Quote from Forum Archives on June 8, 2003, 3:34 pm

Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>

Abraham's Astounding Faith

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go

out into a place which he should after receive

for an inheritance, obeyed; ...  By faith he

sojourned in the land of promise, as in a

strange country ... By faith Abraham, when

he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that

had received the promises offered up his

only begotten son, ... Accounting that God

was able to raise him up, even from the dead;"

(Hebrews 11:8,9,17,19)

 

Many, including myself, have thought of Abraham's faithful

obedience to God in the matter of offering up Isaac as "the

ultimate sacrifice".  In some sense I still do agree with this

thought, especially since this incident is listed in "Faith's Hall

of Fame" (Hebrews 11) as a proof of Abraham's great faith.

Yet, I must also insist that we look deeper into the matter.

Truly great faith is more a matter of a deep relationship with

God than it is of the occasional extraordinary act of obedience

or of some miraculous accomplishment.

 

I know I have just "said a mouthful", but think with me.  If it

were not for the continual, step-by-step, walk with God,

Abraham never would have gotten to Mount Moriah, nor

would he have received his miracle of a baby boy several

years earlier.  For both of these things required a very

profound faith-and-obedience relationship with God.

 

To further assist our understanding, I lean partially upon

the teachings of an adult Sunday School teacher in St. Louis,

Missouri, Brother Mark Russell, Jr.  He said something to

the effect that Abraham's faithful obedience in offering his

son, Isaac, to God was but the next step of many in his

relationship with God.  Abraham reached this mountain

peak of faith by taking one little step at a time, not by one

massive leap from the bottom to the top. 

 

There are therefore three things that I find to be

astounding about Abraham's faith:

 

1.  He believed God continually through all the ups

     and downs of life.

 

    Think not dear people that Abraham always heard God's voice,

saw God appear to him, or received immediate answers to prayer.

We only read of a few times in Abraham's many years where he

experienced such extraordinarily supernatural manifestations.  It

is very possible that there were more special visits from God.

However, it is also very likely that Abraham faced many

monotonous and even downright dark and discouraging times,

just like you and I do.

 

2.  He believed God for many years, before seeing

     God's promises fulfilled.

 

    One of the greatest proofs of genuinely great faith in God

is the fact that it is willing to wait without doubting God for

as long as God takes to bring the fulfillment.  Yes, Abraham

did fall short in this in the matter of Ishmael.  The Bible

makes no excuse for his failure, but God does forgive when

we repent and reclaim our shield of faith.  This is what I

believe Abraham did.

    Again, in the matters of the "city whose builder and maker

is God", his seed multiplied as the stars in the heavens, and

the blessing of all nations through his seed, Abraham did not

see these before his death except through the eye of faith.

 

3.  Ordinary people like you and I may have such a

real relationship with God that our faith can be of

the same or even greater quality than that of Abraham's.

 

    To me this is the most amazing thing about Abraham's

faith: you and I may have it too!  Let us then have this

same faith that "laughs at impossibilities".

 

"With men it is impossible, but not with God: for

with God all things are possible."  (Mark 10:27)

 

"So then they which be of faith are

blessed with faithful Abraham."  (Galatians 3:9)

 

Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield

 

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