I remember singing the old hymn Faith of Our Fathers. The lyrics went…
Faith of our
Fathers! living still
In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword:
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word.
Our Fathers, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free:
How sweet would be their children’s fate,
If they, like them, could die for thee!
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
Is the faith of our fathers in this hymn different than that
of fathers today? Yes and No. No, in that we see few fathers who, although
they say they believe in God, yet out of love for Him will endure what is
described in this song. Yes, in the
sense that we do see some fathers who out of their deep love for God do endure
all kinds of persecution. What exactly
is the difference in such types of faith?
One of the distinguishing marks of the original 11 of Jesus’ 12 disciples was the fact that after Jesus ascended into heaven, what they did (not said) revealed just how deeply they had faith in Jesus and the truths He taught. If this was mere mental or emotional belief, a month or so after they began to face serious problems they would have begun to fade into the shadows and go back to their old life. That is what many do today when God lets them feel some heat. In contrast, these men SACRIFICIALLY pressed on the rest of their lives through threats to their life and eventual martyrdom. Why? Because their faith had become a deep conviction, not just religious rhetoric. THAT is a picture of the difference between real faith vs mental or emotional faith.
While Jesus was still with them, they all were in a boat in the midst of a severe storm. When they woke Jesus up from his deep sleep and said to Him, “Don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38) Jesus then rebuked the wind and it became completely calm. The disciples were “terrified”. Jesus’ also said, “Do you still have no faith?” Consider this. Why had they started to follow Jesus if they didn’t believe He was maybe the Messiah? Nathanael had already determined He was the Son of God! (John 1:50) Why did they wake Him up if they didn’t believe He would be able to calm the water? Was it because they had become irritated with Him for not helping them bail the water coming in the boat? Or, was it because they had a level of faith that He was the Messiah but due to circumstances they were operating out of their soul (mind and emotion) faith rather than intuitive (spirit) faith?
Is your faith in God like that of the past fathers in the hymn or like so many fathers today who say they believe but resort to their own resources when facing serious problems? Is your faith a mental or emotional thing or a deep conviction that calmly endures through dungeon, fire and sword?
Thank you, Father, for the faith Your Spirit planted within our spirit when we were born again. (Ezekiel 36:27) Help us to not only endure whatever life throws at us because of our spirit faith, but also take risks when You guide us to do what seems impossible. May Your faith planted within us bring You honor and glory as we calmly release it in our daily walk of life.