The Three Generation Principle
3 generation principle
It begins in Genesis 19-35 with the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There you find the story of Abraham’s conversion, Isaac’s blessings as a result of being raised in the home of Abraham, and Jacob’s deception of Isaac and his subsequent conversion at Bethel.
The next time you find the principle of The Three Generations is in Judges 2:7-10.
There was a generation (1st Generation) that saw and experienced the move of God.
Then there was a generation (2nd Generation) that saw the move of God but never experienced the move of God.
Then there was a generation (3rd Generation) that neither saw nor experienced the move of God.
- The first generation knew the Lord of the work.
- The second generation knew the work of the Lord.
- The third generation knew neither the Lord of the work or the work of the Lord.
- The first generation were strong believers.
- The second generation were weak believers.
- The third generation are unbelievers.
Be sure you pass down your faith. Every generation needs to experience God for themselves.
"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NIV). ... "[T]hat the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God (Psalms 78:6-8, ESV).
Opposable Digits Are Anything But
Many (particularly naturalists) would argue that science and faith enjoy ZERO compatibility. But is it true that science and faith must be so diametrically opposed to one another?
Consider opposable digits. They are wondrous things. Most primates have them. But mans’ thumbs are uniquely designed for ultimate coordination:
The human opposable thumb is longer, compared to finger length, than any other primate thumb. This long thumb and its ability to easily touch the other fingers allow humans to firmly grasp and manipulate objects of many different shapes. The human hand can grip with strength and with fine control, so it can throw a baseball or sign a name on the dotted line.
So what do opposable digits have to do with the marriage of science and faith? Well, the noted scientist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics 1915, Sir William Bragg, made this astute connection …
Christianity and science are opposed … but only in the same sense as that which my thumb and forefinger are opposed — and between them, I can grasp everything.
Science and faith do not oppose one another. They fully and completely compliment one another. Science declares the heights and depths and intricacies of God’s creative powers, while faith gives reason to all of it.
“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (Psalms 111:2, ESV).
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20, ESV).
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1, ESV).
Wells of Salvation
Water sources are always precious, especially in a desert climate. According to Texas A&M Science:
Most wells don’t get their water from underground rivers, but instead get the water from aquifers. Aquifers are layers of rock and soil with water flowing through their small pores. Groundwater drips slowly and gently through the small spaces within rocks, between rocks, and between loose materials such as sand and gravel. In fact, water in aquifers can take years to centuries to flow back to the surface. A typical flow rate for water in aquifers is ten feet per year. For this reason, if a region experiences no rain for a few weeks, the wells will not immediately run dry. New water from rain and melting snow drips down into the ground through the pores and cracks in the rocks and soil. The well has to be deep enough so that it is below the water table so that the water fills up.
Those who are deeply rooted in Christ will experience sustainance and joy unspeakable from the salvation and security He provides, with plenty of "reserves" on hand rippling through and flowing up from the swell of the groundwaters of His grace.
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3, ESV).
"[I pray that] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:16-19, ESV).