Abraham’s Faith that Worked
21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete, 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. (James 2:21-23)
From verses 21 to 26, James gives a couple of biblical examples of faith that works, starting with the story of Abraham and Isaac found in Genesis 22:1-18. As a reminder, God made a covenant with Abraham, promising Abraham to become the father of many generations. At a very old age, his wife, Sarah, gave birth to their son, Isaac. When we get to Genesis 22, the Lord commands Abraham to offer his only son, as seen in Genesis 22:2, “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Abraham obeyed, and as he was about to sacrifice his son, an angel of the Lord stopped him, stating in verse 12, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” In the end, Abraham’s line continued, leading to Jesus Christ, leading to Genesis 22:18, “All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”
Abraham’s faith in God manifested itself in obedience to His command. Faith in action. “You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete.” The end result of Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac showed that Abraham was righteous, which led to close fellowship between him and God, even being called “God’s friend.” God reached out to Abraham and gave him the privilege of an intimate and close relationship.
Genuine faith in the Lord should lead to action and obedience. As Abraham trusted God, he was given the privilege of God drawing near to him. May we strive for that kind of faith that leads to obedience, which will lead to a deeper relationship with the God we love.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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