From Dream to Destiny: The Ten Tests You Must Go Through to Fulfill God's Purpose for Your Life by Robert Morris Page A
Authors: Robert Morris
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children
will
be affected if you allow impurity to become part of your life.
In 2 Samuel 11, we find an illustration of this reality. This passage describes how David fell into adultery with Bathsheba. And by chapter 13, we are reading about how his children began to commit gross immorality. Isn’t that amazing?
I believe David had a chance to stop the sin in his children, but he didn’t see it coming. And the reason he didn’t see it coming was because that weakness was in his own life. He had a blind spot for that weakness in his kids, because he had the same weakness. So don’t let anyone deceive you. Immorality in your own life will have a negative impact on the lives of your children.
The Bible says the iniquity of the fathers is passed down to the children.
God…keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation (Exod. 34:6-7).
So if we do not deal with the iniquity in our own lives, we will see it repeated in the lives of our children. That is simply what the Bible says. But notice that this passage does not say that the
sins
of the fathers are passed down to the children (even though it is frequently quoted this way). Rather, it speaks of the
iniquity
that is passed down.
Lust is an iniquity. And iniquity dwells in the heart.
There is an important difference between sin and iniquity. Sin is the outward movement, and iniquity is the inward motivation. Sin is the action, and iniquity is the attitude. Sin is in the hand, and iniquity is in the heart.
If iniquity is in the heart, the hand will follow accordingly. If the attitude is in the heart, then the action will follow. Therefore, if we want to overcome our struggles in the area of sexual purity, we must deal with the inward motivation. We have to deal with the iniquity because the iniquities, or the hidden things of the heart, are what our children will inherit from us.
The word “sin” means to “trespass,” to transgress or to step over the line. 2 If you step onto another person’s property, and a Private Propertysign is posted, you are trespassing. That is transgression, and that is what sin is. Sin is going where you are not supposed to go or stepping over the line that you are not supposed to cross.
When God says, “Don’t step over this line,” and we step over it—that is sin. That is transgression. But the heart attitude behind that action is iniquity. For example, adultery is sin; but lust is iniquity. Adultery is the outward movement, but lust is the inward motivation. We need to understand that lust is an iniquity, and iniquity is in the heart.
I’ve heard some men say, “Well, I know I deal with this stuff, but I’ve never actually transgressed. I’ve never put that lust into action. Sure, I look at pornography and have a difficulty with lust. But I’ve always been faithful to my wife.”
Such a person needs to understand that it is not the
sins
of the parents which are passed down to the children; it is the
iniquities.
If we allow lust to stay in our hearts, we are going to see it in our children; because God said He would visit the
iniquities
of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation (see Exod. 20:5).
Here’s the great news. God has made a way for us to be free from both our sins and our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” (Remember,
transgressions
are outward and relate to our sins or trespasses.
Iniquities
are inward and have to do with our heart.) Jesus was wounded outwardly for our outward transgressions and sins. And He was also bruised inwardly for our inward iniquities.
In other words, everything that needs to be done for us to be set free from sin and iniquity has been done in Jesus Christ through His extraordinary sacrifice. Jesus
will
be affected if you allow impurity to become part of your life.
In 2 Samuel 11, we find an illustration of this reality. This passage describes how David fell into adultery with Bathsheba. And by chapter 13, we are reading about how his children began to commit gross immorality. Isn’t that amazing?
I believe David had a chance to stop the sin in his children, but he didn’t see it coming. And the reason he didn’t see it coming was because that weakness was in his own life. He had a blind spot for that weakness in his kids, because he had the same weakness. So don’t let anyone deceive you. Immorality in your own life will have a negative impact on the lives of your children.
The Bible says the iniquity of the fathers is passed down to the children.
God…keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation (Exod. 34:6-7).
So if we do not deal with the iniquity in our own lives, we will see it repeated in the lives of our children. That is simply what the Bible says. But notice that this passage does not say that the
sins
of the fathers are passed down to the children (even though it is frequently quoted this way). Rather, it speaks of the
iniquity
that is passed down.
Lust is an iniquity. And iniquity dwells in the heart.
There is an important difference between sin and iniquity. Sin is the outward movement, and iniquity is the inward motivation. Sin is the action, and iniquity is the attitude. Sin is in the hand, and iniquity is in the heart.
If iniquity is in the heart, the hand will follow accordingly. If the attitude is in the heart, then the action will follow. Therefore, if we want to overcome our struggles in the area of sexual purity, we must deal with the inward motivation. We have to deal with the iniquity because the iniquities, or the hidden things of the heart, are what our children will inherit from us.
The word “sin” means to “trespass,” to transgress or to step over the line. 2 If you step onto another person’s property, and a Private Propertysign is posted, you are trespassing. That is transgression, and that is what sin is. Sin is going where you are not supposed to go or stepping over the line that you are not supposed to cross.
When God says, “Don’t step over this line,” and we step over it—that is sin. That is transgression. But the heart attitude behind that action is iniquity. For example, adultery is sin; but lust is iniquity. Adultery is the outward movement, but lust is the inward motivation. We need to understand that lust is an iniquity, and iniquity is in the heart.
I’ve heard some men say, “Well, I know I deal with this stuff, but I’ve never actually transgressed. I’ve never put that lust into action. Sure, I look at pornography and have a difficulty with lust. But I’ve always been faithful to my wife.”
Such a person needs to understand that it is not the
sins
of the parents which are passed down to the children; it is the
iniquities.
If we allow lust to stay in our hearts, we are going to see it in our children; because God said He would visit the
iniquities
of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation (see Exod. 20:5).
Here’s the great news. God has made a way for us to be free from both our sins and our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” (Remember,
transgressions
are outward and relate to our sins or trespasses.
Iniquities
are inward and have to do with our heart.) Jesus was wounded outwardly for our outward transgressions and sins. And He was also bruised inwardly for our inward iniquities.
In other words, everything that needs to be done for us to be set free from sin and iniquity has been done in Jesus Christ through His extraordinary sacrifice. Jesus
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