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Faith
of Our Fathers
Jesus
quoted His Father saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”
(Matthew 22:32).
When
the Sadducees came to Jesus and tried to discredit Him
about the resurrection of the dead, Jesus replied, “And
as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read
in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him
saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, He is not the God of the dead…”
(Mark 12:26, 27).
Throughout the entire Bible we can find many references
to our God as being the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. There was an underlying message in these
references. We find it in Moses’ instructions to the
Hebrews during their trek through the wilderness on
their way to the Promise Land. As fathers, they were to
keep the law that Moses received on Mt. Sinai, and they
were to diligently teach it to their children from
generation to generation—and it passed on down through
many generations, eventually even to us!
“And
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and
shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and
when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down,
and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).
“Faith
of their fathers” was to be processed unaltered for each
succeeding generation and persistently so. Had they
failed to pass the faith down to the next generation, it
would have gotten weaker with each passing year until
they would have forgotten the “God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.”
Abraham would teach Isaac; Isaac would teach Jacob;
Jacob (Israel) would teach a nation and that nation
would teach the whole world.
Remember when the temple was rebuilt after being
destroyed by Israel’s enemies how some cried and some
rejoiced? The “rejoicers” thought it was wonderful, but
they didn’t remember the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple.
The older generation did recall its splendor and were
grieved because the new temple was so far removed from
the glorious first one (Ezra 3). It only takes one
generation of fathers to neglect following the
admonition of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:7) to wipe the memory
of their faith from the next generation.
During
the teaching of Bible lessons at our Wednesday night
youth service, we are learning that some children don’t
even know about David/Goliath, Daniel/lions’ den,
Noah/flood, etc. They cannot tell you one of the Ten
Commandments. These are the children who come to church
alone without any adult, so we must assume they don’t
have a father-figure who has taught them about God and
the Bible. What if we don’t plant some seeds in the
hearts of these kids? Their kids will know even less,
and less with each generation.
God
intended that fathers (and mothers) “teach them (His
Commandments) diligently unto thy children….” every
morning, evening and throughout the day. When God led
Abraham from the paganism of UR, He had a grand plan in
mind for him, and this plan included his son, his son’s
son, etc.
Are we
going to have enough “Faith of our Fathers” to share
with this generation so they can pass it on to the next
and the next and the next? We can’t let even one
generation pass without instilling the Faith in them.
If we do, guess who is sitting by the wayside where they
sojourn to fill their minds with lies and destructive
thoughts leading them into destructive behavior—that’s
right—the devil! The roaring lion, the father of lies.
And it is his express purpose to lead them further from
the truth until he has captured and destroyed them.
It
happened to Israel after Joshua died. “And also all
that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and
there arose another generation after them, which knew
not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for
Israel” (Judges 2:10). How sad!
We
must not let that happen to this generation!
Those
who try to erase our forefathers’ faith from the history
books and replace it with only secular instruction are
enemies of God! I am well aware that our founding
fathers had feet of clay and failed in many instances,
but they acknowledged the God who helped them establish
law and order in the new country—the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. God intended that Israel never forget
their founding fathers, nor may we without dire
consequences.
Consider this:
George
Washington, Samuel Adams, James Madison, John
Witherspoon, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams,
Patrick Henry, and even Thomas Jefferson--their personal
correspondence, biographies, and public statements are
replete with quotations showing that these thinkers had
political philosophies deeply influenced by
Christianity.
The
denominational affiliations of these men were a matter
of public record. Among the delegates were 28
Episcopalians, 8 Presbyterians, 7 Congregationalists, 2
Lutherans, 2 Dutch Reformed, 2 Methodists, 2 Roman
Catholics, 1 unknown, and only 3 deists--Williamson,
Wilson, and Franklin--this at a time when church
membership entailed a sworn public confession of
biblical faith..
This is a
revealing tally. It shows that the members of the
Constitutional Convention, the most influential group of
men shaping the political foundations of our nation,
were almost all Christians, 51 of 55--a full 93%.
Indeed, 70% were Calvinists (the Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, and the Dutch Reformed), considered by
some to be the most extreme and dogmatic form of
Christianity.
Even Franklin the deist is
equivocal. He was raised in a Puritan family and later
adopted then abandoned deism. Though not an orthodox
Christian, it was 81-year-old Franklin's emotional call
to humble prayer on June 28, 1787, that was the turning
point for a hopelessly stalled Convention. James Madison
recorded the event in his collection of notes and
debates from the Federal Convention. Franklin's appeal
contained no less than four direct references to
Scripture.
The Founders were deeply
influenced by a biblical view of man and government.
With a sober understanding of the fallenness of man,
they devised a system of limited authority and checks
and balances.
The Founders understood
that fear of God, moral leadership, and a righteous
citizenry were necessary for their great experiment to
succeed.
Therefore, they structured
a political climate that was encouraging to Christianity
and accommodating to religion, rather than hostile to
it.
Protestant Christianity was
the prevailing religious view for the first 150 years of
our history.
Of all the dispositions and
habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and
morality are indispensable supports....And let us
indulge with caution the supposition that morality can
be maintained without religion. Reason and experience
both forbid us to expect that national morality can
prevail in exclusion of religious principles.
Want
to read more? Click below:
Founding Fathers
“The
God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of
our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus…” (Acts
3:13). On the Day of Pentecost, Peter boldly stood up
and made this proclamation. Jesus had been crucified,
left in a tomb which had a Roman seal at its entrance
and was considered dead forever. But on the third day,
He could not be found in the tomb—He had risen as He
said!
The
message has echoed down to our day. Are we going to
tell this generation that the “God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob” still lives and seeks a relationship with them?
Are the fathers of this generation going to rise up and
declare the faith that has been passed down from
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
What
better way to celebrate Father’s Day than to pass this
faith to the children so “the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints” will live on and not die with
this generation?
It is
a mistake for fathers to take the position that they are
not going to instill their faith in their children, just
wait for them to grow up and make up their own minds.
The Bible does not support that notion. Fathers are
instructed to instill their faith in their children from
the time they are born. Based on what Jude wrote,
fathers may be required to “contend for the
faith” to make sure it is extended to future
generations. May God give us a generation of fathers
who will “contend” and ensure that their children know
their faith and will live it so faithfully that it will
be available, and desirable, for generations to come.
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you
of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write
unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints” (Jude 1:3).
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“If
there be trouble, let it be in my day, so my child will
be safe.” (Thomas Paine)
(My
interpretation: At all costs, protect the “Faith of our
Fathers” that it will always endure for my child.)
We
“inherit” values from our fathers. Peter knew that when
he wrote “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your
vain conversation [life style] received by tradition
from your fathers” (1 Peter 1:18).
Never
underestimate a father’s influence; it’s far reaching
into the next generation!
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June
is the month that we honor our fathers, and I am
thankful that my father earnestly contended for the
faith and passed it down to me! Also, June sends our
thoughts to brides. A father needs a bride to stand by
his side and fight the good fight of faith for his
family. Many families are troubled and need our prayer
and support. Satan has been waging a war against
families for a long time. Isn’t it time for fathers and
their brides to wield the Sword of the Spirit against
him, contend for the faith and say, “No more! We will
not allow the devil to destroy our families. We embrace
the Faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and teach it to
our children!”
Happy
Father’s Day to every man who fills that role. God
bless you and help you to keep and to pass on the “Faith
of our Fathers”!
~~~Delores~~~
Click here to visit: My father’s
Diary
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