"The unfeigned
faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy
mother Eunice" 2 Tim. 1:5
Two matters arrest our attention in
these words: 1st, THE DESCRIPTION OF FAITH, and 2nd, the TRANSMISSION OF FAITH.
The description of the faith of Timothy as "unfeigned" is very striking. UNFEIGNED
FAITH is faith that is NOT PRETENDED; that is, it is true, it is real, and therefore it is trustworthy. So long as
there lurks a suspicion of doubt in faith; or so long as a man's faith is for
outward confession, and does not carry the man with it, it is faulty and weak,
and not to be depended on. A man can
live a better life, and do a better work, on a genuine faith in a small thing,
than a pretended faith in a big thing. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he
had placed "unfeigned
faith" in company with "a pure conscience"; and said that
out of these love proceeds (1 Tim. 1:5).
It is good to seek after such a faith. Then we notice that Paul said that this
quality of faith was found in Timothy's mother Eunice, and in his grandmother
Lois. There is a sense in which faith cannot
be transmitted by parents to their children. Every individual must exercise faith for himself or herself.
But it is also true that it is very difficult for some children not to believe, because of what they have seen of the power
of faith in their parents when it is genuine. We cannot bequeath faith to
our children, but we can make it much easier for them to believe by our own
faith. And that is especially true of "unfeigned faith." See also article on 1 Sam 1:11 Remarkable Dedication of Motherhood.
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