Faith and Abraham

                     Why was Abraham credited with Faith?

   Why was Abraham credited with righteousness through faith? What is faith? Well, we are going to get into that subject today from a biblical standpoint. Faith is the strong belief in something for which there is no proof. To follow something or someone in a strong belief system. There are several different definitions of faith. I am using what I know to be faith as a strong belief system that directs my ways in life whether I can see it or not. Faith is the carrier of hope. 

By biblical standpoint [Heb 11:1 HNV] 1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

Abraham was called out of his own Country that was pagans living for other gods. God called him out of that Country to live for Him alone because He is the only one true God. Abram was his name before God changed it because of his belief to follow God and live a new life of hope and a future. Abraham stepped out and followed God even though He could not see the future nor what he was to go through. He believed and it was credited to him as righteousness. It was not his words that moved God but his faith and action (work) to follow. 

Every time Abraham did as God asked God blessed him. Sometimes that faith was hard to stand with because of what God asked but never the less he did as asked. Abrahams faith was strong and he knew within his heart that God had his best interest at heart. God himself is always faithful to bless our faith in Him.Abraham was asked to take his own Sons life as a sacrifice to God to show his faith. That is a hard situation that I could not even imagine going through myself. But Abraham did as God asked and took his Son to the place God showed him and prepared a sacrificial altar to sacrifice his Son to God. Just as he was drawing nigh to plunge the knife into his Sons' heart, God called out to him stop. And God said to him now I know that your heart is true and pure. Your faith is strong in me and that you will follow me wholeheartedly. You held nothing back, not even your own flesh and blood. This act of faith drew God to know that man is still worthy of His sacrifice that would come later to redeem man from death. 

Faith is the only thing that can please and assure God that you are entirely devoted to Him. 

Now we will see acts of others faith from the bible. 

[Isa 26:2 HNV] 2 Open you the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in.

[Mat 9:2 HNV] 2 Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. Yeshua, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you."

[Mat 9:22 HNV] 22 But Yeshua, turning around and seeing her, said, "Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.

[Mat 9:29 HNV] 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."

[Mat 15:28 HNV] 28 Then Yeshua answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

[Mar 2:5 HNV] 5 Yeshua, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

[Mar 5:34 HNV] 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in shalom, and be cured of your disease."

[Mar 10:52 HNV] 52 Yeshua said to him, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well." Immediately he received his sight and followed Yeshua in the way.

[Luk 7:9 HNV] 9 When Yeshua heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Yisra'el."

[Luk 7:50 HNV] 50 He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in shalom."

[Act 6:8 HNV] 8 Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.

[Rom 4:13 HNV] 13 For the promise to Avraham and to his seed that he should be heir of the world wasn't through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

[Heb 11:5 HNV] 5 By faith, Hanokh was taken away, so that he wouldn't see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God.

[Heb 11:4 HNV] 4 By faith, Hevel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Kayin, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness with respect to his gifts; and through it, he, being dead, still speaks.

[Heb 11:7 HNV] 7 By faith, Noach, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a teivah for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

[Heb 11:8 HNV] 8 By faith, Avraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went.

[Heb 11:9 HNV] 9 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Yitzchak and Ya`akov, the heirs with him of the same promise.

[Heb 11:11 HNV] 11 By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age since she counted him faithful who had promised.

[Heb 11:17 HNV] 17 By faith, Avraham, being tested, offered up Yitzchak. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son;

[Heb 11:20 HNV] 20 By faith, Yitzchak blessed Ya`akov and Esav, even concerning things to come.

[Heb 11:30 HNV] 30 By faith, the walls of Yericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days.

[Heb 11:31 HNV] 31 By faith, Rachav the prostitute, didn't perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in shalom.

And so there are many more who lived by faith and their stories are written in the bible. 

Now we will see how important faith is by Yeshua's (Jesus's) own words and what it can do for us if we do not doubt but hold fast to it strongly.

[Mat 6:30 HNV] 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won't he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

[Mat 8:26 HNV] 26 He said to them, "Why are you fearful, oh you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

[Mat 14:31 HNV] 31 Immediately Yeshua stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

[Mat 16:8 HNV] 8 Yeshua, perceiving it, said, "Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, 'because you have brought no bread?'

[Mat 17:20 HNV] 20 He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For most assuredly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.

[Mat 21:21 HNV] 21 Yeshua answered them, "Most assuredly I tell you, if you have faith, and don't doubt, you will not only do what is done to the fig tree but even if you told this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it would be done.

[Luk 8:25 HNV] 25 He said to them, "Where is your faith?" Being afraid they marveled, saying one to another, "Who is this, then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

[Luk 17:6 HNV] 6 The Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

[Luk 18:8 HNV] 8 I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the eretz?"

[Rom 4:16 HNV] 16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Avraham, who is the father of us all.

[Rom 4:20 HNV] 20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn't waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God,

[Rom 5:1 HNV] 1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have shalom with God through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah;

[Rom 12:3 HNV] 3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.

[Gal 2:16 HNV] 16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through the faith of Yeshua the Messiah, even we believed in Messiah Yeshua, that we might be justified by faith in Messiah, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.

[Gal 3:22 HNV] 22 But the Scriptures shut up all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Yeshua the Messiah might be given to those who believe.

[1Th 1:3 HNV] 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, before our God and Father.

As you can see by these few scriptures from the bible that faith is very important and can make all things possible for you. 

So allow faith to direct your life and everyday actions and watch the blessings of God flow through and to you. Faith is the only way to get Yeshua (Jesus) and eternal life. 

Faith is a workout just like salvation. It is something that we work for every day. By faith do we receive grace. There is no other way. 

Note: The verses supplied are from the Hebrew Name version bible. They are short verses because this is meant to get you to search them out and discover for yourself their accounts and show you why faith is so important. Please do take the time to look these up and learn from them. There is so much more that I did  not have space nor time to write 

Shalom is defined as peace in the English language but it is actually defined in the Hebrew language where it came from as Wholeness. (complete). 

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section below and I will respond as quickly as I am able. You may also go to my Facebook page and find more and ask me questions there.

God Bless and Peace be with you.