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 Correct.
 "By
faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac..." Hebrews 11:17
(NAS)
"And He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom
you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt
offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." Genesis
22:2 (NAS)
What was God's Part in This?
God's part included:
- Giving instructions to Abraham.
- Stopping Abraham from killing Isaac, once God knew that Abraham would
fully obey.
- Providing a substitute sacrifice (the ram).
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By Faith
Abraham Offered Up Isaac (Hebrews 11:17)
Faith is the assurance of things
hoped for...
the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews
11:1 |
| 1. What is the
thing hoped for...or is not seen? |
What Is
The Thing Hoped For:
That
God would perhaps raise men, even Isaac from
the dead. |
| 2. What is
man's
part, if any? |
Abraham was to offer up Isaac as the Lord
had commanded. |
| 3. What is
God's part? |
 When
God saw that Abraham would obey...He stopped
Abraham and provided a ram to be sacrificed
in Isaac's place. |
| 4. How did
Abraham have this assurance and conviction
that God would have the power to raise even
Isaac from the dead? |
-
Understand the thing hoped
for...or the thing not seen.
-
Hear God's word (Faith comes
by hearing...and hearing by the word of
Christ. Romans 10:17) to
understand God's power and faithfulness
to His promises.
-
Do your part, if any.
-
Trust God that He has done what
He has said...and/or that He will do
what He promises.
-
Pray that God will help increase
your belief and faith (Luke 17:5, Mark
9:23-24) and give you wisdom (James 1:5).
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Promises That Do
Not Require Obedience on Our
Part:
As we saw with the example of Sarah, sometimes there are promises that God gives that do not require any
action or obedience on our part. Another example is when God made a promise to
Abraham of a son. God did not ask for Abraham to do anything (Abraham was
100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old):
"After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision,
saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very
great."
2
And Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what wilt Thou give
me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3
And Abram said, "Since Thou hast given no offspring to
me, one born in my house is my heir."
4
Then behold, the
word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one
who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir."
5
And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and
count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall
your descendants be." 6
Then he believed in the LORD; and
He reckoned it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:1-6 (NAS)
Romans chapter 4 discussed this particular promise of God
to Abraham:
"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the
flesh, has found?
2
For if Abraham was justified by works,
he has something to boast about; but not before God.
3
For
what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to
him as righteousness." Romans 4:1-3 (NAS)
Faith Involves Obedience Where Obedience is
Required:
In the example of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, God required Abraham to offer his
son. Abraham's obedience of faith becomes one of the main examples of
faith given in Hebrews.
In the 2nd example above where God promised Abraham a son from his own
body in Genesis 15...there was no obedience or action required by God of Abraham for this to
happen. In this case, Abraham simply believed...and his belief was
reckoned to him as righteousness.
Click on the next question to continue...
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