THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #14 | THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF HEBREWS #1

Pastor Christopher Choo

Lesson 3695

THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #14

THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF HEBREWS #1

We have our own pet versions of Abraham as a father of faith.

Perhaps that phrase " father of faith " refers to verses like Galatians 3:9 and Galatians 3:29 which describe people who have faith as Abraham’s children. 

In other words, such people benefit from the promises that God gave to Abraham.

But, as we have seen, Abraham was not the first person in the Bible to show faith (active belief and trust in God) e.g. Noah had faith in God's words that He would destroy the world by a flood.

However, Abraham’s faith was especially important. 

Genesis 15:6 describes his faith. Abraham believed in God, and so he received a right relationship with God. 

When Paul wanted to emphasise the importance of faith, he twice referred to that verse. See Romans 4:1-3 and Galatians 3:6-9.

Let us compare Noah's faith with Abraham's and read Hebrews 11:7.

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith

Abraham and Noah had very different lives. But they both received faith, in the same way, that is, from God’s word.

God’s word warned Noah about the great Flood. God’s word invited 

Abraham to receive land as a gift. 

The two messages were very different, but both men had to trust God completely. Noah had to prepare for an event that he had not yet seen. Abraham had to go to a country that he did not know. He did not even know where he was going.

But both men’s reaction was the same. They believed in God, and they obeyed him. In other words, they had faith. Their actions showed complete belief and trust in God.

And that is why God rewarded those men. They did not merely receive a place to live. They received a right relationship with God. And that relationship came from God’s promises to them.

But the question remains: why is Abraham's faith singled out over and above Noah's?

My answer to this difficult question is solely my own personal opinion.

The “Father of the Faithful” had his moments of doubt and disbelief, yet he is still exalted among men as an example of the faithful life.

The sacrifice of Isaac the son of his own flesh is the game-changer. 

The sacrifice was to be the very essence of his existence as a father. If he were deprived of his “only son,” he would no longer be a father. 

And his very own Father was the one placing this requirement on Abraham who set out to obey his Father God. 

The father named Abraham was about to take any meaning from his own being simply because his Father required him to do so.

He was required to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. God could require of him no greater example of obedience. 

God Himself, as a matter of fact, could not be asked to offer any greater example of His esteem for us than to offer His Son Jesus as a sacrifice. 

God was asking the “father of faith” to imitate His own actions in this matter. God was requiring of Abraham that he act like God Himself. This son of God called Abraham was to emulate the nature of God Himself that day.

Abraham did not spare Isaac. It was God Himself who spared him (Genesis 22:12). Abraham’s actions that day provided for his descendants a model of filial obedience that is exceeded only by the act of Jesus at Calvary 2000 years later.

That to me is why Abraham's faith is more honored than Noah's till this very day.