Having Faith Like Abraham

“After these things God tested Abraham’s faith. God said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he answered, ‘Here I am.’ Then God said, ‘Take your only son, Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Kill him there and offer him as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” – Genesis 22:1-2

There is no other scene in the Bible except for Jesus’ death at Calvary that is more memorable and heartbreaking than when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. He did it to test Abraham’s faith. God did not ask him to do it to show how cruel or heartless He was, but to illustrate God’s willingness to do the same with His son, Jesus. Similar to Jesus, Abraham obeys and trusts God and through his actions God promises to bless him and his descendants. The blessings promised to Abraham and his descendants are available to everyone that God chooses. The blessings that are given to people are promised in the Abrahamic covenant.

The blessings given to Abraham and his descendants included land in Canaan, many descendants and being able to understand the gospel and receive eternal life. Having faith allowed Abraham to receive great blessings from God. We can learn from Abraham’s faith, and trust God when He tells us to do something even when it sounds unbelievable. His action of trusting God shows his remarkable faith. Jesus did the same thing; He trusted and obeyed God even when that caused His death—death on a cross (Philippians 2:8).

Those who believe and put their faith in Jesus are promised the same blessings as Abraham and his descendants. Ephesians 2:8-9 sums up the only way to receive the same promised gifts:

“I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it.”

When we have faith like Abraham, we will receive eternal life. Nevertheless, we need to remember that we cannot not save ourselves; therefore, salvation and the blessings received from trusting and obeying God are gifts from Him. It is not the result of our own efforts, so we cannot brag about what we have done but brag about God and what He has done instead for us (Ephesians 2:9). It is by Jesus’ willingness to trust and obey God that we will be saved, and all is possible by God’s grace alone!

Prayer of the day:

Dear heavenly Father,

You are the great giver of everything. You allowed Jesus to die for our sins. Please help us when we doubt you and have total confidence in You. We want to have the same faith as Jesus and Abraham. Their faith has great blessings, and we will receive the same blessings when we do the same. Help us to believe in You when You tell us to do something. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!