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Learning from the Saints Who Went Before Us
Faithful Christians throughout church history encourage us to trust Christ, remain committed to His Word, and persevere through trials. In this episode, Dave Jenkins reflects on lessons we can learn from the saints who went before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Christ.Listen or Watch
Learning from Faithful Christians in Church History
Hebrews 11 highlights the faith of God’s people throughout redemptive history. Hebrews 13:7 calls believers to remember faithful leaders, consider the outcome of their lives, and imitate their faith.Following this week’s reflections on John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, and J. C. Ryle, Dave considers what their examples and the lives of other faithful Christians can teach us today. Their value lies in how they point us to Christ and His Word.Four Lessons from the Saints Who Went Before Us
- Commitment to Scripture: Learn from believers whose lives and ministries were grounded in the Word of God.
- Perseverance through trials: Be encouraged by Christians who continued serving Christ through opposition, illness, and discouragement.
- Wisdom without hero worship: Appreciate their contributions while recognizing their weaknesses and keeping Scripture as your authority.
- Confidence in God’s faithfulness: Remember that the God who sustained His people in previous generations continues to sustain His church today.
Keep Your Eyes Fixed on Christ
Every Christian example is imperfect. We can learn from the faithfulness of past believers and acknowledge their failures while looking to Christ alone as our perfect Savior.Church history gives us reasons to thank God for His sustaining grace. Christ is worth following, His truth is worth defending, and His promises are worth trusting.Scripture References
- Hebrews 11
- Hebrews 13:7
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
