In the biblical narrative, the concept of children being bound by the covenants made by their parents is a recurring theme that underscores the communal and generational nature of God's dealings with His people. This principle is evident in several key passages and events throughout Scripture, highlighting the importance of family and the transmission of faith and covenantal blessings from one generation to the next.

Old Testament Foundations

The idea of children being included in the covenants made by their parents is first seen in the Abrahamic Covenant. In Genesis 17:7, God declares to Abraham, "I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you." This covenantal promise extends beyond Abraham to his offspring, indicating that the children are bound by the covenant through their patriarch.

The practice of circumcision, instituted as a sign of the covenant in Genesis 17:10-14, further illustrates this principle. God commands that every male child in Abraham's household, including those born to him and those bought with money, be circumcised. This act signifies their inclusion in the covenant community, regardless of their personal choice, as they are bound by the covenant through their parents.

The Mosaic Covenant

The Mosaic Covenant also reflects the binding nature of parental covenants on children. In Deuteronomy 29:10-15, Moses addresses the Israelites, including their children, as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. He emphasizes that the covenant is made not only with those present but also with future generations: "You are standing here today, all of you, before the LORD your God... your little ones, your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps... I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, but also with those who are not here today."

This passage underscores the collective responsibility and blessing of the covenant, binding the children to the commitments made by their parents. The children of Israel are thus seen as inheritors of the covenantal promises and obligations, even before they are capable of making such commitments themselves.

New Testament Continuity

In the New Testament, the principle of children being bound by the covenants of their parents continues, particularly within the context of the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ. In Acts 2:39, Peter, speaking at Pentecost, declares, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." This statement reaffirms the inclusion of children in the covenantal promises, extending the blessings of salvation and the Holy Spirit to the next generation.

The apostle Paul also addresses the sanctity of children within the covenant community in 1 Corinthians 7:14, where he writes, "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." This passage suggests that the faith of one believing parent has a sanctifying effect on the children, binding them to the covenant community.

Implications for Christian Families

The biblical principle of children being bound by the covenants of their parents has significant implications for Christian families today. It emphasizes the responsibility of parents to raise their children in the faith, teaching them the ways of the Lord and the importance of the covenantal relationship with God. As seen in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Christian parents are called to model faithfulness and obedience to God's covenants, understanding that their commitments have lasting effects on their children. The practice of infant baptism in many Christian traditions reflects this understanding, symbolizing the inclusion of children in the covenant community and the hope that they will grow to embrace the faith for themselves.

In summary, the biblical narrative consistently portrays children as bound by the covenants of their parents, highlighting the communal and generational nature of God's covenantal dealings. This principle calls for a faithful transmission of faith and covenantal blessings from one generation to the next, ensuring the continuity of God's promises and the flourishing of His people.Genesis 17:9-14
And God said to Abraham, You shall keep my covenant therefore, you, and your seed after you in their generations.
Nave's Topical Index

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
... and ancestors, also, to hold the rising race completely bound? ... it be cruel to cut
off children from the ... to deprive them of the advantages of covenants made for ...
/.../the ordinance of covenanting/chapter v covenanting confers obligation.htm

Man's Misery by the Fall
... turned into a frown; we are now bound over to ... wrath.' Ephesians 2:2.' Strangers to
the covenants of promise ... Whence is it children prove undutiful, and they that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/4 mans misery by the.htm

Faustus Objects to the Incarnation of God on the Ground that the ...
... Jacob, too, adopted his grandsons, the children of Joseph. ... adoption, and the glory,
and the covenants, and the ... and you, by Faustus's promise are bound to yield ...
/.../faustus objects to the incarnation.htm

Demonstration xxii. --Of Death and the Latter Times.
... death is distinguished from him that is bound; and the ... for our brethren and beloved,
the children of the ... both former and latter, in both covenants, and reads ...
/.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration xxii of death and the.htm

Homilies on Galatians and Ephesians.
... Covenants, old and new proceeded both from the Father ... 455]59; his gentleness,
[456]65; bound for the ... Peter, Three Holy Children, [490]93; Jeremiah, Joseph, St. ...
/.../homilies on galatians and ephesians.htm

Chapter xvii
... For in the passages relating to covenants according to P ... in a manner befitting those
who are bound by God's ... claim"Exodus 21:2-6) and those children, on the ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xvii.htm

Life from the Dead
... he can away from the death that once held him bound. ... rights, or any participation
in the rights of God's children. ... And strangers from the covenants of promise,. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/life from the dead.htm

Letter cxcix. Canonica Secunda.
... another man might hesitate to do, I am bound for my ... in such cases to admit the words
of mere children. ... The covenants of persons who are not independent have no ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter cxcix canonica secunda.htm

The Absurdity and Impiety of the Heathen Mysteries and Fables ...
... saying, "And ye were strangers to the covenants of promise ... therefore, we who were
once the children of lawlessness ... This god, Homer says, was bound thirteen months ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter ii the absurdity and impiety.htm

Covenant Duties.
... When will Zion be built up if her children testify not ... on the part of many who have
bound themselves to ... the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iv covenant duties.htm

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