Romans 4:1-25

Abraham

Abraham is one of the best known and most honored men in the history of the world. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all consider him to be their father in the faith. The Jews because he was the father of Isaac and grandfather of Jacob. The Muslims because he was the father of Ishmael. And Christians because...well, Paul says, “He is the father of us all.”

I am not pointing all of this out to try and say that “we all worship the same God.” (I believe that Jews and Christians worship the same God but Muslims do not.) The reason I am pointing out how important Abraham is to so many people, especially in the context of their faith, is because...why? What did he do?

He didn’t write a book. He didn’t start any religious rituals except circumcision. (Male circumcision only. Female circumcision is from hell.) He didn’t do any miracles. He didn’t conquer and nations or even claim any special revelation. (Though he did have special revelation.) How did he reach this exalted position?

He believed God. Specifically, he believed God’s Word to him.

Unlike Adam, who did not believe God’s Word and ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Abraham believed what God said to him about becoming the Father of Many Nations, and about the promised offspring.

Without doing anything special and without knowing any of the proper rituals and with pretty frequent mess ups, Abraham became a giant of the faith simply because he believed God’s Word to him. Can you believe that?