“Who sinned, this man or his parents?”
-John 9:2
His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him’” (vv. 2-3 NKJV). When someone is trapped in a self-destructive habit, we sometimes say, “It runs in the family.” Psychiatrists tell us that 90 percent of those who abuse others were first abused themselves; they are simply “acting out” what was done to them. They say if alcoholism and addiction run in your family, you’ve got the “X factor,” which means you’re at much greater risk if you pick up a drink or a drug. But you’ll notice Jesus didn’t get into the “nurture or nature” debate. In essence, He said, “This is just an opportunity for God to demonstrate His love and grace by setting this man free.” So your problem may be too big for you, but it’s not too big for God. It’s actually a platform for Him to demonstrate His grace in your life. “Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” (2Co 5:17 AMP). God doesn’t consult your past in order to determine your future. Before you met Jesus, you were spiritually dead. That’s why He said, “You must be born again” (See Jn 3:3). From that point forward the past no longer has any power over you. (Except the power you give it.) So you can break the cycle.
