Two men. Two very different fathers. A man we knew in Indonesia whose father was a headhunter who slept on a skull for a pillow. On the other end of the spectrum, my father’s father was a college president. The two sons, our friend and my father, had opposite life outcomes. Can you guess which man led a happy and fulfilled life?

My father was born to a father who was a leader in the church. He served as a church planter, an administrator, and the co-founder and first president of a Christian college. But my father rebelled, left home, left school, and left the church. He never put his trust in Jesus, but turned away from his godly heritage. In my lifetime, I never saw him enter a church except for my wedding. He lived a life separated from God and reaped the unhappy consequences. He spent most of his life also separated from his wife and daughter. He never knew his grandchildren and enjoyed no deep, loving relationships. He died a lonely and disappointed man.

On the other hand, a man we knew when we lived in Indonesia was born to a headhunter father who slept on a skull and lined his doorway with skulls. Our friend heard about Jesus, left his father’s headhunting ways, left the worship of evil spirits, and left superstition. He put his full trust in Jesus, turning away from his violent heritage. He lived a life of devotion to God and reaped the happy consequences. He became a leader in his church and raised his eight children to love and obey God. He was known, respected, and loved by many. He died a peaceful, fulfilled man.

Being God’s people never was about birth, but about faith. No one is born into God’s family by physical birth. Being physically alive doesn’t make us spiritually alive. We’re born into God’s family by spiritual birth through faith.

The Bible records siblings who were born into the same godly family, but one rejected God and the other had faith that brought him close to God.
Cain insisted on his own way, refusing to obey God. He harbored jealousy and anger and consequently lived under God’s judgment. But his brother Abel was righteous because of his faith and obedience to God. Their brother Seth’s line was godly and became the channel of God’s plan and blessing for the world.

Abraham wasn’t made right with God because of his family or because he was a nice guy. (He gave his wife away twice!)  He was made right with God because he believed God and obeyed him. Lot, another member of Abraham’s family, didn’t obey God the way Abraham did. Ishmael was Abraham’s son, but he didn’t have faith. Only his son, Isaac, trusted God and obeyed, carrying on the lineage that would result in King David and the Messiah. Isaac’s son, Jacob, had a relationship with God, but his twin brother, Esau, didn’t value spiritual things.

After the Hebrews were delivered from Egyptian slavery, they came to the Promised Land of Canaan. But they refused to believe that God could help them defeat their formidable enemies and take the land. All the adults rebelled and were sentenced to going back to the desert until all who didn’t believe died. Only believing Joshua and Caleb survived to enter the land with those who had been under age at the time and those born after the rebellion. We see that being born a Hebrew didn’t guarantee a right standing with God. Active faith proven by obedience is God’s requirement for a relationship with him.

The Bible tells of people who were born into godly families and rejected God,  but there were some who loved and obeyed God even though their parents had known God, but had fallen away from faith:
Gideon, whose father was a violent idol worshiper, even though he was an Israelite
Good King Hezekiah, whose father was evil King Ahaz, who “did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God…he even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.” 2 Kings 16:2-3

But his son, Hezekiah
“Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him. . . “ 2 Kings 18:5-7

The same could be said of good King Josiah, the son of evil King Amon, and good King Asa son of evil King Abijah.

Then there were the people who grew up in pagan cultures and in godless families, but chose to come to God in faith:
Melchizedek, king of a pagan city, who was priest of the Most High God
Rahab, who turned to God in faith from a degraded, evil culture
Ruth, who turned to God in faith from a people group who were enemies of Israel
Naaman, who trusted God even though he was a commander for Israel’s enemy
Nebuchanezer, the powerful king who was humbled by God and acknowledged God’s sovereignty
The Ninevites, who repented and trusted God after hearing God’s judgment from Jonah
Timothy in the New Testament, who apparently had an unbelieving father, but a believing mother and grandmother

Humans tend to think there are many ways to win favor with God. But God says faith is the way we approach him.
We think being born into a certain family/race/religion earns us points with God. Our parents were religious, our grandparents were religious, so we must be automatically God’s children. But birth means nothing regarding our relationship with God. God is looking at each person’s heart, not the family tree. He wants to see faith and obedience motivated by love for him.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God”. Hebrews 11:6

We think attending services earns us points with God. But those who attend a house of worship aren’t automatically a child of God. Attending services and joining in the singing, reading Scripture, and listening to a sermon, can be useless if we’re just doing your duty. Of course, it’s very good if our hearts are sincerely seeking God.

We think good people will go to Heaven. But being nice doesn’t make us part of God’s family. No one is nice enough to earn God’s favor. God’s requirements are beyond human capacity.  The Law’s purpose was to make this clear.  Not one person perfectly obeyed the entire Law.  We need Someone perfect to pay our debt.

Now, what about those of us who already have faith that God lovingly sent his Son to die for us, and we are trying to obey? For us, each new day is an opportunity to put our faith more fully in God’s kind sovereignty, his tender concern for us, and his listening ear. Each day is an opportunity to obey him (with his help) because we love him and trust his goodness and wisdom.