One of the things that has continued to concern me recently is the tendency of many, in the Church, to operate out of and Old Testament works mentality, instead of as Paul directed us, to live the Christian life the same we started it, by grace through faith (Col. 2:6; Eph.2:8). Did we receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are, we the Church, so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are we now being made perfect in the flesh? What many well meaning Pastors do, without realizing the consequences, is keep their people bound in Old Testament types and shadows, which although good for instruction, is not  what we are to base our New Testament Christian walk on, unless of course we want to live under the law, and reject the Spirit of Grace.

 While reading Ezekiel 18 just the other morning again I was reminded that I am no longer held accountable for my father's sins, or for the sins of my ancestors. I don't have to repent for them, nor am I under a curse because of them, because under the New Covenant in His Blood I am only held accountable for my own sins, my own actions. The Lord told the prophet in Ezekiel 18:2-3, that no longer would they use the following proverb in Israel.

 "The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children's teeth
are set on edge."

We find the Lord in Jeremiah 31:29-34; telling the prophet the same thing. He spoke to Ezekiel, saying "But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge." In both cases the prophets are of course looking ahead to 'Messiah's Day' and the New Covenant. But somehow we still use Old covenant passages, such as Deuteronomy 5:9-10, as our standard for deliverance and inner healing meetings. These were very real and certainly very true in the Old covenant economy under the law, but certainly in light of of the revelation God gave Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and the New Testament revelation given to us of Christ, we certainly should not be living under those curses today. "For as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse," and "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')." We are no longer under the law, but grace if we are in Christ. "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). What Paul is saying in Romans 6, is that sin does have power, but when your under grace the power of sin is broken. Sin has power but grace has the greater power.