The sixth commandment

Deuteronomy 24.16

“‘Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.’”

Under the Law of God each person is responsible for his or her own conduct, and alone is to bear the judgment against sin. Guilt by association, even as close relatives, was not considered a form of justice, even though it may have been commonly practiced in other societies.

Especially encouraging in this statute is the idea that parents are not responsible for the transgressions of their children. This did not give parents leave to raise their children to be hellions; at the same time, it alleviated faithful parents of any sense of culpability in their children’s wrongdoing. Here is a word of comfort to many Christian parents today, whose children are in rebellion against their upbringing, the Church, and the Lord.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.