Phil Robertson’s Relationship With Jesus Was On Full Display In His Very First TV Interview: “I’m Putting My Faith In Him”

Phil Robertson was always comfortable with sharing his faith from the very beginning.

The world is still mourning the loss of the star of Duck Dynasty, the founder of Duck Commander and patriarch of the Robertson family. Robertson passed away this past week at the age of 79 after it was revealed earlier this year that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

The family announced Phil’s passing in a statement that paid tribute to his life while giving thanks for his deep faith:

“We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord. He reminded us often of the words of Paul, “you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

Thank you for the love and prays of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, by his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus. We are grateful for his life on earth and will continue the legacy of love for God and love for others until we see him again.”

Since his passing, there have been a number of positive things from his life that have resurfaced once more. Whether it be his 15 fixes for America, the fact that he once played football better than Terry Bradshaw, or the fact that he told those who loved him not to cry when he passed away, there’s almost an unlimited amount of Phil Robertson content to go around to celebrate his life.

One of the other moments from Robertson’s incredibly impactful time on this Earth that’s currently getting a lot of attention online came in his first ever TV interview. It was in the interview – before his big time Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty days – that he chose to speak on his faith in God.

He first started his faith explanation by juxtaposing it with the theory of evolution, which he said he studied while at Louisiana Tech:

“I don’t think I was anti-system or anti-establishment, but I nearly was. Someone sat down with me… I have a couple of degrees from Louisiana Tech and I studied about the theory of evolution on how we arrived here, how the cosmos arrived here, how the Earth arrived here. What actually brought me here was I never had read the biblical account.”

Once someone introduced him to the Bible, Phil says he dove deep into it’s teachings, and specifically the life and death of Jesus Christ. It was in that pivotal moment in his life that he decided he’d rather put his faith in the Lord over a theory that a “Big Bang” created all of life itself:

“So I read the biblical account and I stacked it up against darwinism. Some fella showed me that 2,000 years ago this Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene and was God in flesh, died on the cross for my old rotten life, was put in a tomb and was resurrected from the dead.

When I started to realize that dead men could live again, I could either put my faith in this evolution thing where there’s no hope or put my faith in the Almighty and that the Jesus of Nazareth was really who he said he was.”

Amen.

Robertson went on to say that he was baptized, and that the good news of Jesus was great news when it came to changing his life. After he devoted his life to Christ, he went around telling people that Jesus was his “number one,” and that’s how things were going to be. He helped others learn the name Jesus, which is one of the great missions that a believer can go on.

And the words he said here are probably very comforting to hear for those that were closest to Robertson – especially knowing that he was battling Alzheimer’s Disease towards the end of his life:

“At least I have a great hope of when I physically die of having my body resurrected from the ground. It’s very simple. If Jesus of Nazareth was who he said he was, I am convinced based on my studying of the Bible that I’m coming out of the ground too. If he came out, I’m coming out. And if I didn’t come out of the ground, I don’t think anyone is. So I’m putting my faith in Him.”

It’s very interesting to look back at this non-grey-bearded Phil Robertson and hear just how dedicated he was to his faith. Knowing that his belief in God led him to Louisiana to start making duck calls… you can’t tell me that’s a coincidence that everything worked out. He explained at the end of the interview that he promised his wife, Kay, that they just had to trust God and His will for their lives:

“I told my wife in order to get away from all of my old friends and all of this temptation and running after dollar bills or whatever, I said we need to find a little place down there and I’m gonna fish the river and I’m gonna build duck calls. I said, ‘We will make it.'”

And that they did. Little did this young Phil Robertson know that his faith – paired with his plan to build duck calls – would grow into the world famous Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty brand. As with many of the other things that Robertson would go on to say after this, there’s always wisdom to take away from the words of the Duck Commander himself.

RIP Phil Robertson.

The post Phil Robertson’s Relationship With Jesus Was On Full Display In His Very First TV Interview: “I’m Putting My Faith In Him” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.