Abraham: The Father Of Our Faith

“Abraham… is the father of us all” — Romans 4:16 ESV  

If you were to ask any devout Jew who the greatest person of faith in the Torah is, they would without hesitation respond, “Abraham!” He is one of the most important people in the Old Testament, being the father of the nation of Israel and having been the first beneficiary of the Abrahamic covenant. And when you read the New Testament, the theological implications of Abraham’s faith come to life and come into a much fuller perspective. References to him pop up all over the Gospels and Epistles. This Old Testament believer had a major impact on the New Testament, and therefore a major impact on us today. While Abraham was considered a giant of faith (and even called “Abraham the man of faith” in Galatians 3:9), and is noted for his prompt obedience to the voice of God, he failed to obey perfectly. When God told him to leave his family and go to a new place, he quickly stepped out into that new place but brought his nephew with him, which doesn’t count as leaving your family. One time he lied to try to ease a situation, which is not what people do when they are trusting God. And let’s not forget about Ishmael! The fact that Abraham obeyed imperfectly and is still celebrated without criticism or condemnation in the New Testament should be great news for us. God is less concerned with the perfection of your life and more concerned with the direction of your life.

When you look at the big picture, Abraham lived a life of faith. When you zoom in, you see he still had to work through the human elements of fear, doubt, insecurity, sinfulness, and so on. Your faith leaves a legacy for the people who follow you. Don’t wait for everything to line up perfectly — be quick to step out in faith and obey the voice of God, no matter how many details are still in question, and no matter how imperfect your faith is. Do this, and you will be following in the footsteps of our father Abraham.

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This blog is an excerpt from Robert Presson’s devotional book, “People Of His Presence,” available on Amazon: Click here to purchase on Amazon.  Alternatively, the book is available for free when you give a donation of any amount to City Revival Ministries at cityrevivalnola.com/give. Please indicate that you would like the book when you give.