Romans - Abraham

Taking a Closer Look @ Abraham

 

            Paul used Abraham from the OT to show how one man exercised his faith in God & how it was counted as righteousness. At the time of Abraham’s life there was no law to follow. The purpose of the law was to reveal man’s inability to follow it perfectly. We all sin & Abraham was no different. 

            God chose Abraham to become the founder & spiritual father of the Jewish nation. God loved Abraham & blessed him greatly. Even though Abraham was far from perfect, he had a strong listing of accomplishments which start with his faith pleasing God. He was deeply respected by his peers & was seen as courageous in defending his family. Abraham was shown to be a caring father to his own family & was hospitable toward others. Because of God’s incredible blessing Abraham was a successful & wealthy rancher. Abraham liked to avoid conflicts, however, when they were unavoidable he allowed his opponent to declare the set of rules for settling the dispute.

            A weakness Abraham had was to put off making a decision when confronted with difficult situations. When he is given a choice Abraham first thought of himself, so he tended to be selfish and self-centered at times. 

Being a sinner who strived to live according to God’s directives found in scripture, he was caught distorting the truth as a means of saving both his & Sarah’s life. The consequences of Abraham’s lie caused plagues to take place in Egypt where his lie was told to Pharaoh. You can read all about it in Genesis 12:10-20. 

The greatest way Abraham exercised his faith was to pick up his entire family, along with all his animals & possessions & leave his home in Ur just because Almighty God told him to go. The kicker is that he was never told where God wanted him to go. That took an immense amount of faith & trust in God.

As with Abraham, God doesn’t want us to simply drift aimlessly thru life, but rather be a positive influence for Him. To accomplish that we must be able to discern what God is saying to us & then learn how to focus on the Spirit’s leading & without hesitation go do it. That is living by faith. 

Although Jesus is the one we are to emulate, it’s vital to know Abraham’s story as an impressive scriptural example of having faith & exercising it. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.