The Bible speaks greatly of Abraham’s faith:
- He inherited the promises by faith
- He looked for the City of God by faith
- He became the heir of the world by faith
- He received the son of promise, Isaac, by faith
- He became a father of many nations by faith
But what was at the epicenter of Abraham’s faith? At the center of his faith was God’s ability:
Romans 4:20-25 (faith in God’s ability to perform what He promised):
[20] He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, [21] and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. [22] And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”* [23] Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, [24] but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, [25] who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
Hebrews 11:17-19 (faith in God’s ability to raise the son of promise from the dead):
[17] By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, [18] of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”* [19] concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. In contrast, Abraham’s inability was so great that he was described as “as good as dead”:
Hebrews 11:12
[12] Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. Romans 4:19 (NKJV)[19] And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
How much ability does a dead person or body have? Zero. We’re talking total inability. Here’s the second key of Abraham’s great faith: he did not consider his total inability but was looking to GOD’s total ability!
(Photo credit: Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash )
