Does God Punish Us for Our Parents’ Sin? - by Aaron Garriott

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The author doesn't really answer the question, attributing the troubles of subsequent generations to "indirect" punishment. So in some manner, one might conclude that God does punish children for their father's sin.

The author doesn't like this answer, except when punishment comes from Adam's sin. He's ok with us being "directly" punished for someone else's sin if that someone is Adam.

In addition, the author's biblical documentation disappears at the key moment when it's time to answer the question. After liberally quoting the Bible at the beginning, we look in vain for any Bible verse in the article that bolsters the author's case.

We must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.

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There are times when the Bible seems to contradict itself about whether we are punished for our parents’ sin—sometimes even in the same book. For instance, the second commandment forbids the worship of God through images because the Lord is “a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Ex. 20:5–6; Deut. 5:9–10). We also read in the book of Numbers that the Lord will “by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Num. 14:18). Yet in Deuteronomy, we read, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deut. 24:16).

Centuries later, Ezekiel warns:

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. (Ezek. 18:20)

Similarly, Jeremiah prophesies of a day when “they shall no longer say: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’” (Jer. 31:29). So, which is it? Does God punish children for the sins of their fathers? The answer is yes and no. Let’s get the yes out of the way first.

Adam, Federal Headship, and Original Sin

God does punish us for the sins of our first parents (see Rom. 5:12–14; 1 Cor. 15:22). (Suddenly the author stops quoting Scripture. So, let's quote: 

Ro. 5:12-14 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned — 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

1Co. 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Does the reader see in these two Scriptures any mention of punishment? Now, the Bible does teach that God will punish the unrighteous [1 Thes. 4:6, 2 Thes. 1:8-9, and 2 Peter 2:9, for example]. 

We surmise that the author chose these Scriptures for some other reason. So, let's read on.)

This is because of the covenantal role (?? Undefined phrase.)

Adam played as a federal head (?? Undefined phrase. This is unnecessary intellectual posturing by using a needlessly obscure and undefined phrase. Gotquestions helps us out here:

According to the federal headship theory, or federalism, Adam was the federal (or representative) head of the human race; Adam chose to sin, and all of us are considered guilty, too, because he was our representative.

in the prelapsarian covenant (?? It keeps getting worse. The author is supposed to be answering a somewhat basic question, as contained in the title. But instead of a basic explanation for a basic question, the author wanders off into esoteric and unprofitable verbiage.

"Prelapsarian" means "Of or relating to the period before the fall of Adam and Eve.")

of works. Adam uniquely represented all his posterity, (Undocumented claim.)

such that when our first parents fell, they incurred punishment not only for themselves but for their descendants (Remember the verses referenced by the author? 

Ro. 5:12-14 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned — 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

1Co. 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Sin came into the world via Adam. The result was death [Rom. 6:23]. Adam's sin resulted in his death. We all died because Adam died:

Ge. 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

This is the avenue of how death came to us [For as in Adam all die...]. We were born dead:

Jn. 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already...

Dead people sin, but Christ rescues us from death and into life: 

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

There is no representation by Adam. His sin brought death to everything, and Jesus' blood washes us clean.

But more to the point, the author quoted verses that directly told us that the father's sin would fall on the children. He needs to keep on point.)

—all people who would be born into this world through ordinary generation (see Westminster Shorter Catechism 13–17). The Westminster Confession of Faith explains regarding our first parents and original sin, “They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed; and the same death in sin, and corrupted nature, conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation” (WCF 6.3). (Hmm. Not only have the Bible quotes ceased, the author is now quoting a statement of faith.

Another unenlightening word, "imputed." The meaning of this word is to assign responsibility for something someone did to another who had no part in it. Adam's sin was not imputed to us. The author's referenced verse clearly tells us, because all sinned..." No one will be punished for Adam's sin, only for their own.

The WCF statement is incorrect. No imputation has taken place, and there is no Bible verse that says we were imputed with Adam's sin.)

The only way, then, that we’re delivered from the sin and misery brought on us by our first parents is by being united by faith to a faithful head—the Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning our federal parentage, then, God deals with us according to our parents’ sins or obedience. In this way, our answer to the question at hand depends on how we define parents in context. (We see now where this is going. The author wants it to be that we are indeed punished for our parent's sin [Adam and Eve as our "federal head."]. But in fact, we are simply partakers of the death of creation wrought by Adam's sin:

Ro. 8:21 ...the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay.

Death and decay. That's our inheritance from Adam.)

The parentage that truly matters is whether we’re under the headship of Adam or Christ. (No, it only matters if we are dead or alive.)

Now that we’ve discussed Adam and his unique role as federal head in the covenant of works, we can consider the question closer to home—your father and my father, which is typically the way the question is framed.

Individual Culpability vs. Corporate Consequences

Unlike Adam, our parents are not in a position of federal headship in a covenant of works wherein their obedience or disobedience determines everything thereafter for their descendants. (This statement is utter nonsense.)

Therefore, we can safely say that God does not directly (Weasel Word.)

punish children for the sins of their parents. (But what about the Bible verses the author quoted to the contrary?)

Yet at the same time, the consequences of sin often affect future generations, and in this way, there is a sort of indirect punishment. (Ah, indirect. Like the distinction matters.)

For example, the sins of idolatry and false worship become deeply planted in the religious life of any society or family. This is why, for instance, in the accounts of the various successive kings in Israel, we often read of kings who follow in the ways of their fathers—whether for good or for ill. King Ahaziah, for example, “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin” (1 Kings 22:52). Idolatry and false worship aren’t easily extinguished once they’re inherited from previous generations. It takes intentional, Spirit-wrought reform, like that carried out by Josiah, who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left” and destroyed the high places upon which idols were worshiped (2 Kings 22:2; 23). (The author concedes his case. Generational sin does exist, apparently.)

There is no guarantee, however, that righteous fathers will beget righteous sons and wicked fathers will beget wicked sons. Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 23:32). Hezekiah, on the other hand, had a wicked father in Ahaz, yet he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done” (2 Kings 16; 18:3). Notice that the author of Kings mentions David as Hezekiah’s father. Hezekiah followed in the godly ways of David rather than the wicked ways of Ahaz.

In these Old Testament examples, we see that idolatry passes easily from one generation to another, and God often punished the Israelites as a result of their idolatry. Although the Lord does not punish people directly for the sins that their fathers commit (Um, sir. This is the question to be answered, not to be assumed to be true.)

(the Lord punishes those who follow in the sins of their fathers), their fathers’ sins often reverberate, and the consequences can be felt for generations to come. Also, although a righteous son will not suffer directly for the sin of an unrighteous father, he’s susceptible to following in the path of his wicked father. He will often indirectly suffer the consequences of some of his father’s unrighteous behavior. For example, if a father is given to drunkenness, his son is more likely to experience abuse and follow in his father’s footsteps. Nevertheless, each human bears the punishment for his own wickedness. As Matthew Henry says, “God does not punish the children for the fathers’ sins unless they tread in their fathers’ steps.”1 (Hmmm. Maybe this is true for Adam's offspring as well?)

Therefore, our answer to the question at hand depends on how we define the word punish in context.

So What?

What does this mean for us? We can draw several applications, but let’s just note a few. First, we must be quick to repent, (Repentance, though crucial, is irrelevant to the question at hand.)

being especially careful with sins that have so easily entangled our family members in the past. Our sins, if not mortified, will affect our children. Second, we’re reminded of the importance of Christian parents’ properly discipling and praying for their children. Typically, God blesses through familial lines. (Does God curse through family lines?)

Third, sin has direct consequences for those who commit it, but it can also have indirect consequences for those around us and future generations. Last, we’re not slaves to the sins of our parents. (When the author says "we," he means saved people. But this only brings up the question: Are the unrighteous punished for their parent's sin?)

We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness (Rom. 6:12–23). God has providentially (?? Undefined term.)

placed us in our respective families, cultures, and societies, with all the privileges, temptations, and disadvantages that come with that context (see Acts 17:26). The parentage that truly matters is whether we’re under the headship of Adam or Christ (Rom. 5:12–21).2 (This talk of headship sounds biblical, but the author is not using the word in a conventional way of an authority structure [Eph. 4:15, Eph. 5:23, Col. 1:18]. Rather, he's referring to representative headship, as in who stands in for us and represents us before the Father.  The Bible doesn't teach this.)

1 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1374. ↩

2 Editor's Note: This article was originally published July 25, 2022.

Rev. Aaron L. Garriott is managing editor of Tabletalk magazine, resident adjunct professor at Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Fla., and associate pastor of Spruce Creek Presbyterian Church in Port Orange, Fla. He is author of A Word Fitly Spoken: A Theology of Communication and Thy Deepest Distress: Anxiety and Depression in the Christian Life.