Can the sin of one man affect everyone or provoke judgment in a generation? Most of the present pain and troubles are as a result of the sin of one man, the sins of our forefathers. A good example is the fall of mankind attributed to Adam. Their iniquities have affected our livelihoods, even though we did not participate in the act of sin.
Does this make God unjust? No. God is just and righteous. He has set principles/ laws in the universe to be followed. These principles govern the forces of nature and our lives. When broken, they bring with them consequences. There are many examples of the effects of the sin of one man in the Bible. Today we will be exploring these examples in detail.
An excellent illustration is evident in scriptures when Jesus met a blind man and heal him. The disciples asked Jesus whether the parents of this man had sinned for him to be born blind. [John 9:1-2]. From this, we can deduce that the sin of parents can affect their children. The sin of one man can affect an entire generation. A personal example was when my step-parents indulged in watching pornography.
Their sin caused me to become a porn addict for a very long time. They carelessly misplaced the pornographic videos and I come across them. At this time, I was in grade five. This affected my life a great deal. The sin of one man affected the purity of my brain and changed my life drastically. The consequences of sin are generational as sin destroys entire generations.
Is God partial when it comes to judging sin, especially the sin of one man?
Do the scriptures contradict themselves when it declares that a “father shall not bear the sin of his son? Neither shall the son or daughter bear the iniquity of his parent.” [Ezekiel 18]. The answer is no. when reading the Bible, we first need to understand its setting and context. In Ezekiel 18, the LORD was placing the responsibility on individuals. [Please read about personal responsibility in Ezekiel 18]. I believe God judges individuals for their sins as he is just. [Psalms 97:2b]. The same God also judges generations or a nation corporately as a result of their rebellion.
A good example is that of Israel. God would judge the entire nation as no one was harkening to His word. No one was repenting from their sin. God doesn’t bring judgment on anyone; however, people provoke judgment upon themselves. “Sin always finds us out” [Numbers 32:23].
Biblical examples where the sin of one man affected others.
1. The sin of Achan son of Carmi at Ai.
The LORD had instructed Israel through Joshua to keep away from devoted things during the destruction of Jericho. [Joshua 6:18]. God had commanded Joshua once they defeat Jericho to burn the city and everything in it. However, the gold, silver, and all the articles of iron and bronze were to be kept in the treasury as they were consecrated to God. Despite this, Achan disobeyed the word of God. This provoked judgment against Israel for defying the command of God.
The effect of the sin of one man was evident when Israel went to war against Ai. [Joshua 7]. Because of the sin of Achan, Israel for the very first time lost a battle at Ai. They fled before their enemies. This was shameful and devastating for Joshua and Israel as a nation.
After inquiring of the LORD, God gave Joshua a strategy to find out who was responsible. Achan was found in possession of the devoted things. Then all Israel stoned and burned Achan together with his sons and daughters and all their possessions. This was to purge Israel of her iniquity. The sin of this individual affected his entire family, they suffered because of him. That’s why sin stings and it kills with no mercy.
2. The sin of Abraham.
Abraham is famously known for his steadfast faith in God, and hence the father of faith. After obeying the Word of God and waiting patiently, he received the promise. The promise of a son, Isaac. However, the other side of the story is rarely told. Before the promised Child was born, there was another son. Ismael was 13 years old when Isaac the promised child was born. But was Ismael the Will of God? The answer is no, even though God foreknew this would happen.
After being pressed hard by his wife Sarah, Abraham gave in to her idea. To lay with his maiden servant Agar. Abraham failed to inquire of the LORD whether to consent or not. The sin of one man, Abraham has cost us for generations. Enmity broke between Ismael and the promised son Isaac, and this same enmity is evident today between the Christians and Muslim communities. Christians are descendants of Abraham through Isaac the promised son, while Muslims are descendants of Ismael. From this, we learn that the effects of sin are generational. Consequently, the sin of one man has the power to destroy entire generations.
3. The sin of Adam.
I know that Adam is not your favorite person at all. We all blame him for the fall of the human race. He is the perfect example of the consequences of the sin of an individual. As a result of his sin, we are all under a curse, to die. However, there is hope through Christ Jesus. For through him we all receive the redemption of our fallen nature. Through Him alone we can be restored to our previous glory.
The sin of Adam stiped us of our authority in the garden of Eden. Consequently, it made us captives to sin and death. It’s only through Jesus Christ that we can receive authority over all things. [Luke 10;19].
4. Nimrod ant the tower of babel.
The bible describes Nimrod as a “mighty hunter before the Lord”. It sounds like a compliment; however, the question is what did he hunt? He hunted the souls of men. He was a rebel against God and sought to establish his kingdom. He is said to be the father of Babylon, the idolatrous city where all kinds of idol worship were practiced. This man went ahead and convinced men to build a tower as high as heaven. The motive was for man to acquire heavenly knowledge without having to seek God anymore. He was seeking to be freed from God’s rules and governance, he wanted to be his own “boss”.
I can say that Nimrod was the first Existentialists that ever existed. He was seeking to define his purpose without God included in the equation. He wanted to create his reality, form his existence, and reason for existing. As a result of the sin of one man who is Nimrod, God divided the human race into ethnic groups. This eventually ended the rebellion, as no one could communicate with the other effectively.
Nimrod together with his wife introduced a false religion that opposed the truth. The worship of the queen of heaven and idols. Turning the people astray. The worship of astronomy, the heavenly bodies, instead of the living God.
5. The sin of Cain.
Cain is famously known for the murder of his brother Abel. He was the first murderer and the man who answered God rudely. His sin made his entire linage, i.e. his children to be cursed. We get this clue when the Bible declares that Adam sired a third son Seth from whom the righteous generation emerged. This simply means Cain’s children were of the unrighteous generation. The reason being their father was cursed by God. The sin of one man, Cain, provoked a curse upon his seed.
6. The sin of Manasseh King of Israel [2 Kings 21:2-11]
Manasseh son of Hezekiah performed the greatest abominations in Israel than his predecessor and the Canaanite people. “He erected the high place of Baal and Asherah his father had demolished. Moreover, he defiled the temple by building altars for strange gods. He went further to sacrifice his children to Molech a false God of fertility and blessings.” His great evil provoked God’s anger and God was determined to destroy the city. [2 Chronicles 33:1-]
Conclusion
What do we learn from these 6 examples? We have seen the consequences of sin and how the sin of one man can affect generations. This calls us to be responsible individuals, parents, and leaders. We should always shun sin, lest it destroy us. The blessings of God are tied to our obedience to His word. God always restrains himself from punishing us, however, father knows best. [Ezekiel 20:13-14, 20:21-22]. He knows that if He doesn’t deal with our sin, sin will deal with us. It will eventually destroy us because that’s what it does best.
I hope this blog post was resourceful to you. Can the sin of one man affect your life? What do you think? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Thank you for choosing to read this article to the end.
