On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 11:55:08 EST [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
What you cannot do, IMO, Judy, is take events
out of Abraham's life and use them to contradict what was
said. And what was said? That
his faith was reckon as righteousness. What does that look
like? You have scripture on that, you know. An old man
and an old woman, given a promise that was completely beyond their
abilities. All he could do was to look at those stars his
Creator spoke of and believe. There was nothing else that he could
do. In fact, when he decided to help God out with this promise, it
was wrong. Did Abraham continue to be as faithful to G-d as he
knew how? Of course. But that obedience had nothing to
do with the fulfillment of the promise...........especially if we understand the
seed to be Christ, himself (Gal.3:16). John
jt: He could not produce the spiritual seed
(which eventually became the child of Promise) but he was able to
impregnate Hagar and get an Ishmael wasn't he? Physically that is. I
am referring to the faith revealed by his willingness to take Isaac to the
mountain in obedience as a sacrifice to God. Abraham's faith was tested
and so is the faith of everyone else which includes each of us also.
jht.
jt: What does "saved by grace through faith" look like?
Abraham is given as our example of one who had saving faith the kind that is reckoned as righteousness - but Abraham also passed the ultimate test.