The Battle Cry of Faith

            I named this blog in honor of the great Christian hymn, Faith of Our Fathers, written by Frederick W. Faber (1814-1863). The lyrics are:

            Faith of our fathers! Living still

            In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword,

            O how our hearts beat high with joy

            Whene’re we hear that glorious word!

            Faith of our fathers, holy faith!

            We will be true to thee til death!

            Faith of our fathers! We will strive

            To win all nations unto thee

            And thro’ the truth that comes from God

            Mankind shall then be truly free:

            Faith of our fathers, holy faith!

            We will be true to thee til death!

            Faith of our fathers! We will love

            Both friend and foe in all our strife,

            And preach thee, too, as love knows how,

            By kindly words and virtuous life:
            Faith of our fathers, holy faith!

            We will be true to thee til death!

I am a Christian. I am a father. But, even when I was not a father, I was still a model to boys within my church family. Now that I am a father, I feel an even greater responsibility to be a father who is faithful to the Lord. There is a great legacy of great men of faith who have spoken into my life. I may never have met Paul, Peter, Athanasius, Augustine, Luther, Wesley, Edwards, Whitefield, Spurgeon, or Graham, but they and others have had an influence on my walk with God. As the hymn says, the faith of these Fathers is living still, in me and in other Christians worldwide. And the Christian men of today will become the Fathers of tomorrow if Jesus does not come soon.

The hymn also serves as a trumpet call reminding me that as a man of God, I have a responsibility to defend the faith. I think that defense of the faith can be done very publically, but I also defend the faith in my every day life. As I respect my wife and express my love for her, I am defending the faith. As I tell my son and daughter that our family always does what is right, even when it is costly, I am defending the faith. As I pray for my family and my church family, I am defending the faith. As I tell the cashier that she gave me too much change, I am defending the faith.

But, I am also called to be a soldier for the faith. Paul admonishes us to “Be stong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11). I am not by natural inclination a soldier. Many people would probably say of me, “He’s a lover, not a fighter.” I am not a natural athlete. And I certainly would not be considered for a job as a bodyguard. But, when I am told that I am to be a soldier of the faith, a chord is struck in my soul that I cannot deny. My soul is awakened by the call to stand up and be counted as one of God’s mighty men. My heart beats stronger as I consider those who have sacrificed for the faith, and I would be honored to be counted among them.

We live in a day where standing up for truth and righteousness is urgently needed. We could all make a list of all the things that are wrong with our world today. Some of these things have been wrong since the early days of Cain and Abel, some are new evils that must be carefully addressed. Standing by your spouse is urgently needed today. Raising your children to know that they are not entitled to everything gratis, but need to work diligently is urgently needed today. Living a life of strong moral character is urgently needed today. Defending Jesus is urgently needed today. As the Christian men of today do these things, “mankind shall then be truly free.”

So, men of God, do you hear the call? Are you ready to be strong in the Lord? As a Christian man, whether you are 19 years old or 91, you are a father in the faith. Are you an example of faith to those watching you?