“How does inherited sin work? How is it just? In particular I’m confused by how Deuteronomy 24:16 and Exodus 34:6-7 work together.”
Yes, we all inherit a sinful nature, but not all in the same circumstances… Let’s have a look at these verses.
First up: Deuteronomy 24:16 says: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.” We should understand that this is one of the laws given to direct the judges in the courts in Israel, and yes, it’s a fundamental principle of justice that each individual is responsible for their own actions. When it comes to us and God, we all have to give an individual account for what we’ve done; there will be no point saying: “But my family were very religious”, or “but my family were terrible….”
So then, what about the other verse? Exodus 34:6-7 says: “The Lord, the Lord, 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 sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Is this a contradiction? Well let me note three things here:
First of all this is how the world works: Parents influence their children. For example, who do you think is more likely to be successful in this life: a person who is born to a single parent drug addict, who only ever hears the name of Jesus as a swear word? Or a person who grows up in a stable loving home, where the bible is taught and they get to have good role models in the church community? These are extreme examples, but it’s pretty obvious. Now in each family, the kids are still individually responsible for their own choices, but one child grows up with significant disadvantage, and the other with so many blessings. Notice that it’s 3-4 generations: that’s the span of influence. You will be a role model for good or bad to your kids, and to their kids, and maybe even to the next generation.
Second point: God’s willingness to be merciful outweighs his punishment. It says maintaining love to thousands. If you compare this with a few other places in the bible where these same words are repeated, it’s clear that it means: “a thousand generations” of blessing in comparison to 3-4 generations. It’s saying that our sinful influence fades after a few generations, but God’s memory of his faithful people is forever. And so the gospel, the news of God’s mercy, is a cycle-breaker. We once had someone in our bible study group who had a very messy childhood, but then she met Jesus and her life turned around. She doesn’t have kids of her own, but she is teaching Sunday school and is passing on the gospel to the next generation.
Third point: God’s people are supposed to have a special concern for the disadvantaged: the poor, the widow, orphan. People who end up in poverty for many reasons. But even if they got there because of their own foolish sins, God says: “show them mercy, help them break the cycle.” We should be concerned about the fact that not every child gets the same opportunities in life; this is why we have a mission to bring change to the world, through the gospel of Jesus.
So, to summarise: The first verse is about individual legal responsibility; the second verse is about the influence that parents have on their children.
This question was originally answered in our evening service on 2 March 2025. I’ll aim to post another question and answer next week. You can read about how our question box works here.
