Epigenetics and Generational Sin: Grandpappy’s Whiskey Problem and You

Our predecessors. Some make us proud, some make us cringe. One grandfather was a WW2 Ace, my father wore socks with his sandals. I'm not a veteran, and I, too, wear socks with my sandals (fight me), but these traits are not the most important things that I, the heir, was given as a hand-me-down. Some of the real habits, also came down along with questionable (ambivalent) fashion sense. There were long periods where there were bottles under the bed, there's the temper I'm in a constant overwatch on lest it get out of control, and in a deep sense, there is a persistent "every man for himself" worldview.

My old man had sins, we all do. My grandads on both sides did too. The most challenging and most uncomfortable truth, however, is that the demons of my elders didn't die with them. Yours didn't either. They left fingerprints on you, down to your very cells. And science, believe it or not, is catching up with the Bible on this one.

The Pulpit Was Right All Along

Epigenetics is the fancy lab-coat word for "how your environment, habits, and choices flip genetic switches on and off." Think of your DNA as a piano. You inherit the instrument, scratches, and everything from your family line. But how that piano gets played (Bach's Piano Concerto in D Minor versus a toddler banging out chopsticks with hands sticky from Chick-fil-A sauce) depends on which keys are activated.

Sin works on the body in the same way. Moses quoted El Shaddai in Exodus 34:7, penning that he will "visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." That's not a vindictive bully unjustly penalizing the innocent; that's God warning how the ripple effect of sin works across time. If grandpa was a drinker, it can literally alter methylation patterns in sperm, making his grandchildren more prone to anxiety, depression, or addiction.

If you're not picking up what I'm laying down: the "Good Time Charlie" routine didn't stop with him, it passed down the line, hidden in the sheet music of your DNA.

Understanding Generational Sin and Curses

When my grandfather was a young boy, he heard tales around the campfire of "generational curses" like it's some spooky Old Testament relic. The pleated khaki and sweatervested preacher types of modern Evangelicalism treat the topic (broadly) in much the same way. To the increasing chagrin of pretty much everyone in the discussion (except for me, who you will find laughing hysterically in the back of the class, clutching my Michael Heiser books), we are seeing more and more that science says otherwise. Epigenetic markers pass through generations like family heirlooms. Your body, your cellular structure, carries echoes of your ancestors' choices; trauma, famine, addiction, even war stress. Studies have shown that children of Holocaust survivors, for instance, exhibit altered stress hormone responses. Trauma rewrote their parents' biology and handed them the bill.

Plainly speaking: Grandpa sinned, Dad bled, and you sweat the consequences.

There's Hope

A favorite pastime of mine is finding ways where Christianity (in tandem with other disciplines) kicks sand in the face of nihilism. We see a galaxy-sized helping of hope in Scripture (backed up by genetic research) that says you are not destined to be chained to your father's vices. Ezekiel (my favorite prophet) put a cannonball in the chest of the fatalist complex when he, again quoting God himself, writes, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father." This means that you might very well inherit the piano, but you don't have to play the same old tune.

Repentance, faith, and obedience literally change the way your genes express themselves. Swapping pornography for purity, addiction for abstinence, bitterness for forgiveness, rage for restraint; these aren't just monk-mode, superficial spiritual maintenance techniques; it's recalibrating the biological mechanisms that your daily experience is filtered through. Time and again, studies have shown that prayer, fasting, gratitude, and even acts of forgiveness alter stress hormone levels, immune responses, and neural pathways. Your faith doesn't just "make you feel better," it's writing out the cellular sheet music. Less chopsticks. More smooth jazz (or K-pop… whatever your jam is).

The Cost

Now, I say all this (and I mean what I say), but that's not to remove the price you will pay for contending with the problems at their source. I'm not going to make this seem like breaking generational sin is akin to buying a Peloton and pretending it'll melt the gut while you do the equivalent of eating bacon-fried mayonnaise with a side of nachos. This kind of rubber-meets-road repentance will require work. Righting a ship pointed in the wrong direction from before you were born required persistence. But the rewards, long and short-term rewards will flip the script on what you thought was going to be your destiny.

Finally, forgiving Dad for walking out doesn't just unchain your emotions; it silences the cortisol alarms in your bloodstream (instead of just hitting snooze). Putting down the bottle isn't just pious; it's flipping off DNA switches that predispose your kids to addiction.

In other words: repentance isn't spiritual fluff. It's genetic warfare.

You're Not Just Fighting for Yourself

As guys, we love to shoulder things. It's what we're meant for; born to rule and sacrifice. But at the same time, we also love to mutter "I've got this". Bro, no, you don't. Your choices are being acid-etched onto the cells of your offspring. That rage you think you've got under control? Your son's blood pressure is already rehearsing for it. If it's laziness sanctimoniously sanctified as "resting in grace," I hope you can feel your grandson's work ethic already wobbling.

Sin doesn't have a neutral gear. It's either afflicting or being broken. The choices we make will be the legacy that we leave.

Legacy Making

If you take nothing else away from this, remember:

• Your choices, your worldview, and your faith have real consequences both now and after you're gone. Every choice, especially the consequential ones (built by the ordinary ones) is akin to a genetic investment. Your kids will be reaping the rewards of the dividends or making payments to a therapist.

• Repentance changes the person literally to their very cellular core. Being a new creation in Christ is not a metaphor. It's measurable, quantifiable, and a blessing to God, your children, and yourself.

• Spiritual headship of household and family requires you to fight for more than just your soul. For those already here, it's a testament to Dad fighting against the darkness and them learning from your good example. For those not yet here, it's giving them a better chance than you had from the moment they drew their first breath.

Science came late to the party, but let's not dwell on its being late and instead celebrate that it showed up. It's incredible to see, time and again, that the boys in the white coats are confirming what Scripture laid down generation upon generation ago: sin leaves scars, repentance leaves healing. Curse aren't just metaphorical and mystical wuwu; they're consequential and molecular. The blood of Christ doesn't just clean your conscience; it rewrites your biology.

So, next time someone tells you "breaking generational curses" is just Pentecostal superstition, remind them that even lab techs with pipettes are testifying: Grandpa's whiskey problem was genetic graffiti, and Christ hands you the spray paint remover.

Now go repent like your DNA depends on it because it does.

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Before you go, I have two last things to tell you. My first book, "Legacy: 31 Days to a Valiant Purpose," is out now, and what's more… it's free. Head over to https://www.bencorley.com/legacy and pick up your copy today. Secondly, if you've enjoyed my work and would like to say thanks, feel free to tip some gratuity at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/benw3.

Laus Deo,

BC