ABRAHAM'S FAITH

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead. HEBREWS 11:17–19 Abraham’s obedience took a tremendous amount of faith. He was willing to obey God because he believed God could raise the dead, even though he had never before seen the dead raised to life. He believed God was so true to His Word and character that if He made a promise, He would even raise the dead to keep it. Is it any wonder he is the greatest human model of faith? The apostle Paul also commented on Abraham’s faith: “Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham…. Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Gal. 3:7, 9). Anyone who lives by faith in God is in a spiritual sense a son of Abraham. He is the father of the faithful. The account of Abraham tells us that a man can go through the severest trial of life imaginable if he trusts God, believing that He will keep His promise and accomplish His purposes without making a mistake. John MacArthur, Truth for Today : a Daily Touch of God’s Grace (Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2001), 299.