Children Provide Restitution for Parent's Sins?

[Ezra Pax]

Hello hello. 
What thoughts do y'all have on this verse that seems to require restitution (as part of repentance) for your "fathers" (parents/grandparents) sins?
 
Jesus is talking about the saints' enemies that 'come against them.' One qualifier is that this verse only applies to a very narrow group of people who happen to be posterity of grievous repeat repeat offenders who are convicted in a way via testimony before Jesus by the offended saints (presumable through prayer).
The LDS footnote goes straight to the Article of Faith about humans being "punished for their own sins".
Thinking about restitution and the context of being driven out of the saint's land brings up the idea of posterity having to restore that land to the saints as part of their forgiveness. That could have contemporary parallels if it is correct?
 
D&C 98: 46 And upon his children, and upon his children’s children of all them that hate me, unto the third and fourth generation.
47 But if the children shall repent, or the children’s children, and turn to the Lord their God, with all their hearts and with all their might, mind, and strength, and restore four-fold for all their trespasses wherewith they have trespassed, or wherewith their fathers have trespassed, or their fathers’ fathers, then thine indignation shall be turned away;

My current answer is that the posterity's repentance is independent of the restitution but that the restitution is tied to the saint's indignation being turned away (not Jesus').

Edited July 29, 2021 by Ezra Pax

[Fether]

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Edited July 29, 2021 by Fether

[laronius]

I wonder how literal we are to interpret the Lord's words here. Kind of like him saying to forgive our brother's trespasses 70x7. He wasn't setting a certain limit, just making a point. As with all scripture we should only interpret them in the full light of the gospel. Clearly a child will not be held accountable for their parent's sins. This we know. My guess is that the Lord is likely speaking of the animosity that usually gets passed down from one generation to the next. If the children are taught to hate those who their parent's hate then the children have as much to repent of (change) as the parents. The restitution part is a little more nebulous. I suppose if the family is in possession of property belonging to the saints then it ought to be restored, perhaps with interest. Otherwise restitution would likely consist of doing good and seeking to bind up and heal the wounds created by the animosity. I think the point is that if people repent on their own the price paid (four-fold) will be far less than what the Lord will impose upon them (one hundred-fold) at the judgment.

[romans8]

On 7/30/2021 at 10:03 AM, laronius said:

I wonder how literal we are to interpret the Lord's words here. Kind of like him saying to forgive our brother's trespasses 70x7. He wasn't setting a certain limit, just making a point. As with all scripture we should only interpret them in the full light of the gospel. Clearly a child will not be held accountable for their parent's sins. This we know. My guess is that the Lord is likely speaking of the animosity that usually gets passed down from one generation to the next. If the children are taught to hate those who their parent's hate then the children have as much to repent of (change) as the parents

That makes sense. I also found this article on desiringgod

1. The sins of the fathers are punished in the children through becoming the sins of the children.

I the Lord...visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of
those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my
commandments.” (Exodus 20:5; cf. Numbers 14:18)

The generations to come who experience the penalty of the fathers’ sins are those who hate God.
We are not told how the fathers’ sins become the children’s sins. But what we are told is that when
the father’s sins are visited on the children it is because the children are really sinful. That is the
form in which the fathers’ sins are visited. Therefore, all judgment is really deserved by the person
who is punished.