“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” – 2 Timothy 1:5 (KJV)
Faith is foundational to the Christian life. The Bible clearly states that, “No one can please God without faith; whoever goes to God must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, GW). Faith is so vital that on several occasions in the earthly ministry of Jesus, we see Him rebuking persons for their lack of faith. For instance, in Matthew 8:26, when Jesus’s disciples panicked over a fierce storm, with waves breaking into their boat, Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then He got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. Again, when Peter, who was already walking on water in Matthew 14:28–31, became terrified after seeing the strong wind and the waves and began to sink, Jesus’s reaction was, “You have so little faith; why did you doubt me?”
Our Christian race can be likened to a marathon, and at some point, each of us will have to hand the baton over to the next generation.
There were also several instances in Scriptures where Jesus commended people for having faith. For example, in Matthew 8:10, in response to a Roman officer who said to Jesus, “I am not worthy to have you come into my house. Just say the word from where you are and my servant will be healed,” Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in Israel.” Also, in Matthew 15:28, Jesus said to the Canaanite woman, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” This was the woman who would not take no for an answer. She famously said to Jesus, “Even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” when the Master told her that it was not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.
Faith could be likened to having the title deed to a property or promise that we hope for, but this hope does not exist in a vacuum; it is anchored on God’s Word.
These were not isolated events. Jesus noticed faith wherever He went – the presence or absence of it. In fact, in Matthew 17:14–20, Jesus, responding to a question from His disciples on why they could not cast a demon out of a boy who was brought to them while Jesus, Peter, James, and John were away on the Mountain of Transfiguration, said to them, “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” This shows us how important faith is to the life of every child of God.
What then is faith?
Concerning faith, the Easton Bible Dictionary says, “Faith is, in general, the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true (Philippians 1:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests.” While Hebrews 11:1 states that, “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” In other words, faith could be likened to having the title deed to a property or promise that we hope for, but this hope does not exist in a vacuum; it is anchored on God’s Word. It is divinely guaranteed by God’s word, which is immutable and cannot be broken. No wonder the Bible says in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” It is as we stay in God’s word and continually feed on the word that our eyes are opened to the provisions that God has made for us, and this ultimately builds our faith.
Faith is divinely guaranteed by God’s word, which is immutable and cannot be broken.
Unfeigned Faith
In our anchor text above, the Apostle Paul remembered the unfeigned faith that was in Timothy and how it was first in his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice. These godly women passed down a heritage of faith to the young man, Timothy. Their faith was genuine. It was alive and well. It could be passed down from one generation to another without being diluted along the way. These women, by the way they lived, were able to pass a pure, sincere, and rich version of their faith to their son, Timothy. Technological advancements, innovation, and changes in the times and seasons could not tamper with the quality of faith that they passed down to their son. The question that easily comes to mind here is this: what kind of faith will you pass unto your children? This question is important because you can’t give what you don’t have.
Faith could be passed down from one generation to another without being diluted along the way.
These two women, Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s grandmother and mother, had the kind of faith that could not be derailed by circumstance. Their faith was the kind that could stand the test of time, and that is exactly the kind of faith that they passed on to Timothy, who, in turn, gave a good account of himself through proper stewardship of his heritage of faith.
The question that easily comes to mind here is this: what kind of faith will you pass unto your children? This question is important because you can’t give what you don’t have.
Finally, we must remember the Apostle Jude’s warning in the third verse of his single-chapter book of the Bible, where he said, “Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write, insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish” (MSG). The Apostle Jude was begging that we should fight to preserve our heritage of faith. This shows how important the issue of maintaining a sincere faith is in the life of every believer. Our Christian race can be likened to a marathon, and at some point, each of us will have to hand the baton over to the next generation. Kindly ponder for a moment on what kind of faith you will be passing to the next generation.
Remain blessed.
World Changers Magazine 