In Touch - July 20, 2005

July 20, 2005

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

--James 2:21-24

Regarding dynamic faith, James uses two vivid examples of people in Scripture with two opposite personalities—Abraham and Rahab (James 2:25). One was a man; the other was a woman. One was a well-known person in the Bible; the other wasn’t. One was a Jew; the other—a Gentile. Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation; Rahab was an unbeliever and pagan. He was a patriarch; she was a prostitute. I think you get the picture now.

Despite their different backgrounds, they both had something in common—a living faith! Today, I want to talk to you specifically about Abraham. The Scripture says: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). That’s when Abraham became a believer!

Later in the Bible God said to him, “Take now…your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:2). Abraham willingly offered his son. And because of his obedience to follow God’s command, the Lord spared his son. God wanted Abraham to demonstrate his faith, and as a result his faith came alive.

The same faith that transformed Abraham’s life can transform ours! And it results from obedience to God. There’s an old hymn that says: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

When practicing your living faith on a daily basis, remember that God will do amazing things when you couple that with obedience to Him. Is He calling you to obey in some area of your life where you’ve been stubborn before? Are you holding on to something that could hinder a life-changing transformation? Let go and let God instill in you a living faith as a result of your obedience to Him.

ONE AVENUE TO A LIFE OF LIVING FAITH IS

THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO THE LORD.