[Abraham] is the father of us all.
Romans 4:16
Abraham’s Faith
One of the giants of the early Christian church was John Chrysostom. He served as a pastor about 300 years after Jesus rose from the dead. Trained in classical rhetoric, John easily could have made a comfortable life for himself in various professions. Instead, he devoted his considerable gifts to the proclamation of Jesus Christ.
Like many a Christian before him and after him, John Chrysostom read from the Old Testament about Abraham. He read how God called Abraham to leave the familiarity of his homeland and live as a permanent stranger somewhere else. He read how Abraham, surrounded by a godless and calloused culture, publicly proclaimed the name of the Lord. And he read how Abraham heard God’s promise that the Savior of the world would one day come from his family, and how Abraham believed that promise.
As he thought long and hard about Abraham, about the profound faith Abraham possessed, John Chrysostom said this about Abraham, “He asked no questions, demanded no signs, but trusted the promise alone.”
Let’s read that again. Of Abraham, John Chrysostom said, He asked no questions, demanded no signs, but trusted in the promise alone.
It is no coincidence that the apostle Paul calls Abraham, “The father of us all,” the father of all of us who believe in Jesus as our Savior. He says this because Abraham embodies what it meant to trust the gospel promises of God.
Paul marveled at Abraham’s faith. So did John Chrysostom. So did Martin Luther. How could he do it? How could he trust so fully, without question? Was it his innate strength of character? Was he simply a better, more spiritual, kind of person? That cannot be it. The Bible makes it clear that Abraham was born a lost, broken sinner just like the rest of us.
In the end, the answer does not lie in Abraham. Rather, it lies in the power of the promise itself—the promise of full forgiveness in Jesus alone.
It is the same promise that feeds your faith and mine.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, feed my faith by the power of your promise. Amen.
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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