The Legacy of Faith
What is the greatest gift you have ever received? Maybe you got tickets to watch your favorite sports team, and you saw them crush the opposition. Perhaps you received the perfect Christmas gift: a new pair of socks. For some of you, I am sure the best gift is a Starbucks gift card that helps you get through the day. The best gift I ever received was probably my “Daisy Model 1938 Red Ryder BB Gun”. When you are eight years old, this is the gun of guns, and the cans in your backyard could not stand a chance!
As Christians, it’s safe to say that the best gift we ever received was the gift of salvation. Only Christ could give the gift of himself to sinful humanity. But what is the best gift that a Christian could give? It is not a physical item or experience. The best gift that the believer could give or receive is a legacy of faith. Whether you realize it or not, you are part of a legacy of faithful men and women that spans back to the creation of humankind.
Unfortunately, the legacy of faith is not treasured in the same way that our fellow saints cherished it. Polycarp was burned at the stake, Catherine of Alexandria was beheaded, William Tyndale was choked to death, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged, and Jim Elliot and his friends were slaughtered. For what purpose did they die? They died to preserve and pass on the legacy of faith that was handed down to them. Nothing was more important than passing on this legacy; even the threat of death would not stop them.
The men and women who have gone before us saw themselves as inheritors of the Christian tradition. They did not consider themselves to be innovators or inventors of new practices and creeds. They understood that inheriting and passing on tradition was of use to the Church; being a new spark of ideas was useless. We would do well to live this way and see our Christian tradition as something to be passed down, not changed to fit into a new cultural phenomenon. Would preaching look any different if pastors saw their role as inheritors of the faith? Would the faith and boldness in the Church appear more radical if we understood our place in the legacy of faith?
Scripture is packed to the brim with those who understood that the faith must be passed down from generation to generation. Joshua committed to serving the Lord along with his whole household (Joshua 24:15). Elijah was one of the only faithful men who was still willing to stand up for the truth of God and destroy the false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). The legacy of faith was passed on to Timothy from the witness of his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois (2 Timothy 1:5). Not only do we have many examples, but all believers are commanded to carry the legacy of faith from generation to generation (Matthew 28:18–20). We have received this legacy; what do we do now?
- We must understand the legacy of faith. God has provided us with his holy Word that reveals his love for people, plan for humanity, and fully displays the magnificence of Christ. Saturate your heart and mind with God’s Word! It contains everything we need to live holy lives. We cannot understand the legacy that made Polycarp willing to die unless we are dedicated to the Word of God.
- We must carry the legacy of faith. Once we have a grasp on the importance of this legacy, we must carry and protect it. We need to live our lives in such a way that reflects the gift that we have been given (Ephesians 4:1). It’s no easy task, but we have an entire line of fellow saints who have gone before us to model how to live up to the legacy (Hebrews 12:1).
- We must gift the legacy of faith to others. The greatest gift we could ever give or receive from someone is the legacy of faith. Now it’s our turn to share that gift with others. We will someday be looked back on as a part of the legacy, but right now, we are at the forefront. Our calling is to pass on the faith to our children, coworkers, friends, and family. There is nothing more loving you can do for someone than inviting them into the legacy of faith.
