The Bastard Child: Are Children Born out of Wedlock Cursed?

This is one of the debates that rage on in forums all over social media. Few churches teach on it leaving room for the devil to take a foothold among believers. Out of ignorance many continue to ravage under the curse while others laugh it off. The self righteous use it to condemn others while others reason and rationalise out of it but what does the Bible say?
Deut. 23:2 No one born out of wedlock or any descendant of such a person to the tenth generation may be included among the Lords people.
People read this verse and feel condemned. It makes them question the fairness of God. Most Christians cannot understand how a loving God would punish innocent people that ruthlessly. We need to understand two things, that God hates sin and the consequences of sin have the power to affect not only our lives but also other people around us. The second thing is that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die on our behalf that we may live without sin having power over us(John 3:16)
Who is a bastard/illegitimate child?
The word implies all those not born in marriage. Even when the parents later marry, the child is still held to have been born out of wedlock because the child was conceived in fornication. Marriage has no power to cover up our sins. Only repentance and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus can undo sin Children born out of adultery relations, lust, rape, incest, are all considered illegitimate.
In the Old Testament, things were tough. If you sinned consequences followed immediately. We see sin affecting not only the sinners but also the family of the sinner like in the case of Achan and stealing of things devoted to God. Both he and his family who had not sinned were condemned to stoning by death. We see David after sinning by adultery with Uriah’s wife and later murder to cover up,    their innocent child died and God explained it as so that His(God’s) name may not be tarnished among  nations that had come to know God through David(2nd Samuel 12:14). The nations knew that a mighty God was with David, if God let that child live God’s name would be desecrated since they would wonder – This God says he is Holy but condones adultery? The consequences of David’s sin were not only to himself but to his family too- yet they had not participated in the sin. God meted out the punishment- the sword shall never depart the house of David, rebellion will rise out against from his own house, and someone will lay with his wives in public...( 2 Samuel 12).
Many of the consequences of sin run through to affect our children and our children’s children and even people we associate with who have nothing to do with it like in the case of Jonah while in the ship running from God, the ship and people in it were exposed to danger and loss all because of the sin of Jonah.
What is the point I am driving at? That sin is real; its consequences are real and detrimental.  One person observed that children born out of wedlock struggle with a lot of things whose roots are spiritual. There is rejection, abandonment, and rebellion against authority. These spiral out of control leading to promiscuity, alcoholism and drunkenness, deception, etc all in a desperate effort to gain acceptance, love, and recognition. In the Bible this is seen in life's of children born illegitimately like Ishamel whom God says will live in hostility just because he was conceived as a result of the sin of Abraham and Sarah,( since Hagar was a mere slave and a victim in this case). We also see it in Tamars life and if we dare examine our lives we will notice the pattern of sexual sin, rebellion, deceit, all stemming from generational sin and also personal sin.
The consequences of their parent’s sins are visible in their lives. You may want to argue that those who end up like that is out of personal their choice and have nothing to do with their past. But the Bible tells us that we do not fight physical battles, but spiritual. Anything physical whether good or bad is a manifestation of something spiritual. Good things are the fruit of the Holy Spirit while bad things are the fruit of the flesh working together with sin.
If you are still in doubt look at how God describes himself: The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Ex.28:43.
So what is the solution? Are all children born out of wedlock condemned to doom? Certainly not! There is hope, there is light! In Ezekiel 18 God annuls the old law and puts in place a new one. “Why do you quote this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel. For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.Ez.18:1-4
In other words God is saying that it shall not be said of his people that the sins of parents affect even their children. God through Ezekiel revealed the new order of punishment of sin.  He opened the door to the end of corporate punishment and gave way to individual responsibility for sin. In verse 30 God says “Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign LORD. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live!”
This promise is perfected with the coming of Jesus. The promise in Ezekiel only stops the children for paying for the sins of their parents but it does not offer a way out of the curse. But Jesus does. The Good News that Jesus brought is that not only can you be forgiven when you repent of your sins but you can break away from the consequences of sin e.g. curses, death, disease, etc. Jesus enabled full forgiveness of sin and also offers deliverance from the consequences of sin.
The bastard curse exists but we have an option of breaking it through Jesus Christ. But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Gal3:13. Through the power in the name of Jesus we can break away from any curse in our lives. Including the curse of being born out of wedlock. Through Jesus we are set free from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. We see that Christ has already given us a way out. Let’s take it!
How do we break the Curse? -  By repentance and prayer
Is it automatic that we are free from the curse? No. We have to take hold of the promises and pray over our lives by the authority Christ gives us. Some people argue that the mere fact of Ezekiel 18 that curse is no longer operational. But that is a faulty thinking because it would also mean that since Jesus came to save sinners that we may have everlasting life but just because it is written and He came died and resurrected does not mean that automatically every sinner is headed to heaven. We must profess, accept, believe and take hold of the promises in the Bible personally so that they can come true in our lives. We need to confess our sins and those of our forefathers to receive deliverance and forgiveness.  But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers , with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me … then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember …” (Leviticus 26:40, 42) (emphasis mine)
Parents need to repent and confess their sins. If we confess our sins, God is ready and willing to forgive us. Forgiveness through Jesus denies the devil a legal right and foothold over your life and that of your children. They should also pray over the lives of their children and break the curse. The sooner the better, you don’t want to give the devil a foothold in your life and that of your child any longer. This does not have to be complicated. Just say a simple prayer.
Heavenly Father I repent of my sin of ………(insert the sin eg adultery /prostitution /fornication). I ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ. Forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness brought by my sin. Cleanse me with the holy blood of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus I break the curse that came upon me and my child as a result of this sin. In the name of Jesus I deny the curse the right to operate in my family and in generations to come. I deny it the right and opportunity to affect and influence my life and that of my child (name). Cleanse my child from the unrighteousness. In the name of Jesus I break every curse that flows in our family line due to the sins of our family members. Forgive us Lord by your mercy and faithfulness. I proclaim that redeemed us from every curse upon our lives. In the name of Jesus and by the authority given to me over evil spirits I cast out every evil spirit that gained access to my life and that of my family and children through my sins and those of our ancestors. I ask in the name of Jesus that God releases his blessing over our life and set us free from the power of evil. Set us free from any yoke and captivity of bad habits that developed from this sin and from the curse.  In the Name of Jesus I pray and believe.
If you are a child born out of wedlock, you too can pray and break off from the curse. As a believer of Christ you are a partaker of the Kingdom of Heaven. You have the authority of Christ over the devil and his works. The curse of an illegitimate child runs for ten generations! Compared to the curse of idolatry that runs for four generations we can see that its effect is huge and rampant. We cannot be certain of our ancestral history so to be on the safe side we need to break it over our lives. It might be that the curse befell us due to the sins of our ancestors.
Heavenly Father, and Almighty God, we/I come to You humbly in our hearts, letting loose of all the pride of our bloodlines. And we ask You in the name of Jesus Christ to forgive us for our sins and iniquity of our fore fathers. We/I repent for our behavior, and the behavior of our ancestors, going back ten generations. We know that we cannot change their judgment, but we know from Your Word Father, that Jesus died on Calvary’s cross to redeem us from all curses, but especially right now we ask You Father to redeem us from the curse of the child born out of wedlock. We nail the sin, transgressions, and iniquities of ourselves and our ancestors to the Cross, going back ten generations in the name of Jesus Christ. We ask You Father, that You restore the blessings in our lives, that we can come freely into the congregation of the Lord, having sweet fellowship with You Father, with You Lord Jesus, and very importantly, that we can have fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We thank You Father for Your faithfulness. We cast out any evil spirit that got into our lives through this sin. Break any habit we have from living under this heavy curse. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray and thank You for this deliverance, Amen.
Parents who had children out of wedlock should not live in guilty and condemnation. Rise up and take charge by claiming Ez: 18: 1-4. Proclaim over your children “The curse of a child born out of wedlock will not befall you for God promised that it will no longer be said of us, that the sins of the parents affect their children. “ Whenever you see the devil raising his ugly head in the lives of your child through rebellion, deception, bitterness, etc proclaim over your children the promise of God.
You do not have to live under the curse. For when the Son of Man Set you free…..he sets you free indeed. (John 8:36)