The Faith of Abraham...

[Neogaia777]

I believe faith is offered by God, but is something we also have to use our own will to choose to have, so, it's both a gift and a choice (Just my opinion)...

And all this begs the question: "What is faith?" Is it simply Belief, or does it require that we know some kind of other things too, and what are those things? I believe faith is a "strong" unmovable belief that cannot be shaken, but is it strengthened to an unmovable, unshakable state because we "know" a few, certain things...

Abraham believed, with no Bible or scriptures, somehow he was able to deduce in his mind and heart and decide and stand firm against heavy opposition of the surrounding cultural beliefs, a certainty of knowing that their was a one and only one true God, and that the one and only true God was the one speaking to him and blessing him through obedience, and no one, absolutely NO ONE, could change Abraham's belief...

He knew he was "right" in his belief, and no one or no clever argument by another person could shake that, In fact he was so sure of his belief and in that the voice that was speaking to him was the one and only true God, and he always obeyed that voice, and was blessed because of it, and as his final test of faith, when that voice told him to do the unspeakable and go an sacrifice his beloved son, (which son, and every blessing in his life, he had acquired by obeying that voice previously in life), that he was willing to sacrifice his only beloved son, according to that voice that had so blessed him in and throughout his life previously by obeying it/him/God...

That takes "faith"

It's not as if Abraham heard some new, unfamiliar voice had come into Abraham's head and all of the sudden told him to go kill his son... This was a voice that Abraham had developed a very, very personal and deeply intimate relationship with since he was young, since he left his earthly Father's house...

He and this voice had developed and cultivated a relationship of "trust" and Love among each other, this voice had never led him down the wrong path or told him to do anything inappropriate before, and every time before, he obeyed and blessings always followed... It wasn't until his very old age, that this voice had asked him to do this thing...

That's faith, that's trust, that's love...

Also, when the voice Abraham heard all his life, and whom he had obeyed all his life... Abraham knew that the voice of the One and Only true God, that he had heard all of his life, had a proven track record of being a promise keeper... So, when Abraham heard the voice's command to sacrifice his one and only son, the voice had previously (before that, before Isaac was born) previously told him (Abraham) that he was going to make a great and mighty nation out of him, and Abraham must have wondered how God was gonna make a great nation out of him, like he (God) told him, if he had no heir...

Abraham knew that Isaac was going to be his last and only child, and how was God going to make a great nation out of him, if Isaac was dead?

The command to sacrifice his son, and the promise of that voice to make a great nation out of him, were in conflict...

But/and Abraham knew this God, this "voice" that he heard, and had trusted in, and this "voice" that he (Abraham) had seen follow through on every one of his prior commands, commitments, and promises, was a "promise keeper"... Abraham was probably at a loss as to how to believe God was going was going to make a great nation out of him if he obeyed the command of that "voice", to sacrifice Isaac?

This was a test of Abraham's obedience and faith...

Abraham chose to believe "all" and "any" thing was possible with God, Abraham had faith that even if he had no heir, God would "make a way" perhaps even pondering, God bringing Issac back from the dead, in order to keep his promise?

Abraham knew he was too old now, to have another child, so he must have wondered how he (God) was going to keep his promise? This God, this "voice" Abraham heard had kept every promise in the past...

So, Abraham, instead of thinking it would be impossible for God to keep his promise with Issac dead, anyways, instead of believing it would be impossible, he (Abraham) "chose" to "believe" that this God, this "voice" with a proven track record of keeping it's/his promises, would "make a way" of keeping his promise, Abraham's only duty, was to obey...

So, Abraham "obeyed" the voice he had learned to trust and put faith in, all of his life, and obeyed to voice's command to kill his one and only begotten son, proving Abraham's faith and loyalty...

But, God stopped him (Abraham) from killing his son, once God knew that Abraham was going to obey and have faith in this voice (that Abraham had cultivated a deep, trusting relationship with all his life), Anyways, Abraham was going to "obey" and have "faith" in God, (in the voice that he had heard all of his life) no matter what, so, that is why he (Abraham) is called "the Father of faith"...

Abraham also showed God, through obedience, that he loved God; that Abraham valued his relationship with this God, this voice, more than his wife, more than his beloved son, more than anything in the world, by his going to carry through with the act, had God not stopped him...

This going to carry through with the act, was a foreshadowing of what God was going to have to do with his only-begotten Son (J.C.), in the future...

Also, Abraham proved that he wasn't "in it" with God just for what he could "get" out of, or from him (God)...

God Bless!

 

[RC1970]

Faith is a gift from God. We don't generate faith on our own, however, we do have to cooperate with what we have been given to grow in sanctification.

Also, there is a content (or purpose) to faith. You have to have faith in something (the ends) and there is a way of faith (the means) and both of these are given to us by God.

 

[tturt]

I understand what you're saying such as in Luke 17:5. But wondering since faith comes by hearing (Rom 10) and we don't make the effort to hear Yahweh's word, then aren't we limiting the opportunity for Him to increase our faith? (though He do whatever He wants).

 

[Job8]

I believe faith is offered by God, but is something we also have to use our own will to choose to have, so, it's both a gift and a choice (Just my opinion)...

We should not make faith too complicated. It is simply believing and trusting God. You believe people every day. So it is not too complicated. And Jesus said that if you have faith as little as a grain of mustard seed, that is enough to move mountains.

 

[Job8]

Faith is a gift from God. We don't generate faith on our own, however, we do have to cooperate with what we have been given to grow in sanctification.

Saving faith comes from hearing the Word of God and particularly the Gospel (Rom 10:17), with the Holy Spirit convincing us that it is true. There is also a spiritual gift of faith, but that is a separate issue.

 

[Gnik]

From my experiance, faith is more than just believing. It is a whole hearted belief in something that we have no difinitive proof of. I believe the faith of Abraham isn't a faith in or of God, but a faith that God will bring what is best. Once we see things beyond ourselves, and no longer question deep in our hearts if God is really there, we can achive this kind of faith.

As a side note, a mustard seed was not used as a measurment during the time the verse about the faith of a musterd seed was used. Musterd seed was used to say something unmeasurably small. So that verse was saying that it's not how much faith you have, it's whether you act of it or not, the rest is up to God.

 

[LightBearer]

From my experiance, faith is more than just believing. It is a whole hearted belief in something that we have no difinitive proof of. I believe the faith of Abraham isn't a faith in or of God, but a faith that God will bring what is best. Once we see things beyond ourselves, and no longer question deep in our hearts if God is really there, we can achive this kind of faith.

As a side note, a mustard seed was not used as a measurment during the time the verse about the faith of a musterd seed was used. Musterd seed was used to say something unmeasurably small. So that verse was saying that it's not how much faith you have, it's whether you act of it or not, the rest is up to God.

This is quite the opposite of bible faith. Evidence is the very foundation of bible faith.

Heb 11:1 "Faith is the assured expectation of what is hoped for, the evident demonstration* of realities that are not seen.

 

[tturt]

As believers we can make choices such as "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:24.

Faith is the title deed!!! "Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. AMP Heb 11:1

Abraham waited 25 years for his son of promise so patience and persistence are active elements of having spiritual faith.

But as someone posted it's different from the gift of faith - even with that we can desire it I Cor 14:1. But Yahweh gives as He sees fit.

 

[Steeno7]

Faith is a choice, and it is our choice, not God's, and not anyone else's.

 

[Neogaia777]

Re-posting