Christ frees us from an evil past

Some time ago I was given a book which assumed the possibility of so-called intergenerational spirits. The theory behind this work is that earlier generations may make promises which open them to unclean spirits and allow the work of such spirits in their lives.

Worse still, the effects of such promises pass on down through generations and manifest themselves in oppression by spirits with bad results such as divorce, chronic fatigue, anxiety disorders, financial problems, depression and autism. This is said to apply to Christians as well as unbelievers.

It is natural to seek a spiritual answer to our difficulties and to turn for help to those who say that they offer spiritual counselling. Such counselling may involve a genealogical exploration to see whether some family member has been involved in practices which are said to unwittingly involve a demonic element. The discovery is then used as evidence of ongoing demonic influence and the present health or relational difficulties are ascribed to this unbroken power. It is said that this gives the demons certain rights in a family and if these rights have never been intentionally and specifically repudiated, the demonic power remains.

Once a diagnosis is made, the sufferer is invited to participate in prayer to break the power of the spirit and to bring relief from the presenting problem. I was given a work book with page after page of rituals designed to renounce the spirits and their power to bring sickness, bankruptcy and mental health disorders to God’s people.

Hope is one thing which we are sometimes short of. When we are deeply troubled by some problem, we lose hope. This counselling offers us hope again – hope of escape, hope of freedom. It often appeals to biblical texts in ways in which the unwary can be given a sense that this is a biblical account of the spirit world and our need to have release from it. It does not seem to contradict the Bible, but it adds what appears to be new information which we were never before aware of.

When we combine the promise of hope, the patent sincerity of the counsellors and the spiritual language, it makes a powerful appeal. Above all, it gives us a sort of practical spiritual tactic which we can ourselves employ and it is accompanied by striking testimonies to successful liberation from bondage.

Even if we assume earlier generations or family members have been involved in practices with some demonic element, they would be no more spiritually harmful than the religions of the ancient world from which the gospel freed the first Christians.

According to the Bible, there is a strong link between idols and the demonic (1 Cor 10:20). When a person became a Christian, they ‘turned from idols to serve the living and true God’ (1Thess 1:9). The power of Christ breaks the power of the evil one. Satan is the master of lies and deceit. The gospel brings light and knowledge into darkened hearts. The evil one can counterfeit miracles and wonders (2 Thess 2:9) – extraordinary spiritual experiences are not a sure guide to truth.

If the theory of intergenerational spirits were true, we would have a great deal of instruction about the continuing need to be set free from the influence of demons in the New Testament. We would be told, furthermore, that the demonic worship of our ancestors could afflict us. We would be given the ritual and prayers needed to set us free.

In fact, there is nothing about this in the Bible at all. Instead we have this grand word: ‘For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins’ (Col 1:13,14). Conversion to Christ is the great moment of liberation and cleansing.

The intergenerational spirits theory is unbiblical, and has bad effects. It offers simplistic solutions to real problems. The unwary may think all depression and other mental health problems are spiritually based and fail to follow medical advice. It fosters an unhealthy emphasis on the demonic and attributes to the demonic realm importance which it does not deserve. It diverts attention away from our own responsibility for sin. It pays too little attention to the power of the cross of Christ in defeating the devil. It puts an emphasis on experience rather than on the teaching of Scripture. Where it takes over a church, devotion to the teaching and learning of Scripture is compromised.

Though these movements may be transient, they can do harm, not least in dividing churches and weakening our witness for Christ. My commendation is that if you come across it, decline to be involved, even if it offers an escape route from some ill that you are worried about. Christians suffer all sorts of problems.

It is right to pray, and the Lord may remove our pain in some cases. But faithfully living with suffering is actually part of the Christian life. Our hope for complete healing and wellbeing lies in the world to come. We must learn to put our trust and our prayers in the sovereign and loving heavenly Father and delight in the salvation which Christ has won for us through his death. That is the way of wisdom which the Holy Spirit points us to.

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