When we look at the physical genealogy of Jesus, which the Bible calls the circumstances under which He was born, there are people listed in it who were far from glowing or pure, but often unrighteous, wicked and evil. This continued wickedness had a consequence of Israel going into exile and slavery in Babylon where they quoted the saying “our fathers ate sour grapes and our teeth are on edge” thereby trying to indicate that they were innocent and God unfair to judge them. This thinking morphed into the present day doctrine of blood line curses which have to be broken off from the children of God. The scripture about the sins of the forefathers being visited on the children to the fourth generation is also being used to back up this doctrine, but the Bible is very clear that God is talking here about idol worshippers and people who hate God, not Christians. God’s blessing rests upon a thousand generations from those who loved Him and kept His commandments. In Deuteronomy it is written that a child (and this is God’s law) should never be punished for its father’s sins. Jeremiah 31:29 says that in the days of the new covenant which God will make with his people, people will no longer quote the saying about sour grapes and children’s teeth set on edge but that instead each one will die for his own sin. In Ezekiel 18 God says that this proverb is not to be used any more since each person will bear the consequences of his own sin, or be turned back to God through repentance. Because our Saviour was born righteous in an unrighteous lineage, we are also righteous, because we are of Him and nothing of our natural ancestry can come through to us. We have personal accountability and the freedom of choice in our behaviour and lives.
