We mentioned at the beginning of this series of messages that every human being born on earth from generation to generation inherits the curse of sin from Adam. So in that sense, every one of us, in spite of individual genealogy or ancestors, was born under the curse of sin because of our descent from Adam. Sin and the curse of sin became defined by the Law of Moses under the Old Covenant. The inherent inability of sinful man to keep the Law and the judgmental consequences of breaking the Law were considered to be the curse of the Law. However, under the New Covenant of grace, God has brought to mankind deliverance from sin and the curse of Law through the atoning work of Christ Jesus.

We read in Gal 3:10-14: For as many as are out of works of the Law, these are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the Book of the Law, to do them." But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, "The just shall live by faith." But the Law is not of faith; but, "The man who does these things shall live in them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone having been hanged on a tree"); so that the blessing of Abraham might be to the nations in Jesus Christ, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The curse of the Law is a curse which is a consequence of sin, which all men of every tribe and race have inherited, and cannot be regarded as applied particularly to any one class of people, for example, a particular race or family, contrary to the concept of the ancestral curse, which is said to be specific to certain races or families. But Christ, through His redemptive work on Calvary, has redeemed us from the dominion of sin and the curse of the Law and has bestowed upon us the eternal blessings of God.

The New Covenant of Grace Bestows Blessings upon All Believers in Christ.

Under the Law of Moses in the Old Covenant, the curse of the Law was pronounced on all who failed to keep the entire Law of Moses. Therefore, since sin dominated human nature, and no one could keep the Law, the curse of Law was upon all mankind according to the Old Covenant. The Bible tells us in Gal 3:10: For as many as are out of works of the Law, these are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the Book of the Law, to do them."

The New Covenant gives man the opportunity to be liberated from the curse of the Law through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Paul tells us in Gal 3:13-14: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone having been hanged on a tree"); so that the blessing of Abraham might be to the nations in Jesus Christ, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Praise the Lord!

Hence, every believer in Christ is blessed. We read in Eph 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. There is no curse whatsoever hanging upon the believer in Christ. No one can curse whom God has blessed.

This is the true Gospel -- the good news which ministers of God are sent to proclaim to all nations. Ministers of God are not called to propagate fables and myths or to generate fear among believers through misleading teachings which have no foundation in the Word of God. The myth of the ancestral curse seeks to rob believers of their peace and faith in the full salvation of God in Christ. God has given His servants a gospel of salvation, hope, and blessings for mankind in the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

Paul declares in 2Co 5:18-21: And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; whereas God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and putting the word of reconciliation in us. Then we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as God exhorting through us, we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We, who are called to be ministers of God, are authorized of God to proclaim the good news of the Gospel -- to declare to all men that Christ has come and has reconciled man to God. And, therefore, all who believe in Christ are blessed and cannot be affected by any curse. For whom God has blessed, no one can curse. It is an affront to Christ and His redemptive work on the Cross to mislead people into believing that they are under ancestral curses, even after they have come to believe in Christ, rather than declaring to them the truth of their redemption by Christ from the curse of sin.

The Ancestral Curse Doctrine Is a Myth

It is clear that the ancestral curse doctrine is a myth derived from occultism. It seeks to distort the good news of the Gospel and to undermine faith in the effectiveness of the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross to deliver mankind from the curse of sin and bestow upon the believer in Christ God’s peace and blessings. Therefore, every believer in Christ must beware of it. Don’t be beguiled by any preacher who claims to be able to deliver you from some sort of ancestral curse. Put your trust in Christ, who, according to the Scripture, redeemed us from the curse of the Law… so that the blessing of Abraham might be to the nations in Jesus Christ, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. And, be assured that whom God has blessed no one can curse.

We will end with some words from a well-known hymn -- Joy to the World:
No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

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