Why Is Genealogy So Important? Knowing Your Physical and Spiritual Roots
People in the United States have taken up a new hobby—genealogy and ancestry research. Genealogy, the study of ancestors and descendants, has become the second most popular hobby in the United States (just under gardening) according to articles in TIME and USA TODAY. Isn’t it interesting that the two most popular pastimes deal with roots?
Some will say genealogy has gained popularity in the United States because we are a blend of various nationalities and cultures, and people have an innate desire to know in what country, and with whom, their physical roots lie.
More specifically, those who seek out their heritage are often curious about…
- What their former family members looked like and if they resemble them
- What their ancestors’ professions were and the stories of how they came to the United States
- Their genetic health history
- Finding a missing piece to their family puzzle regarding patterns of relationships and hardships
- Whether they are a descendant of royalty
Companies are built, movies are made, and books are written upon these pursuits. All of it lies in hope—hope to better know who you are and where you are going by researching your past.
Perhaps we are taking the wrong approach and looking at it solely from a physical DNA perspective. As a Believer, do you ever search your spiritual heritage with as much enthusiasm and zeal as many do with this rapidly growing hobby?
No doubt knowing our physical heritage is important. It does provide incredible genetic insight into who we are, and somehow and in some ways, it makes puzzle pieces that were once scattered come together.
Why? Because, as mentioned earlier, there is a longing for us to find our roots. But we can’t deny that there is a connection between our physical and spiritual makeup.
Our Earthly Family
This certainly isn’t true for all of us who seek out our ancestry, but for others, there is a search for identity. How often do we hear, “I’m trying to find myself”? Or ask, “Who am I?”
There is something in our DNA that drives us to search our roots. When we come across details in our ancestors’ history that reveal everything from stories about the family’s drive to survive in trying times to periods of prosperity and advancement, we automatically feel a sense of connectedness.
As we dig into our past, we sometimes find ourselves holding our breath, praying that what we see will be affirming and edifying. Emotions and hopes both running high as we discover a roadmap that will help us uncover our purpose, destiny, and identity.
The wonderful part of this is, whether we uncover a pattern of dysfunction or a legacy of unconditional love, we can always return to truth and the Word of God to tell us who we are, no matter our family lineage.
You see, no matter what our family background has been, we have become our heavenly Father’s child when we accept the adoption that has been granted to us through the blood of Jesus.
Our Spiritual Family
When you search your spiritual heritage, you find you do come from a line of royalty!
- “…For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”—Isaiah 61:10
- “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”—1 Peter 2:9
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”—Ephesians 1:3
As the Church, we must look at this upsurge in heritage discovery through the lens of God.
- What does He want us to search?
- What does He want us to discover?
- What does He want to reveal to us through our heritage?
When you uncover the lost roots of your spiritual heritage and engage the keys of covenant alignment, you can live a life of power with authority and leave a legacy.
He wants you to discover that when you live under His roof and live by His rules, you find mercy, grace, and blessings. We might commonly hear this phrase spoken by our parents, but when we hear it from our Father and search His character and our heritage in Him, we find a meaning that is the complete opposite from what we are used to in our culture.
Privileged with a Purpose
To be clear, this is not about legalism. The Word is clear about this…
- “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it ist he gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”—Ephesians 2:8-9
- “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”—Romans 9:16
- “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”—Galatians 5:4
When you embrace your Hebraic roots to the Christian faith, you find the will of God for your life. You become aware of the privileged and powerful position you have and that God made you for a purpose for His Kingdom.
So many in the Church today are in an ongoing spiritual battle. Emotions are intense, and there is a great pull inside between the flesh and the spirit.
- “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is”—Matthew 26:41
As a result, we come into faith never being fully connected to our roots. This is not a matter of salvation; it’s a matter of walking in the fullness of it.
When we don’t have the connection to the Father through the Jewish roots of our Christian faith, we become separated from the blessing of being aligned with an opened Heaven.
God is preparing His Bride. He is awakening our spirit so that we come into agreement with who He said we were from the beginning.
- “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”—Ephesians 2:10
He doesn’t want us continually trying to find our place in His family; He wants us to rest in the fact that He alone has already given us meaning, purpose, and citizenship in Heaven. He wants to see His Bride connect to her faith roots so that she can stand firm in the faith and produce good fruit for His Kingdom.
If you want to know more about your Jewish roots, download our FREE One New Man Guide. It takes you deep into the Hebraic roots of Christianity and illuminates the covenant promises of God.
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one… so as to create in Himself one new man from the two… that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross…” —Ephesians 2:14, 15, 16
“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh…that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise.” —Ephesians 2:11, 12