Pioneers of Faith

Genesis 12:1; Acts 7:4-7, 12-17

GOLDEN TEXT: “By faith Abraham, when he was called … obeyed; he went out, not knowing whither he went.”—Hebrews 11:8

FROM the viewpoint of faith, Abraham stands out pre-eminently among the Old Testament characters. And, perhaps more than any others of the ancient worthies, he was a pioneer of faith for the reason that to him God made more far-reaching promises than to any who preceded him; and true faith is based upon the hearing of the Word of God. Doubtless Enoch and Noah and a few others of the “world that then was” were capable of exercising as strong faith in God’s Word as was manifested by Abraham, but it was not the due time for such a full revelation of the divine purpose to be given in their day as that with which Abraham was blessed. The real test of faith to Abraham was in the sacrifice of his son.

So all-comprehensive was the promise made to Abraham that the Apostle Paul refers to it as the “Gospel,” or good news of blessings for all nations through Christ. (Gal. 3:8,16) God promised Abraham that his seed should bless all the families of the earth. No such promise had ever before been made. There had been hints of some such divine purpose; such as the statement made in the Garden of Eden to the effect that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. But to Abraham it was more than a hint—it was a definite assurance, not only of God’s purpose to bless all nations, but that the blessings would come through his seed.

That placed a genuine test upon Abraham’s faith. There have been many in all ages who have believed in the existence of God, and in a general sort of way have reverenced Him and given Him at least nominal obedience. James reminds us that even the devils believe, and tremble. (James 2:19) But Abraham’s faith was more than this. God spoke to him, made a wonderful promise, and called or invited him to do certain things which would prove his faith by his obedience. Our Golden Text asserts that Abraham demonstrated his faith by obeying.

We sometimes hear the expression, “blind faith,” which means a belief and obedience without sound reason upon which it can be based. Some exercise such a faith in certain human leaders which they have set up in their hearts as idols. Whether right or wrong they blindly follow these leaders irrespective of what the outcome may be. But this was not the kind of faith exercised by Abraham, although our Golden Text states that when he was called of God, he went out, “not knowing whither he went.”

But Abraham knew who made the promise. God called him to go into a land which He would show him, and Abraham had such confidence in God that he knew the land of promise ultimately would be shown to him and that he would inherit it as an everlasting possession. The only detail that Abraham didn’t at first know clearly was the location of the land. True faith is based upon at least a limited degree of knowledge; but not upon full knowledge, else it would be no longer faith, but sight.

There were three important things which God promised Abraham—the land, the “seed,” and the blessing of all nations through the “seed.” The birth of Isaac was what we might call a token fulfillment of the promise concerning the seed. Abraham sojourned in the land for awhile, but never really possessed it. In this respect Abraham was like the other ancient worthies who died in faith without having received the fulfillment of the promises made to them. But his faith did not waver. His vision of the divine purpose was projected beyond the present life to a future of happiness beyond the grave.

Abraham was blessed with many evidences of God’s abiding care and love, and his faith grew stronger with the passing years despite the fact that much which God had promised was not fulfilled in his day. The apostle tells us that Abraham looked for a city which had foundations, whose builder and maker was God. A “city” in Abraham’s day was usually the governmental center of a “nation,” and nations were small, frequently consisting of but one family and its offspring.

Abraham’s faith in a “city” was therefore evidently based upon God’s promise of a “seed,” an offspring that would become the dominant ruling family in the earth. He believed that God would be the Builder of this city. Certainly, as Abraham saw it, God was already working toward this end in connection with the birth of Isaac, for was he not a God-given child, born as the result of a miracle? This hope in the “seed” was passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob, and finally to the whole nation of Israel. It was the inspiration of their national life, that which helped to keep them together and carry them through the deep waters of affliction in Egypt and beyond.

But neither Abraham nor his descendants were permitted to understand the full import of God’s promise concerning the “seed.” They did not realize that the real seed was to be spiritual, consisting of the resurrected Jesus, and associated with Him, His glorified church. True, there is td be a natural seed also, of which all the ancient worthies will be a part.

QUESTIONS:

What were the three main things God promised to Abraham?

What is the “city” for which Abraham looked?

Who is the “seed” of promise through whom the promised blessing of all mankind will come?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |