Godly heritage is a blessing, but it becomes a curse when we use our pedigree as a substitute for personal faith. Today we'll examine why family lineage cannot save anyone.
John 8:39 "They answered and said to Him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham.'"
Some of you have godly heritage. That's wonderful. Some of us are recipients and beneficiaries of the truth that has been passed down to us from generation upon generation. This is a tremendous blessing. However鈥攁nd hear me carefully鈥攚hile godly heritage is of tremendous value, it is a curse to the individual that uses their pedigree as a crutch that displaces personal affection for God Himself.
The Jewish leaders kept saying, "We are the children of Abraham! We are the children of Israel!" And Jesus says, "If you were really Abraham's children, you would do the deeds of Abraham." What does He mean? Abraham lived by faith.
One of the signs of the falsely assured is that they do not understand that familial, national pedigree never got a single person into the kingdom of God. You could have Elisabeth Elliot as your mom and Billy Graham as your dad, and it wouldn't matter a single ounce regarding your standing before God. Not at all.
In Romans 9:6, Paul noted, "They are not all Israel who are descended from Israel." Salvation is not based on pedigree, lineage, family, last name. It comes solely through faith in Jesus Christ.
Do you know what one of the ways the devil works in the church today is? By making the next generation complacent. They place their confidence in their environment, their upbringing, their knowledge, their experience鈥攂ut they never come to grips with their own need for a Savior.
It's a great thing to be in a solid church. But you need to be mindful of the dangers. You could grow up solid family, solid church, and place your hope there. But these Jewish leaders were so far from God despite being the most religiously privileged people on earth.
God made this clear with Israel over and over: circumcision meant nothing if their hearts spiritually speaking weren't changed. Deuteronomy 10:16: "Circumcise your hearts." Deuteronomy 30:6: "The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts." Jeremiah 4:4: "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; circumcise your hearts."
These verses share a common theme about spiritual circumcision鈥攖he need for internal transformation rather than just external observation of religious tradition.
Can I speak to two groups?
If you're a young person: Don't assume you're right with God because you grew up in a Christian home. Don't assume you're saved because you can answer all the questions in Sunday school. Don't assume you're heaven-bound because you've been baptized or confirmed. You need your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You need to be born again鈥攏ot by the will of your parents, not by religious rituals, but by the Spirit of God.
If you're a parent or grandparent: Don't assume your children are saved because they're being raised in a Christian environment. The greatest tragedy would be for them to grow up with all the right answers but never experience the new birth. Press them. Ask them hard questions. Don't settle for "Yeah, I believe in Jesus." Ask them what that means. Ask them if they love Him. Ask them if His word is changing them.
1. Have you ever placed false confidence in your religious upbringing rather than personal faith in Christ?
2. If you're a parent, are you assuming your children are saved, or are you actively discipling them toward genuine faith?
3. Can you articulate your own conversion鈥攏ot your parents' faith story, but yours?
Stay dialed in.