“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith giving glory to God.” Romans 4:20
The story of Abraham, and how God made a man of faith of him, is a monumental lesson for every believer, not only in the necessity of trusting God, but the certainty of God’s faithfulness to respond according to His promises. We forget that God is not like man, sinful man in particular. One of the eternal attributes of God’s nature is faithfulness. If we break down the English word, “Faithful,” we can begin to get a glimpse of what this means. First we see the smaller word “faith.” When we look at the Lord Jesus Christ, walking this earth, subject to the weakness and frailty of flesh and blood, we discover that He is remarkably different from every other man in that He is, was, and ever shall be perfectly faith-filled. His faith in the Father was entire, there being at no moment even the slightest deviation from devotion to the Father. The culminating proof of His faith was on the cross.
Abraham, as an old man, came to this point, though to a lesser extent. His body being old, around an hundred years, God had promised him a son, not only with regard to his birth, but with regard to the redemption and salvatioin of the world. There would be born to Abraham a “son of promise” who would carry with him the promise of a Messiah, a Savior, a King, a Seed, who would bless every family on the earth. Though not all men would believe in this Seed, Christ, many would come to know the eternal spiritual blessings of knowing God. However, it is essential to see that the faith that Christ had, being perfect, is that same faith the He gives to those would would seek Him earnestly. The difference between his perfect faith, and faithfulness, and that of Abraham, is not in the nature of the faith, but in its application and use. Abraham, great man that he was, was not a perfect believer in God. He was a sinner like all of mankind, with all of mankind’s imperfection, faithlessness, doubt, and doublemindedness, at times. In other words, unlike Christ who would never fail, Abraham would fail, and need to be like all men to be forgiven of sins, strengthened, and renewed to rise up from faithlessness and doubt to become a man of faith, well-pleasing to God.
How did God bring Abraham to faith, a faith that staggered not at the promise of God? He began by revealing Himself to Abraham. There was in Christ’s encouters with Abram, the unveiling of who He truly was. Abraham was so gripped by what he understood of the Lord before him that he would fall down before Him, make altars to worship Him whereever he went, and learn to obey Him. We do not know exactly when the Lord began revealing Himself to Abram, but we do know that with every unveiling of His person, Abram’s faith grew. From the departure from Ur of the Chaldees to go to a land that he did not know, to receiving the news that in her old age, Sarah his wife, would bear him a son of promise, Abram’s faith grew. There would come a day when Abram “put down a stake.” He would take a position of faith with regard to the promise of God that would be irrevokable, immoveable, without doubting. It would be the total committal of himself to God, to believe Him for the accomplishment of the promise in spite of all that would defy reason and understanding. In other words, his mind was made up by the grace of God to not doubt God with regard to the promise. On the contrary, he would give glory to God. Scripture tells us that Abraham, “…being FULLY persuaded that, what He (The Lord) had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:21) The reward of such faith, such trust and committal, was God’s immeasureable blessing.
Dear Father, Make us faithful, without doubting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.