How Is Faith Passed On?

From the OT – Plan was to pass things along to children and the next generation of people coming up within the congregation of Israel. It begins with God giving of sons to fathers: Adam = Cain and Abel, Seth. Scripture tells us that Seth had sons who called on the name of the Lord (Ge. 4:25-26).

Abraham was to lead His children and his household to walk in the way of the Lord.

Ge. 18:16-19

Dt. 4:9

Dt. 6:4-9

Dt. 6:20-25

So, we have a testimony. We have an established attitude. We have a precedent, a blueprint, a foundation, an agenda to pass on to our children and to all our church family what we know about God and how we serve God. We are to pass the faith onto following generations.

Paul introduces the spiritual family dynamic that coincides with Dt. 6 (1Ti. 5:1-2). 2Ti. 2:1-7 the standard of passing down the faith. Tt. 2:1-5 – Passing on biblical traditions as they have been developed and lived out among the women in the church.

How does that precedent play into the responsibility of a church to pass on something dealing with discipline and suffering? Well we have already established the fact that because of sin, all of mankind suffers to some degree. And God uses all kinds of suffering to discipline His children to produce “peaceful fruit of righteousness” (v11) by “those who have been trained by” their suffering (v11).

So, you who have been trained by God’s discipline, you are called on to help strengthen believers who are young in the faith, weak in the faith, those who have not weathered the storms of life and haven’t seen the value of God’s discipline.

HOW DO WE PASS ON OUR FAITH TO OTHERS? 2 Primary Imperatives: Strengthen and Make Straight

• Strengthen the hands and knees

• Make straight paths for your feet

The purpose of this letter to the Hebrews to encourage and strengthen those Jews who had come at various levels of faith in Christ. Many of them were weak and despondent. Many of them were tempted to defect and go back to Judaism to avoid the persecution.

They were weakened by trials and what God allows for discipline: Can’t do anything spiritually, aren’t moving along in their faith. Haven’t gotten their spiritual sea legs yet. Haven’t developed their spiritual endurance (v1 we are to run with endurance; v3 Christ endured; v7 discipline creates endurance; those who have been trained stand as helpers, trainers, experienced persons who can help others endure.

Let me turn a corner and I’ll try to be as slow as I can, so no one gets whiplash. But what we are talking about has its roots in the Christmas account of Christ’s incarnation (I promise, it will all tie in at the end).

Have you ever noticed the various illustrations used in Scripture that have an agricultural or constructional theme?

From the inception of Creation: Tree produces fruit; fruit contains seed; seed contains all the genetic information to produce another tree that produces fruit, that produces seed (reiterate Paul’s plan, 2Ti. 2:2)

Jesus capitalized on these in His various parables and illustrations:

Mt. 7:24–27

Jn. 15:1-8, 16

The apostles would also use these illustrations of growth and fruitfulness as well as construction and building: Rm. 7:4

When given the opportunity to read from the Scriptures in the Synagogue of Nazareth, where he grew up, Jesus turns to Is. 61:1-2a The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD

Isaiah 53:10–12

God will use the various chastening and times of discipline in our lives; things we discussed from verses 3-11.