21 15. Abrahamic Faith—What Is It, and How May We Know We Have It?
15. Abrahamic Faith—What Is It, and How May We Know We Have It?
Abrahamic Faith—What Is It, and How May We Know We Have It?
INTRODUCTION
There is no better way to learn the faith that saves than studying it as exemplified and exercised by Abraham. Whatever Abrahamic faith may be, it is that faith that saves, and that is the kind we want. The promise is to those "who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham," or to that soul "which is of the faith of Abraham." (Romans 4:12; Romans 4:16.) It is highly important, then, that we know (1) what is the faith of Abraham, and (2) how we today may know we have it.
WHAT IS ABRAHAMIC FAITH?
Abraham believed God. "For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3.) This raises the question: What does the Bible mean when it says, "Abraham believed God "? Whatever this means and whatever he did in this act of the soul, it is the thing that was "reckoned" unto him "for righteousness."
Some others who believed God. (1) The people of Nineveh believed what God said through Jonah. (Jonah 3:4-5.) (2) Paul believed God. (Acts 27:21-25.) He believed exactly what God had said to him. In each case here you find God talking to man, and the expression, "believed God," simply meaning that the people had undoubting faith in what God was talking about. The statement in Genesis 15:1-6 that Abraham "believed in Jehovah " has the same meaning. If God had not spoken to Abraham, never would it have been said that he "believed God." Such an expression has reference to the disposition we make of Jehovah’s utterances to us. The faith that saves is a compound faith. (1) It believes that Jehovah is—that he exists; (2) it also has undoubting confidence in what he says on any question. (Hebrews 11:6.) Merely believing that a certain thing or person exists is not believing that thing or person. This expression applies only to that person or thing that has by language communicated intelligence unto us, and it has reference to the disposition our hearts make of this communication. We can make but one of two dispositions—viz., (1) believe it, or (2) disbelieve it. One can believe that certain mountains are—that they exist; but I can never intelligently speak of believing mountains, for they cannot communicate by means of words anything unto me. So the expression, "Abraham believed God," tells us the sum total of the disposition he made of what God had said to him. Nothing will help you more in Bible study than to learn to let Jehovah’s statement be the end of controversy. "Yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar." (Romans 3:4.) THE PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH ABRAHAM BELIEVED JEHOVAH’S STATEMENT When Abraham first believed God. It was not in Genesis 15 : l-8 that Abraham first believed God. Seventy- five years before this we find God talking to Abraham, and he believed what God said. (Genesis 12:1-4.) His great faith is recorded in Hebrews 11:8-10. "He went out, not knowing whither. he went." God said if he would leave his kindred and his own country, he would bless him, make his name great, and in his seed bless all nations. Abraham had gone for twenty-five years believing that God would bless all nations in his seed when he did not have any seed. As he is nearing his hundredth birthday—too old to have a child—and Sarah, his wife, having been barren all of her life and now ninety, he was sitting and wondering, not doubting, just how God could bless all nations in his seed when he had no seed. After twenty-five years, God, for the first time, explained to Abraham, or told him, just how he would give him an heir. (Genesis 15:1-3.) When Abraham heard it, he "fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" (Genesis 17:17.) The sublimity of Abraham’s faith is now seen. Paul says that, because of this circumstance, his faith in what God said to him in Genesis 15 was accounted unto him for righteousness. "For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Wherefore also it was reckoned unto him for righteousness." ( Romans 4:16-22. ) The peculiar circumstances under which Abraham believed. The circumstances of his believing was the cause of God’s prizing so highly his faith. It was a faith that "in hope believed against hope." It was contrary to nature for Abraham to have a child at this old age. Here reason rebelled. But he glorified God by saying: God said it, and it must be so; God promised it, and he is able to perform it. For this reason was his faith reckoned unto him for righteousness. And note in Romans 4:13 that "the righteousness offaith," which is made equivalent to a life of sinlessness, is just such faith as Abraham here has. It is a faith that believes anything God says, even when it requires faith that against hope believes in hope. It is a faith that takes hold of those things we cannot ourselves see through; but if God said it, that settles it with this kind of faith. The trial of Abraham’s faith. Turn to Genesis 22:1-2; Genesis 22:11-18 and see Abraham’s faith reaching the heights. Here we find God telling him, after Isaac had been born and had grown to be quite a lad, to take him and offer him as a sacrifice upon an altar. The words, "so shall thy seed be," refer to the stars in number— that is, that the descendants of Isaac should become as the stars in number. Isaac did not have one descend ant, and here God is telling Abraham to burn Isaac into ashes upon the altar. Would not Abraham’s mind at once think of the question: How, then, can God bless all nations in my seed, mate Isaac’s descendant become as the stars in number, if I kill him? But did he doubt? Not for a moment. In Hebrews 11:19 Paul represents Abraham as saying in his heart: "God is able to raise up, even from the dead." His idea was that God would take care of his promise by bringing Isaac back to life again. Can you think of greater faith? It was at this very point in Abraham’s life that God confirmed his covenant with him with an oath: "And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, shine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (See Genesis 22:15-18; see also James 2:21-24.) At this juncture Abraham looked and saw a ram behind him in the thicket held by the horns, and he took him and offered him instead of his son. This ram was a type of Christ, who died in our stead. We can have him ourselves when we put the dearest thing in our lives on the altar, but not until then. How glorious is the doctrine!
OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD JUST SUCH FAITH
Some are liable to say: "We are not expected to have such faith today," and, "No one has ever had such faith but Abraham." Let it be remembered that the promise is to those who "are of the faith of Abraham." If we do not have Abrahamic faith, the promise is not ours. But others have had such faith, as we shall see. The brazen serpent. Turn to Numbers 21:4-9. Study carefully the facts in the case. What did God say to these people? Here it is: "It shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he sees it, shall’ live." Here are penitent sinners wanting to know what to do to get rid of their sins and to be healed of the snake bite. God tells them to look at that brazen serpent on the pole and they shall live. But what sense is there in looking at a brass snake to be healed and to get rid of sins? Not one bit of sense, if God had not commanded it. What is it to believe God? Is it not to believe what he says? Could these people have believed God without believing this statement? Certainly not. But when they believed this statement, did they not have to have that faith that "in hope believed against hope"? Is this not the kind that Abraham had to have to believe what God said to him? And when these people had this faith, was it not the faith that Abraham had? Are you beginning to see what Abrahamic faith is—(1) that faith that will believe just anything God says, regardless of the circumstances, and that it is a faith that will try to do what he says, regardless of the cost or difficulty in doing it? Abrahamic faith is not believing just some things God says and pushing other things aside because they do not suit you or are not in harmony with your preconceived ideas. I say again: There is nothing that means more to a human soul than to learn to do with what God says about everything just what Abraham did—viz., believe it and not argue against it.
Walking around the walls. We now turn to Joshua 6:1-5. What did God say to these people? Here it is: "And it shall be, . . . the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him"—that is, after they had walked around the city once each day for six days, had gone around it seven times on the seventh day, and had blown the trumpet and shouted with a loud shout. Could those people have believed God without believing this? Certainly not. But tell me how they could believe it without having that faith that "in hope believed against hope"—the very kind Abraham had. Only Abrahamic faith can believe a proposition like this. (ReadHebrews 11:30.)
Washing in the Jordan. We go now to 2 Kings 5:1-14. Naaman did not have faith enough at first, but after being rebuked kindly by his servants, he reconsidered and stepped out "in obedience of faith" and dipped seven times, as commanded. It took a faith that "in hope believed against hope" to do this. Naaman’s preconceived ideas hindered him at first. He said: "Behold, I thought." He had been thinking just how the cure would be effected; and when it did not come according to his theory, he got mad about it, as many do today about how we get rid of our sins.
HOW WE MAY KNOW WE HAVE THIS FAITH
Commands that require such faith. Find those statements of our Lord that cannot be believed without having that faith that "in hope believed against ho pet" God has always tested man here—that is, placed something in his law that calls into exercise this kind of faith. Here study 1 Corinthians 1:25-29.
Here is a statement we cannot believe without having Abrahamic faith: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16.) What is it to believe God? Is it not to believe what he says? Can any soul believe Christ and believe not these words? Most certainly not. But when he does, he has the same kind of faith that Abraham had, for nothing but this kind of faith will take hold of this statement.
Those who have this faith are children of Abraham by faith. "For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus."Now note how he knows they are: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ.... And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise." (See Galatians 3:26-27; Galatians 3:29.) This settles it. Here is God’s test of faith. It is a statement you cannot believe without faith that "in hope believed against hope." The waters of baptism look as barren as Sarah’s womb, so far as human reason goes; but Jesus said it, and this ends it, say those who have that faith Abraham had.
All of this staggering, halting, hesitating, and doubting when you come to baptism is proof positive of a lack of Abrahamic faith. What would Abraham do with Mark 16:16 were he here on earth today, hence under the law that we are now under? Don’t you know, without a moment’s hesitation, he would submit to baptism? But baptism is our Lord’s test of faith; hence, if there is a lack of faith, this is exactly where it should be seen, and so it is today. In conclusion, let me say again: "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness." And the statement he believed was made under circumstances that forbid his believing it without that faith that "in hope believed against hope." The statement had the promise of a son when he was about one hundred years old and his wife ninety. We become heirs of the promise by believing similar statements. Let us not be found trying to change the statements on account of a lack of faith. When Moses put the serpent on the pole, he did not tell the people the moment they believed his statement they would be healed and to then look because they were healed. That would not have been believing God, for God never said that. Joshua did not tell the people to expect the walls to fall the moment they believed his statement, then go around and blow their trumpets and shout because they were down. If the people had believed that, they certainly would not have been believing God, for God never said that. Just so it is today. When people are taught to believe "he that believeth and is saved may be baptized," they are being taught something God did not say, and faith in this is not believing God. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." This is what Christ said. Abrahamic faith takes it as it is. (Galatians 3:26-27; Galatians 3:29.)