Christianity as a Shared Inheritance of Faith
The Church of Jesus Christ possesses a treasure that is often overlooked, neglected, or forgotten. It is a treasure that belongs not to one denomination, nation, movement, or generation, but to the whole Body of Christ. It is what may be called the Great Heritage of the Church.
This heritage consists of the faith once delivered to the saints and faithfully handed down from generation to generation. It includes the witness of the apostles, the courage of the martyrs, the wisdom of the Church Fathers, the labors of pastors and teachers, the testimony of missionaries, and the faithful lives of countless believers whose names may never appear in history books but whose devotion to Christ helped preserve the faith for those who followed.
Every Christian living today stands within this great inheritance. We are not isolated believers creating Christianity anew in our own generation. We are heirs of a story far larger than ourselves. We have received a sacred trust from those who came before us, and we share the responsibility of passing that trust faithfully to those who come after us.
A Heritage That Belongs to the Whole Church
One of the great mistakes of the modern Church is to assume that Christian history belongs primarily to particular traditions or denominations. Yet the great truths of the faith were not given to one branch of the Church alone. The historic witness of Christianity belongs to the whole Body of Christ.
The Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the witness of the ancient councils, the writings of faithful pastors and teachers, the hymns and prayers of Christians through the centuries, and the enduring testimony of believers around the world form part of a common inheritance shared by all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
This heritage is not the possession of the few. It is the inheritance of the many. It belongs to believers in every nation, every culture, and every generation.
We Belong to Something Larger
The Great Heritage of the Church reminds us that we belong to something larger than ourselves.
We belong to a larger family than our local congregation.
We belong to a larger fellowship than our denomination.
We belong to a larger story than our generation.
Across the centuries, millions of believers have worshiped the same Lord, proclaimed the same gospel, and trusted the same Savior. Though separated by language, culture, geography, and time, they remain united by their common faith in Jesus Christ.
To recognize this reality is to gain both perspective and humility. We are not the first Christians to wrestle with questions of doctrine, discipleship, worship, or ministry. Others have walked these roads before us. Their experiences, struggles, victories, and insights remain gifts to the Church today.
This concept has been written about and preached on by others over the years.
Irenaeus - emphasized the apostolic faith handed down through the Church.
Augustine - saw the Church as one people of God extending across generations.
John Wesley - frequently appealed to the early Church and the consensus of Christian tradition.
G. K. Chesterton - spoke of the "democracy of the dead," giving previous generations a voice in the present.
Thomas C. Oden - championed the recovery of classical Christianity and the wisdom of the early Church for the whole Church.
Robert Webber - encouraged Christians to recover ancient faith and practice for the Church's future.
Receiving the Gifts of the Past
The purpose of embracing the Great Heritage of the Church is not to live in the past. The Church must always proclaim Christ in the present generation. Yet Christians should never imagine that wisdom began with them.
Throughout the centuries, the Holy Spirit has been at work within the Church, guiding, instructing, correcting, and strengthening God's people. The voices of the past therefore remain valuable companions in our journey of faith.
By listening to those who have gone before us, we deepen our understanding of Scripture, enrich our worship, strengthen our theology, and gain a broader appreciation of God's faithfulness throughout history.
The Church does not move forward by abandoning its inheritance. It moves forward by receiving that inheritance faithfully and applying it wisely in every age.
Stewards of a Sacred Trust
The Great Heritage of the Church is more than a gift. It is also a responsibility.
Every generation receives the Christian faith as a sacred trust. We are called to preserve it, live it, teach it, and pass it on. We are stewards of an inheritance that we did not create and cannot improve upon, but which we are privileged to receive and share.
Our task is not to invent a new Christianity. Our task is to proclaim the timeless gospel faithfully in our own day while remaining connected to the great cloud of witnesses who have served Christ before us.
More Than Church History
An important distinction should be made. The Great Heritage of the Church is not merely an appeal to study church history. Rather, it is a vision of belonging.
Christians are members of a larger family than their local congregation, a larger movement than their denomination, and a larger story than their own generation.
The Great Heritage of the Church reminds us that we stand alongside apostles, martyrs, pastors, theologians, missionaries, reformers, and ordinary saints whose lives collectively testify to the faithfulness of God across the centuries. This heritage is not owned by any one branch of Christianity. It is the shared inheritance of all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
The Biblical Foundation of the Great Heritage of the Church
The concept of the Great Heritage of the Church is rooted in Scripture's recurring emphasis on remembering God's works, preserving the faith, and passing it faithfully from one generation to another.
Throughout the biblical narrative, the people of God are never portrayed as isolated individuals. Rather, they are members of a covenant community joined to those who have gone before them and entrusted with a sacred inheritance for those who will follow.
A Faith Handed Down
The Apostle Paul urged Timothy:
"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
2 Timothy 2:2
Here we see a pattern of faithful transmission. St. Paul taught St. Timothy, St. Timothy was to teach others, and those believers would continue teaching future generations. The Christian faith is not reinvented in every age but faithfully handed down.
Likewise, St. Jude exhorted believers:
"Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."
Jude 3
The faith is presented as a sacred deposit entrusted to God's people and preserved throughout the generations.
Surrounded by a Great Cloud of Witnesses
The writer of Hebrews reminds believers:
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us."
Hebrews 12:1
The Christian life is lived in the awareness that others have gone before us. The faithful men and women of Hebrews 11 continue to bear witness through their example of faith.
Teaching Future Generations
The Psalmist declares:
"One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts."
Psalm 145:4
And again:
"We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord."
Psalm 78:4
God's people have always been called to pass on the knowledge of His faithfulness from one generation to the next.
Built Upon the Apostolic Foundation
St. Paul writes that the Church is:
"Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone."
Ephesians 2:20
The Church of today stands upon the testimony and witness that Christ established through His apostles. We are not disconnected from them but built upon the foundation they laid.
Remember Your Leaders
The author of Hebrews further exhorts:
"Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct."
Hebrews 13:7
Scripture encourages believers to remember and learn from faithful leaders who have gone before them.
An Inheritance Shared by the Saints
St. Paul reminds believers:
"Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."
Colossians 1:12
And again:
"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance."
Ephesians 1:11
The language of inheritance runs throughout Scripture. We are heirs together with all God's people and participants in the blessings and promises secured through Christ.
A Call to Faithful Stewardship
The Great Heritage of the Church is therefore more than an appreciation for Christian history. It is a biblical recognition that God works through generations.
The apostles inherited the promises given to Israel. The early Church received the apostolic witness. Subsequent generations preserved the faith through persecution, revival, reform, and renewal. Today, we receive that same inheritance and bear responsibility for handing it faithfully to those who will come after us.
As St. Paul instructed St. Timothy:
"Guard the good deposit entrusted to you."
2 Timothy 1:14
The Church is not merely the guardian of memories but the steward of a living faith. We receive the inheritance with gratitude, preserve it with faithfulness, and pass it on with confidence.
Conclusion
The Great Heritage of the Church belongs to all believers. It is the shared inheritance of the people of God across all ages and nations. It reminds us that we are part of a story that began long before us and will continue long after us.
As the Church of Jesus Christ, let us receive this inheritance with gratitude, preserve it with faithfulness, and pass it on with confidence. For the treasure entrusted to us was received from faithful hands, and by God's grace it will be entrusted to faithful hands again.
The Great Heritage of the Church is the common inheritance of all Christians, received from those who have gone before us and entrusted to us for those who will come after us.
May we prove faithful stewards of this sacred trust, preserving the faith once delivered to the saints and passing it on to future generations until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
Benediction
May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant us grateful hearts to receive the inheritance entrusted to His people through the centuries.
May He give us wisdom to learn from the faithful witness of those who have gone before us, discernment to hold firmly to the faith once delivered to the saints, and courage to proclaim that faith faithfully in our own generation.
May Christ, the Chief Shepherd of the Church, keep us steadfast in truth, rich in grace, humble in spirit, and united in love with all who call upon His name throughout the world.
And may the Holy Spirit strengthen us to be faithful stewards of the Great Heritage of the Church, preserving it with integrity, living it with conviction, and passing it on with joy to those who follow after us.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with His Church throughout all generations, strengthening our faith, preserving our witness, and guiding us in the way of Christ, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.
